Claimed, gathered and sent

Here are some thoughts on this coming Sunday's gospel text, which were sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church.  Gospel: Mark 10:35-45 35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”   36 And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?”   37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”   38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”   39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;   40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”     41 When the ten heard this, they began t...

This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Sunday, 2/21/18. The text was Mark 1:14-20 .                                                      Ok, I know I’m not the only one who thinks there’s something fishy about today’s gospel. Are we to really believe that these four prospective disciples would instantly drop everything and follow Jesus—and do this at night, since that’s when fishing took place to get the fish to market while they were fresh.   Jesus came to Galilee with the message, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near” (v. 15). This does not refer to the regular tick-rock, minutes and seconds kind of time, but God’s time—the opportune, royal time of God’s action and activity. God is getting involved. The kingdom of God language evoked Israelite memory of a time of political independence. G...