Claimed, gathered and sent

These are some thoughts about this Sunday's gospel text that were shared with the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church.  Gospel: Mark 13:1-8 1 As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!”  2 Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”    3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,  4 “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?”  5 Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray.  6 Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.  7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come.  8 For nation will rise against na...

This is the message I shared with the people of St. Timothy on Sunday, 11/11/18. The text was Mark 12:38-44. Ahhh…a passage like this is music to the ears of all those involved in church finances. Here we have the selfish scribes pitted against the generous, sacrificially giving widow. Jesus lifts the widow up as an example of how we should give, doesn’t he…or does he?  This incident occurs at the end of Jesus’ public ministry. Other chapters include incidents that point to the corruption of the Temple and the growing opposition of the religious authorities to Jesus. The scribes’ habitual behavior as a group gets severe criticism. But beyond the scribes’ actions, are the desire to do such things. It is the scribes’ inward desires and wants that are the ultimate issue. The Jewish community was centered in its regard for God’s Law, Torah, its interpretation and application. The scribe was an important and duly honored person. However, their practices were pretentious: str...