Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, 10/13 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text is Mark 10:17-31. In the first scene of today’s gospel, we hear of Jesus’ look of love and the response he gets from a very religious, self-sufficient, well-to-do man. All we know at the outset of this gospel is that this man is humble, for he knelt before Jesus and addressed him as “Good Teacher.” He is sincere. Kneeling showed deference and respect to a teacher of the Law. There is no indication that the man was being sarcastic or was testing Jesus.  What was Jesus getting at when he asked why the man called him “good?” Was he trying to help him see that since only God is good and Jesus is good, Jesus must be God? Or was Jesus identifying more with sinful humanity? We don’t know.  What about “inheriting eternal life?” There is nothing anyone can do to make themselves eligible to inherit anything. You’re either a member of the family or you’re not. In order to inherit, someone has to die. Regard

  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 by him (Mark 1:15).