Claimed, gathered and sent

  Here are some random thoughts on this Sunday's gospel. I'm using the resource Lent in a Box, which has the overall theme for Lent as Altered by the Spirit. For the first Sunday, we're focusing on Altered on the Edge of Belonging.   Gospel: Mark 1:9-15 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”   12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.   14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Our overarching sermon theme ...

This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, 2/11/24 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was Mark 9:2-9 . You probably thought I misspoke when I said “transformed” instead of “transfigured” in the reading of this morning’s gospel. However, in Greek, they are the same word. It is the same word used in Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…” and in 2 Cor. 3:18, “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” In these verses, I hear echoes of Jesus’ transfiguration/transformation. Let’s look more closely at these events. Moses represents the law, while Elijah represents the prophets. Both ascended to God at their deaths, as will Jesus. Their appearance is beyond what most people think is possible. In scripture, there are numerous signs of God’s presence. The cloud is one such mysterious sign....