Claimed, gathered and sent

Here are some thoughts regarding this coming Sunday's gospel lesson that was sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church via email.  Gospel: Mark 7:24-37 24 [ Jesus ] set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.   31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre...

This is the message I preached at  St. Timothy Lutheran Church  on Sunday, 9/2. The text was from  James 1:17-27 .    When my family and I lived in Bethlehem, my son Christian, went to an Arab Christian boys’ school. One day Christian came home and was singing in Arabic,  Shwee, shwee ya idie shu bisouwee. Oh, shwee, shwee ya idie shu bitsouwee. I don’t remember how the rest of the song goes in Arabic, but here’s the English. O be careful little hands what you do, O be careful little hands what you do, for the Father up above is looking down in love So, be careful little eyes what you see It continues with verses about ears, eyes, feet and mouths. This little children’s chorus kept running through my mind as I was studying this week’s passage from James, with its own priority given to faith that works. All good gifts are from God, in whose character there is no change at all. James insists that only good comes from God. H...