Mark 3:31-35

“And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’” vss. 34-35

Humans are communal creatures. While there are some persons who prefer to live in isolation, their numbers are few. Most folks love their connections with others and suffer from loneliness when separated. Birth provides us with our first experience of community and it’s a huge blessing when family can provide reliable relationships that can last for a lifetime. But sometimes, too often in fact, families are plagued by estrangements on multiple levels–divorce, alienation, addictions can all work to undermine the unity and security that we crave. We learn from the gospel of Mark that Jesus too, at least at the beginning of his ministry, had issues with his mother and brothers. In response to his family’s concerns, Jesus told his disciples that they were his family, that they were his brother and sister and mother. Many in our time know exactly what he was talking about. It’s not unusual to discover that our closest confidantes and companions are to be found in our faith community. These are the ones we can count on in moments of suffering. These are the people who bring the connections that feed our souls. Oh, we still have our birth families, and there’ll always be some degree of closeness there, but it’s the folks at church who become family when crunch time comes.

Thought for the Day: Who is my family?

Mark 3:20-30

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” vss. 24-25

Abraham Lincoln quoted this verse when he launched his campaign in 1858 as the Republican candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois. These words opened his speech and were a direct reference to the impending division of the United States that had been triggered by a massive controversy over slavery. Some read these verses today with a sense of chill. There is currently a deep division in our country surrounding the political rhetoric that has come to dominate conversations not only on the national level but even within our congregations. Some are even saying that another civil war is on the horizon, with some sadly even looking forward to the prospect. While there is no single issue driving the controversy, the divisions are real and devastating. Jesus knew what could happen when such conflicts continued to fester, and warned his listeners of the consequences. His words contain a timeless truth, and it is the special responsibility of his followers in these times to put aside the pointless and malicious accusations and assertions that threaten the unity of our country. We have much more serious things to worry about than this intolerable wrangling being sparked by small-minded and slanderous politicians of every shape and kind. Some masquerade as Christians, but their words are evidence of their treasonous hearts!

Thought for the Day: Why are we so angry?

2 Corinthians 4:17-5:1

“…we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” vs. 18

In recent years, some scientists, after generations of observations and calculations, have concluded that there is more to reality than meets the eye. While that notion may seem strange to secularists, it’s no surprise to people of faith, and was very familiar to the apostle Paul. Everything that he counted as important in his life could not be seen by human eyes. For generations believers have clung to this basic truth: beyond and within all the “stuff” of the universe, God is! And more than that, every creature of land, sky, and sea, including humans, is more than what we see. Everything that exists contains the essence of the Creator; all is sacred! What a difference this makes in our approach to self and to others as we live, love, and work in this world. No longer will we be able to discount and marginalize those who are different. No longer will we be able to carelessly ravage the environment. No longer will we thoughtlessly disparage people with contrary political beliefs. Since we too are the dwelling place of God and the temple of the Holy Spirit we will take care of our minds and bodies. That which was made in the image of the Divine has intrinsic holiness and deserves our daily love and attention. And if we look really closely we will even catch a glimpse of God!

Thought for the Day: Where do I most often glimpse God?

2 Corinthians 4:13-16

“So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” vs. 16

Even as the apostle Paul grew older and became more aware of his physical limitations he never once told the Corinthians that he was staying away from carbs, counting his steps, or going to the gym for strength training. But he does tell them that his inner nature was being renewed day by day. There’s wisdom in his words that we could learn to take to heart. We live in a time when there is almost an obsession with the aging process and what it does to our bodies. There are even some who say that the physical decline that comes with the passing years can be reversed! The truth is that no matter how well we eat or exercise, our bodies are not going to last forever. This doesn’t mean that we should be careless about our eating or exercising. Those things do make a difference and can add quality to our golden years. But how much better it is to focus on renewing our spirits with regular prayer, contemplation, and worship. That way, even when our bodies fail us, we can live with joy and peace in our hearts, and as we draw our final breaths, we will be content. We will have lived well, and besides, with Paul, we know that the best is yet to come!

Thought for the Day: Am I living well?

2 Corinthians 4:13-16

“So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” vs. 16

Even as the apostle Paul grew older and became more aware of his physical limitations he never once told the Corinthians that he was staying away from carbs, counting his steps, or going to the gym for strength training. But he does tell them that his inner nature was being renewed day by day. There’s wisdom in his words that we could learn to take to heart. We live in a time when there is almost an obsession with the aging process and what it does to our bodies. There are even some who say that the physical decline that comes with the passing years can be reversed! The truth is that no matter how well we eat or exercise, our bodies are not going to last forever. This doesn’t mean that we should be careless about our eating or exercising. Those things do make a difference and can add quality to our golden years. But how much better it is to focus on renewing our spirits with regular prayer, contemplation, and worship. That way, even when our bodies fail us, we can live with joy and peace in our hearts, and as we draw our final breaths, we will be content. We will have lived well, and besides, with Paul, we know that the best is yet to come!

Thought for the Day: Am I living well?

Psalm 130

“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.” vss. 3-4

If, by the grace of God, we have reached a point in life where we have given up on the folly of blaming others and are able to humbly confess our own sinfulness we are still left with the burden of our iniquities. We can even find ourselves so close to the bottom of the barrel that we despair of ever knowing joy in living again. That’s where the psalmist was, and out of those depths he cried out to the Lord, his only source of hope. He knew that God didn’t keep score, that God did not tally up a list of our sins to be used against us on Judgement Day. It’s interesting though, that even though he knows that God is gracious, he is not presumptuous, and his knowledge alone is not enough to lift him out of the depths. So he tells us that he’s waiting with hope until the day he will feel forgiveness. There’s great truth here, something that most of us know well. When we are in despair because of how we’ve lived, even knowledge of God’s love isn’t enough to lift us. And so we wait! The good news is that forgiveness will come, perhaps when we don’t expect it. On that day the words of absolution will not only be heard, they’ll be felt, and we will know for sure that the slate has been wiped clean.

Thought for the Day: When did forgiveness become more than words for me?

Genesis 3:11-15

“The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’” vs. 12

From the very beginning, it has been important in difficult situations to know how to assess blame! In our ancient scriptures, the very first story about human interaction with God has the man blaming the woman for his act of disobedience, and more than that, the text implies that the real culprit is God! After all, it was God who had screwed up Eden by giving him the woman! And the woman catches on quickly, it wasn’t her fault, it was that silver-tongued serpent. And there we have it! Faced with the presence of sin humans have done everything in our power to pin the blame on someone else rather than humbly bowing our heads and admitting our guilt for making a mess of Paradise. What’s even more appalling is that this true story, when taken literally, has given males the pretext for diminishing the status of women for thousands of years. Women have been marginalized and abused in every generation for being the “weaker” sex, and they have been blamed for every kind of depravity that men have fallen into. It really is a sad story and it has proven remarkably resistant even in the current generation. We wonder if it’ll ever be possible for humans to deal imaginatively and lovingly with consequences of sin without first worrying ad nauseum about who is at fault. 

Thought for the Day: Who do I blame when my life gets messed up?

Genesis 3:8-10

“They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” vs. 8

The second creation story in Genesis 2 paints a picture of an idyllic world in which humans lived in harmony with God and nature. Of course those who told this story knew that this wasn’t the way things were in the creation, and the account of our beginnings was not complete without Genesis 3, the story of paradise lost. The tale is brief and concise, and begins with the roots of our disharmony, the alienation of humans from their creator. It’s a tragic but real story. This is the way things are in the world. Where there should be perfect unity, there is division. We hide from our Maker, ashamed of who we are, and burdened with guilt. We see this loss of innocence as one generation succeeds another. Children are born, and parents rejoice. The little ones are so cute, and we can’t even imagine a time when they would be the bane of our existence. But they grow and begin to explore and somewhere along the line disharmony appears, and there’s sin and separation. And at the heart of our dis-ease secrets take root and paradise is only a distant memory. We try to hide ourselves from God’s presence and even begin to imagine that God is not! It’s a sad true story–but that’s not where it ends!

Thought for the Day: How do I hide from God?

Mark 3:1-6

“He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” vs. 5

Standing with a crippled man in front of the Pharisees in the synagogue, Jesus asked them a straightforward question, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” And the Pharisees were silent. And Jesus became angry! He could not believe that they could be so callous. So he went ahead and healed the man, thereby sealing his fate. From that moment on, Mark tells us, the Pharisees were intent on destroying him. While we are familiar with the sabbath controversy that marked Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees, Mark’s reference to Jesus’ anger surprises. Not only did Jesus have boundless compassion on those who were suffering, he had total contempt for the hard-hearted and the uncaring. Those who are followers of Jesus in this world would do well to remember this incident. Not only are we called to reach out to the hurting and the poor with loving hearts and caring hands, it is entirely appropriate for us to be angry in the face of benign neglect and callous indifference to human needs. There’s no doubt where Jesus stood with regard to the issues of his day–and if we’re wondering where we should stand, all we need to do is look to him.

Thought for the Day: When do I feel the most anger?

Mark 2:23-28

“One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’” vss. 23-24

There was a time when faith communities encouraged believers to observe the sabbath by refraining from work on Sundays. Obviously there were some things that needed to be done, e.g. taking care of livestock and preparing meals, but in general the sabbath was honored. There was a totally different feel to the day. In recent years however there has been a significant shift in sabbath habits and practices. Since most businesses are open on Sundays, large numbers of people are required to work–and even when people have Sundays off, the day is used mostly for recreation or leisure. But not everyone goes golfing! There is still a significant number of people who choose to honor the sabbath with worship–even when they go on vacation! They do it not only to meet spiritual needs, but as a significant act of testimony in our mostly secular world. There really is no better way of bearing witness to our faith than by “going to church.” In Jesus’ day sabbath keeping was important for Jewish identity–that’s why they made such a big deal of it. To a large extent it has the same importance for followers of Jesus–especially when it has pretty much ceased to be practiced in our culture.

Thought for the Day: How do I keep the sabbath?