Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the message I shared with St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran churches this past Sunday, Oct. 11. The scripture text was Mark 10:17-31. . Throughout today's gospel, the one topic of conversation is that of money and possessions. Today, Jesus and his disciples are on the move, making their way to Jerusalem and Jesus' passion. Over the past few Sundays, we have heard radical demands from Jesus followed by confusion from the twelve disciples. True to form, Jesus' call to all today is uncompromising. There are three separate conversations in today's reading. The subject of each is money and its relationship to eternal life. The rich man wants to know how to get eternal life, the disciples want to know who can have eternal life. Jesus responds with the good news that no one has a chance "at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. [But you have] Every chance in the world if you let God do it" (v. 27). The first conversation is be...

This is the message I shared on Sunday, 10/4 with St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran c hurches. The text is Mark 10:2-16. Many of us, find it difficult to hear Jesus' words on marriage and divorce. Either we have personally experienced the pain of divorce or we know people who have. It is so much a part of life in our day, that we dare not ignore this section of Mark's gospel. Through the tears and dashed hopes, God embraces us and by his grace puts our broken lives back together. Relationships are difficult. It is not always easy for us to love the way God wants us to, by letting him love through us. All of today's scripture readings focus on primary relationships by affirming God's purpose in creation. Jesus was still teaching about discipleship. In today's reading, Jesus shows us how discipleship is lived out in the family--in marriage and divorce and in our relationship with children. Earlier in Mark (3:31-35), Jesus had announced the formatio...