Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, 10/6, at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text is Mark 10:2-16 .  Above is one of the many pictures entitled “The Peaceable Kingdom” by Edward Hicks. He painted 62 such pictures, each one different from the other. Some only include animals, some animals and humans, while others are all humans (Victoria Emily Jones, artandtheology.org).  God’s plan for humanity was incredible. Throughout scripture, we hear of God’s love and God’s desire for that to be mirrored in human relationships. Everywhere in scripture, including Mark’s gospel, we see Jesus making people whole—healing them, delivering them from demons, feeding them, and teaching them. Every single thing Jesus said and did was that people may be healed and full of life.  Scripture speaks of the kingdom as: one that will never be destroyed (Dan. 2:44), one of righteousness and abundance (Matt. 6:33), that invites outsiders in, that came near in Christ and was embodied b...

How does a pastor preach on something she/he has struggled with, remain genuine and not dump their pain all over the pulpit? Yesterday's gospel text was Mark 10:2-16 and this is the message I shared with God's people at Bethel Lutheran Church, Portville, NY.             Jesus’ words in this morning’s gospel are anything but easy. His words are shocking. This is not an easy text to preach on and some ministers will shy away from this topic. Divorce is a very touchy subject in our country. Divorce has caused a lot of pain for the parties involved and especially for the children whose worlds are turned upside down by divorce. Some of us may not have personally experienced divorce, but chances are we have friends or family members who have suffered such pain. Divorce in one way or another has touched us all. For many years, I believed with all my heart that if two people were really committed to each other and God, th...