Claimed, gathered and sent

Greetings. This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church and at St. Mark Lutheran Church , last Sunday, June 14. The scripture was Mark 4:26-34. Who doesn't like a good mystery--the kind with multiple layers of intrigue in the plot? My favorites are those stories that let me think I know the answer to the who dun it. I really like the mysteries of Mary Higgins Clark. As the story continues, you become more or less sure of the conclusion you have reached. The plot twists and turns until you reach the end of the story and...THAT ’ S the culprit? Certainly didn't see that coming. In many ways, life in Christ has its share of mysteries. We think we know how God is leading us or what is happening next in someone's life and then-- BAM --God comes on the scene and we are blown away by the way God has worked in the situation. We didn't see that coming. Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. Just what is a parable? We may think of a parable as a s...

This is the e-message that went out yesterday God's people at  St. Timothy Lutheran Church.  This is my first impression of the gospel reading for this coming Sunday. 26 He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." Mark 4:26–29 Who doesn't like a good mystery, the kind with multiple layers of intrigue in the plot? My favorites are mystery stories that let me think I know the answer to the who dun it. Then as you progress through the story you become more or less sure of  your conclusion. You go through many twists and turns in the plot until you reach the end of the story and...that's the culprit? I certainly didn...

Below is the sermon I preached on Sunday, June 7 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church and St. Mark Lutheran Church. The gospel text is Mark 3:20-35 . Do you like sandwiches? What is your favorite kind? Is it peanut butter and jelly, roast beef, a meatball sub or maybe it's beef on wick. We know that a sandwich usually consists of two slices of bread with something in between them. Believe it or not, today's gospel also has a sandwich. It is a literary sandwich. This literary device is used by Mark in trying to explain a sub theme within a theme. Some scholars call this literary device, the Markan Sandwich. The Markan Sandwich begins with a story. Once you are really drawn into the story, Mark switches to another story. When that story is concluded, he switches back to the original story and finishes that.   The first slice of bread is Jesus' Nuclear family. People love to talk about the sensational and spread rumors, don't they? It was no different in Jesus...

Mark 3:20 – 35 Jesus' nuclear family 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." scribal opposition 22   And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." 23And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. 28Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies ...