Month: February 2021

Our Gospel lesson is Mark 8:31-38, taken today from the New International Version (NIV).

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Two very recognizable verses are contained in our reading – “Get behind me, Satan” (v. 33) and “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (v. 34). Jesus uses these statements to teach us an important lesson: we must make a choice to resist temptation and put ourselves on His path. He has called us but it is up to us to respond.

Peter (as humans often do) reacts without thinking it through. He didn’t mean any harm, he certainly didn’t intend to cause people to doubt God’s Son. However, Jesus shows him (and us) through His reply that Peter’s comments could do just that.

He tells us that not falling for Satan’s lies is the first step, and the next is to obey. 18th century preacher John Wesley taught we must “do no harm” but then move on to “doing good”. Simply avoiding evil is not enough, Jesus says we must deny ourselves and take up our cross in order to be part of His work.

Loving Lord, we are weak by ourselves but with Your help we can help others. Make us strong in Your love to share the Gospel with the world. Amen.

Our Gospel lesson is Mark 8:31-38, taken today from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Peter tries to give Jesus some politically correct advice, warning Him that their mission may be hampered if people hear that the Messiah is to be rejected and killed. Jesus responds that Peter is missing the point, that the truth is more important than earthly things. Once again, Peter could be any one of us, not understanding the difficult lesson the Lord has for us.

Jesus teaches that if we want to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our own cross. This is hard to hear, especially for those who expected a return to power and a place of honor among nations. He said that His kingdom was not of this world and if we cling to earthly things we might miss the eternal joy God has for us.

This requires faith in what we do not yet see and patience to work for it. Jesus knows we have a hard time with both of these, but He stresses that the only way to God is through Him. We must listen, learn, and practice His way in order to be saved.

Merciful God, we don’t always understand what we must do. Give us faith and strength to be changed people, following the example of Jesus. Amen.

Our Gospel lesson is Mark 8:31-38, taken today from the Common English Bible (CEB).

Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: “The Human One must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts, and be killed, and then, after three days, rise from the dead.” He said this plainly. But Peter took hold of Jesus and, scolding him, began to correct him. Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, then sternly corrected Peter: “Get behind me, Satan. You are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts.” After calling the crowd together with his disciples, Jesus said to them, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me and because of the good news will save them. Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this unfaithful and sinful generation, the Human One will be ashamed of that person when he comes in the Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Jesus says that we must say no to ourselves (v. 34) if we are to follow Him. In other versions this is sometimes translated as deny ourselves. What does this mean in our lives?

Jesus isn’t telling us to reject who we are, it is actually an invitation to discover ourselves as the beloved children of God. He asks us to consider the blessing of being connected to God, to be able to accept the call that was placed on our lives from the very beginning. These are hard things but Jesus warns “Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives?” (v. 36).

Jesus teaches that wanting the things of the world can lead us away from the relationship God yearns to have with each of us. Most of our longings are a vain attempt to find something to fill the void that exists in our lives when we don’t know God. Jesus calls us all to turn from the temporary to the eternal and be part of God’s plan.

Gracious God, we are not complete without Your love in our lives. Bless us to be the sons and daughters You intend, sharing Your truth with the world. Amen.

Our gospel lesson is Mark 8:31-38, taken today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Jesus didn’t mince words when it came to what we want over what God wants for us. He tells Peter that he is acting as Satan’s agent when he opposes God’s plan for the Messiah. He has a hard lesson for us that teaches God’s way won’t always be easy, but it will always be right.

He tells us that our vision and understanding are limited, that if we see only earthly things we can never accept the call God places on our lives. He asks us to consider “what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (v. 37). Jesus says we must choose between temporary material things and the eternal gift of salvation God offers.

We sometimes lose our focus as Peter did. It is a sad part of our human condition, but while Jesus rebukes Peter, He doesn’t reject him. We are all subject to selfish wants. Jesus understands and comforts us with the truth that these desires don’t have to define us, that God is waiting to welcome us when we choose Him.

Loving Lord, we are often weak to the ways of the world and taken in by its false promises. Make us strong in Your word and Your love that we may share the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our epistle lesson this week is Romans 4:13-25.

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made empty and the promise nullified, because the law produces wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants —not only to the one who is of the law but also to the one who is of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all. As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations —in the presence of the God in whom he believed,the one who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do. Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness. Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Paul explains in this letter that God’s love and His promise were intended for all people, not just a select few. He also teaches that specific practices cannot redeem us; it must be based on our faith and our acceptance of the responsibility He places on us. It’s all about our relationship with God and each other.

Paul was in between Gentiles who were eager to hear God’s word and the Jewish faithful who believed that obedience to the practice of the Law as they knew it was essential. He writes that Abraham did not have the Law but that his faith “was credited to him for righteousness” (v. 22). In all of this he is trying to show that God loves us because we are His children, and because we love each other.

Our connection to God is about living in His creation, under His benevolent rule and using the gifts He has given for the good of all. God wants us all to come to Him to be part of His kingdom and His work. While we may worship differently, our process is not as important as our faith.

Loving Lord, thank You for bringing us all together in Your love. Help us to see our differences not as a divider but as a blessing to be able to do all things through Your grace. Amen.

Our Old Testament lesson is Genesis 17:1-7.

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.” Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.

God called Abram into a special relationship, and promised that he would be the father of many nations, even though Abram was already ninety nine years old. We often think that God only interacts with special people in special circumstances, but the truth is Abram was nobody special. God uses ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary work.

We are all special to God. His love and His gifts to us allow us to respond in faith when we are called to be part of His plan. Our own lack of ability or skill doesn’t matter. If God says He will use us, He will give us what we need to be successful.

God calls everyone to share His love with the world. Our own insecurities make us doubt our capability to respond, but God will fit us for the service to which we are called. It isn’t up to us!

Gracious God, we are grateful for the gifts You give and the work You have for us. Help us respond in faith, knowing You will bless our efforts. Amen.

Our call to worship this week is Psalm 22:25-31.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

This psalm tells us God is bigger and better than anything we can possibly achieve or imagine for ourselves. Praising Him as our Creator is not just our duty, it should also be our joy. It speaks of the need to share His wonders with “a people yet unborn” (v. 31), not just our descendants but everyone, everywhere.

From the beginning it was His plan to bring us together to be His beloved children. God wants all people to know His love and care, and to be part of His plan for salvation. This is the reason for offering our praise and worship!

Connecting to Him individually is our personal responsibility. Helping others find and rejoice in that connection is our responsibility too. Let us all praise the Lord for His wonderful gifts to us and His everlasting love which unites us.

Gracious God, we are Your people and to You we offer our thanks for life itself. Bless us to continue sharing Your love always and everywhere. Amen.

Our gospel is Mark 9:14-29, taken today from the New International Version (NIV).

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

Jesus tells us in this passage that “everything is possible for one who believes” (v. 23). He reminds us that our faith is important to God and essential to our relationship with Him. If we don’t believe, how can we be saved?

This doesn’t mean God needs our help for anything, merely that He made us to be in connection with Him and nothing else can fill our needs. We can try our best, as the disciples did in this story, but it seems they were expecting to be successful on their own. Jesus later instructs them “this kind can come out only by prayer” (v. 29), an indication that we must be counting on God to work through us.

Why would we want to do it on our own? Something stubborn exists within us, our free will telling us we are in charge. God made us this way for a reason, so that we could choose to be part of His work. He calls us but we must each say “I believe, help me overcome my unbelief”.

Gracious God, we are thankful to be made in Your image and invited to participate in Your creation. Help us to always be faithful, to turn to You in prayer and to share our faith with all Your children. Amen.

Our Gospel lesson is Mark 9:14-29, taken today from the English Standard Version (ESV).

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

In this passage the disciples were unable to cast out the evil spirit within the boy and later they ask Jesus why. He replies “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (v. 29). He is telling us we can’t do it alone.

Jesus wants us to be confident in our faith journey, but to understand that without God’s help, we are lost. Like the disciples, our strength alone is no match for the power of evil. We must ask the Lord to be with us and work through us.

Jesus taught that prayer is a necessary part of all we do. Asking for God’s help in everything gives us the connection we so desperately need and the assurance that we are following the path He has for us. Seek His love and guidance every day in prayer to face the challenge of the world and the promise of eternity.

Loving Lord, we are grateful that we may come to You in prayer to be connected and strengthened. Help us to be the people You intend, sharing Your love with everyone. Amen.

Our gospel this week is Mark 9:14-29, taken today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

And when they came back to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. And He asked them, “What are you disputing with them?” And one person from the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, because he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes stiff. And I told Your disciples so that they would cast it out, but they could not do it.” And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” And they brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, the spirit immediately threw him into convulsions, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” But Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again!” And after crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him, and he got up. When He came into the house, His disciples began asking Him privately, “ Why is it that we could not cast it out?” And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything except prayer.”

In this passage, Jesus finds His disciples locked in a battle with an evil spirit and an argument with the religious leaders. This speaks to us of the things we face here as His followers and the danger of being distracted by unbelievers. Satan only needs a small opportunity to prevent us from doing the Lord’s work.

The boy’s father asks if Jesus “can do anything” and Jesus answers that everything is possible for those who have faith. The man pleads for help, saying “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (v. 24). This is the cry that we should all raise to Jesus on a regular basis.

Jesus has pity on them and heals the boy because the father has admitted our human weakness – our faith must always be growing, it is never enough without God’s help. The disciples prove this point when they question why they were unsuccessful and Jesus tells them “This kind cannot come out by anything except prayer.” (v. 29). Only by our connection to God through Christ can we stand against the evil of the world.

Gracious God, we are blessed to be part of Your work and the call to share Your love. We know we can do all things through Your strength. Amen.