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, 2/18/18 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The gospel text was Mark 1:9-15 .  This has been a hard week. Once again our hearts have broken as we heard the news of violence and death at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. We wonder how long will this insanity go on? Why doesn’t someone do something? What can be done? Some would say that gun control is the answer. Others suggest arming teachers and other authority figures in the schools. There are so many issues that surround the continuing horror with no simple explanation or solution. On some level, we have all been touched by this. And in the midst of it all, we may wonder where God is and why did God allow this to happen? God does not force people to do the right thing. We have our own wills, as do those who commit such horrendous acts. Don’t even suggest that “everything happens for a reason,” because that just isn’t so. However, one thing I can assure you...