On the Way to Wonder

 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”   (John 11:22-27)

We are looking at the seven “I am…” statements made by Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John.  Last week we pondered the Good Shepherd walking with us as we traveled through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  This week we dig deeper into that promise.

First we look at the context of the quote.  We often find Jesus with Mary and Martha, two sisters who lived in Bethany, outside Jerusalem.  Their brother was Lazarus.  Lazarus became ill and a message was sent to Jesus who did not quickly go to heal his friend but continued doing his thing, to the surprise of the disciples.  There were no ERs or zoom meetings with doctors.  The sisters were not seeking a second opinion as we are prone to do today.  Jesus was the only sure answer and he did not respond to their crisis.

  Does that sound a bit familiar?  How easy it is to think Jesus is MIA when our crisis comes and our world is caving in.  The Evil one loves to taunt us with doubts about the Lord’s concern.  So four days after Lazarus had died and been buried, Jesus appears and Martha runs to him and blurts out, “If you had been here.”  She went straight to the point.  Crises often call forth direct and blunt statements from us.  

Martha believed Jesus would receive whatever he asked for from God.  She is so close but had not totally grasped the truth yet.  Jesus was not a messenger who speaks to God.  He is God.  He is not interceding for us to be resurrected.  He is the resurrection.  There is only life as we stand in him.  I wonder how many times I need to be reminded that Jesus is the resurrection, the resolution itself of the dilemma I am in.  Jesus claims to be resurrection and the life.  Let’s do our acrostic on the word “life.”  L is for _____, I is for _____, F is for _____, and E is for _____.  Blessings.

First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31

 ²¹Have you not known? Have you not heard?

  Has it not been told you from the beginning?

  Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

 ²²It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,

  and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

 who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

  and spreads them like a tent to live in;

 ²³who brings princes to naught,

  and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

 ²⁴Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,

  scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,

 when he blows upon them, and they wither,

  and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

 ²⁵To whom then will you compare me,

  or who is my equal? says the Holy One.

 ²⁶Lift up your eyes on high and see:

  Who created these?

 He who brings out their host and numbers them,

  calling them all by name;

 because he is great in strength,

  mighty in power,

  not one is missing.

 ²⁷Why do you say, O Jacob,

  and speak, O Israel,

 “My way is hidden from the Lord,

  and my right is disregarded by my God”?

 ²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard?

 The Lord is the everlasting God,

  the Creator of the ends of the earth.

 He does not faint or grow weary;

  his understanding is unsearchable.

 ²⁹He gives power to the faint,

  and strengthens the powerless.

 ³⁰Even youths will faint and be weary,

  and the young will fall exhausted;

 ³¹but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

  they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

 they shall run and not be weary,

  they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm: Psalm 147:1-11, 20c

The Lord heals the brokenhearted. (Ps. 147:3)

 ¹Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God!

  How pleasant it is to honor God with praise!

 ²The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem,

  and gathers the exiles of Israel.

 ³The Lord heals the brokenhearted

  and binds up their wounds.

 ⁴The Lord counts the number of the stars

  and calls them all by their names. 

 ⁵Great is our Lord and mighty in power;

  there is no limit to God’s wisdom.

 ⁶The Lord lifts up the lowly,

  but casts the wicked to the ground.

 ⁷Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;

  make music upon the harp to our God,

 ⁸who covers the heavens with clouds

  and prepares rain for the earth, making grass to grow upon the mountains. 

 ⁹God provides food for the cattle

  and for the young ravens when they cry.

 ¹⁰God is not impressed by the might of a horse,

  and has no pleasure in the speed of a runner,

 ¹¹but finds pleasure in those who fear the Lord,

  in those who await God’s steadfast love.  Hallelujah! 

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

¹⁶If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. ¹⁸What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

 ¹⁹For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. ²⁰To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. ²¹To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. ²³I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

²⁹As soon as [Jesus and the disciples] left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. ³¹He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

 ³²That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. ³³And the whole city was gathered around the door. ³⁴And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

 ³⁵In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. ³⁶And Simon and his companions hunted for him. ³⁷When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” ³⁸He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” ³⁹And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

CHILDREN’S SERMON         

      How many of you are planning to watch the SuperBowl next Sunday?  Turn to your neighbor and share your favorite Sunday afternoon activity.

Prayer:  Lord may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you.

SERMON

      Today’s text continues on from last Sunday’s reading.  We stood with the crowds in the Temple on the Sabbath and declared an aha moment:  Jesus spoke with the authority of the author of life.  Jesus commanded Evil to be silent and it had to obey!  Wow.  It is not a battle between good and evil to see who wins my soul.  Today’s text continues talking about Jesus’ sabbath.  After church and the confrontation with the man with the evil spirit, Jesus does not sit back to watch the SuperBowl and have a restful Sabbath.  We are given a day of rest because we need it, God does not need rest. 

Last Sunday, Jesus, the written Word, the living Word, spoke and silenced Evil.  But the story continued.  Jesus left the Temple and headed to the house of Simon Peter for adult Sunday School, perhaps, where he would have a chance to explain to his disciples and us what that was about in church.

      As Jesus entered the house, he was told that Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever.  We go from a man with an unclean spirit casting doubts on the sermon to a nameless old woman at home in bed.  The contrast is interesting.  Probably lunch or food to welcome guests was not ready and people were tired.  Traditions of hospitality were upset.  I would guess there was tension in the air.  Again the predictable was interrupted by “evil,” illness in this case.  Why does our author, Mark, share this incident?   It is the beginning of Mark’s gospel and I am touched that he is showing us Jesus’ concern for even women, for an elderly woman, not at the synagogue,  a woman who may have been widowed like me and in need.  This scene enters into the dark recesses of people’s failures to be strong.

      “He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.” 

 “At once” Jesus cares for Simon Peter’s  mother-in-law when he hears she is sick. We do not see Jesus confronting evil, as with the unclean spirit, by ordering silence and dismissal.   Instead we see a tender scene.  Jesus takes the sick woman by her hand.  No bull dozing into her space.  He offers his hand and then he lifts her up.  I can only imagine that  his an arm is around her shoulder to support her in a kind of hug, respecting her weakness and lifting her up.  Then the fever leaves.  Sometimes Jesus does do miracles and confronts evil with miracles but sometimes he enters our lives, gently, quietly, extending a hand, putting his arm around our shoulder and gradually helping us stand and get our balance.  God is not sitting back on some heavenly couch on Sunday, watching us through his cosmic television to see what we might need Monday when he is back on the job. Restoration and revival can happen any day of the week, in church or in our homes.  Restoration happens in direct confrontation with evil in our lives and restoration also happens in a gentle, encouraging approach as God’s hand reaches out to us, assisting us to stand, and returning us to service. Aha!  Jesus is the living Word, written and spoken, found in church and Jesus is a compassionate God that works in our relationships anywhere in life.

 ³²That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. ³³And the whole city was gathered around the door. 

      The Sabbath is ending and Jesus has not seemed to rest yet.  The people in the town are awed by Jesus’ dealing with evil in the synagogue and word of mouth carries the story.  By evening, people have gathered at Simon Peter’s home with the sick and demon possessed.  Jesus is healing “many.”  Interestingly it does not say all are healed.  Please note that going to Jesus does not guarantee healing.  Many sick are healed and many demons are cast out BUT again “he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.”  Twice we have now heard Jesus tell evil to be silent.  Interesting! Mark again challenges our concept of God.  God does not rest forgetting us on the Sabbath, withdrawing from his creation.  AND God does not want the testimony of evil to build his kingdom.  Why?

      I can imagine the comments by those cast-out spirits as they looked for a new home.  Jesus healed Jimmy, why not you?  Jesus healed Sam, and he was not as sick as you.  Jesus healed Eunice and she is not deserving like you.  Satan is called the Father of Lies and he twists the truth as do his followers.  Evil cannot be trusted for loyalty to God, cannot be trusted to understand God’s plan, and cannot be trusted to tell the truth. So Jesus again tells the evil spirits to be quiet.  Today, we may not be like the person with an unclean spirit like last week, we may not be like the sick woman healed, and we may not even be like one of the townspeople that gathered that evening, but that does not mean we don’t need healing and that God is not dealing with evil in our lives and in our world.  In all those scenarios, Jesus is willing to work and restore to life as he is true God with the power and true man with compassion for our situation.

“Everyone is searching for you.” ³⁸He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”

The next morning, Jesus is missing when more people come for help.  The news of a healer has spread and many need healing.  Success is so intoxicating and the needs of humanity are never ending.  But Jesus, “while it was still very dark, got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” For a third time this text challenges our concept of God.  When we think of God, we think of a being who knows all and is available to all.  When we think of God, we do not think of a being that is working out its solution to our situation or drawing aside to figure out how to work with us.  We think the God-man can just solve our problems for us. Jesus, true man withdraws to a deserted place and retreats into prayer.  Jesus has been tempted in all the ways people are tempted and he understands our doubts and confusing time when we need to withdraw and collect ourselves, to reconnect with the eternal and “charge our batteries.”  It could be that Jesus as true man also needed these times alone to think.  When the disciples find Jesus, they hear that the goal is not to heal the sick and cast out demons but to spread the good news that the kingdom is near.  Prayer seems to have given Jesus a clearer focus on his situation.  Aha.

      Jesus draws aside to refocus himself and refocuses his disciples.  Jesus has not come to make our life happy and comfortable. In the end people must still die.  Death by the virus is not sadder than death of a child with cancer or a mother in a car accident or a husband killed on the job.  Death is never welcome.  The wages of sin is death and we are all sinners.  Jesus has come to deal with death and to lead us to eternal life, not just to heal a temporary problem.  Jesus, and the gospel writer Mark, refocus us.  The focus is not the miracle but the miracle worker and the spreading the good news that the kingdom of God is near.

      This Sabbath we have gathered around the living word to refocus our hearts and minds.  Are we looking for a miracle today and the deliverance from evil that has a grip on us?  That would be nice!  Are we looking to be lifted up from that which holds us down and that which prevents us from serving?  That would be nice.   Are we looking for God who is present and restoring our lives every day? How wonderful if we could lay our hand on the TV or say the magic prayer and our problems would be gone.  We see today that God does not work that way.  Aha.   God does not rest nor does he grow weary.  He does not need a Sabbath, we do.  He does not always cure instantly but often offers his hand and lets us reach out as he gently lifts us up.  He does not need the testimony of evil to spread his fame.  And sometimes we think he is MIA as he silently walks with us or king out the best way to bring us to the Kingdom of Heaven.  AHA!  Let us close with the words of the prophet Isaiah.

²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard?
 The Lord is the everlasting God,
  the Creator of the ends of the earth.
 He does not faint or grow weary;
  his understanding is unsearchable.
 ²⁹He gives power to the faint,
  and strengthens the powerless.
 ³⁰Even youths will faint and be weary,
  and the young will fall exhausted;
 ³¹but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
  they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
 they shall run and not be weary,
  they shall walk and not faint.”

And the people of God said, AMEN!

Psalm 23

This week we looked at Jesus’ claim that he is the good shepherd found in the Gospel of John.  The 23rd Psalm but flesh on this statement.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  ¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—“.  John 10:11-14

This morning what strikes me is that little adjective, “my.”  It reminds me of the song I warbled in the 60s, “In the Stars His Handiwork I See.”  It shares the wonders of God as creator and then asks a reflective question, “What is that to me?”  Jesus, the written, spoken and living Word may be all the things the 23rd Psalm claims.  He enters a context, partners in actions, faces fears and foes and blesses …”what is that to me?  The Lord is   “My Shepherd.”  This is not antiseptic truth but living truth.  Thank you, Lord, that you are my shepherd.  May you enjoy this old psalm sung in Celtic English – a bit different order of words that I draws me into meditation and God’s presence.  Blessings!

Psalm 23: 5-6

⁵ You prepare a table before me 

    in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

    my cup overflows.

⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me

    all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

    forever.

Yesterday we rejoiced that the Good Shepherd walks with us as we face our fears and our foes.  He walks with us in those valleys but he also has the tools of a rod and staff to direct and protect us.  The psalm ends with the blessings of following the Good Shepherd.

Not only does the Lord stand “lock step” with me as I face my enemies but the psalmist envisions the Lord preparing a banquet and anointing my head with oil.  The picture that comes to mind is Jesus eating at the home of a Pharisee and a “sinner”, a woman, anointed his feet and wiped them with her hair.  The guests objects but Jesus defends her and blesses her.  The psalm reverses the picture.  The psalmist envisions us as the one being anointed and fed.

My husband used to say, even in the nursing home, “I’m drinking from the saucer cause my cup is overflowing.”  When tea was served in Kenya, children would be served also.  But of course the tea was hot and the children were young.  So the host or hostess would pour some into the saucer and blow on the tea to cool it or swirl it around in an empty cup and then give it to the child.  I think that is a good image for here.  God does not prepare a banquet that will hurt us but knows just what is right, even when I am in the presence of my enemies.  That is amazing.

And then that beautiful ending.  Surely, most certainly, it just must be true that goodness and mercy will follow me as I follow the Lord —all of my life.  The Good Shepherd is not just leading us into a good future but he is with us and helping us to have a good day even when life appears rough and unfair to us.  He is with us in our context, wherever it is.  He guides, makes us lie down and restores my weary soul.  He is with me facing fears and foes and he blesses.  I can only pray, Thank you.

Psalm 23: 4-5

Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.

Dr. Andy Stanley, a preacher we once heard via a cassette when missionaries, said to our family’s delight, “I don’t mind being dead.  It’s the getting dead that I’m afraid of!”  Most of us could agree that “getting dead” and enemies are near the top of our fears we don’t look forward to facing.  Most people vote for a quiet death in their chair.  We admire our soldiers, police, and firemen who face death for us regularly.

  King David who was a soldier and who faced death many times is famous for killing Goliath when he was a youth.  He led his men in battle.  It was as he got older and did not go to war that he got himself in trouble with Bathsheba.  So what was his secret.  “For you are with me,” he writes.  Even as a youth he recognized that it was God’s presence with him when he killed the lion and the bear attacking his flock.  That realization strengthened him as he face Goliath.  I note that faith does not mean we will not die or have enemies but it does mean we are not alone in those battles.

The shepherd/warriors we worked with carried “fimbos”.  They were sticks made from taking a branch with a swollen joint at the end, smoothing it out and they learn how to throw it or hit with it accurately.  A six foot cobra attacked our chickens one night. Our houseman came running with his stick and flailed on that snake,  Similarly the staff was a long stick carried to lean on and tap the sheep on the rumps to get them moving in the right direction.  It could also be used to poke into the holes in tall ant mounds where snakes crawled in looking for a morsel to eat.  Rods and Staffs were excellent protective tools .

The psalm reminds us that not only are we not alone as we face our fears and those who are enemies but our unseen companion has tools for protecting us that we cannot see.  Lord, help me to remember that you are present as I go to the doctor today and as others face their fears and foes.  Thank you.

Psalm 23:2,3

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

  he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

    for his name’s sake.

Jesus claims he is our “good shepherd” and so this week we are pondering the 23rd Psalm about the good shepherd.  Yesterday we looked at the context.  Our context is right now, not tomorrow.  The psalm is actually talking about how we can depend on the Lord to be present today, not just in the future or in heaven.  His presence in my trials of today means that in the circumstances I face there is food and peace, green pastures and quiet waters, that restores my soul.  So how does that happen?  What are the verbs that are active in the present context?

The Lord “makes me lie down.”  As an independent American, a product of the baby boomer generation when women are empowered and demonstrate for gender equality, the word “make” certainly causes me to stop and think.  Faith by its very nature is the act of me submitting my will to a higher power, to the Lord.  Faith is not automatic and often involves internal wrestling with my natural tendencies.  I don’t necessarily want to forgive that person who has hurt me or mine.  When the kids were learning to drive they loved to look over my shoulder and remind me when I had the peddle to the medal.  If love and forgiveness were easy we would not have wars around the world, starvation and inequality.  The choice to follow the kingdom of heaven is a choice to submit to the leadership of the Lord.  I would prefer to say “he enables me to lie down” but in truth sometimes “he makes me lie down” and I don’t always understand his wisdom.

By similar reasoning, the Lord leads me.  I would not choose widowhood or disease but in the midst of the trials I walk through during life, I believe he mediates and protects me from the full power of evil.  He is there leading me on a path only he can see to a destination only he knows is best.  Again, my faith is stretched and I grow in this process but indeed, sometimes I have growing pains.

The Lord “refreshes” my soul.  Anger hurts and weighs me down as much as too many sweets.  When I am able to turn over to him my burdens, my soul is refreshed.  When I force myself to focus on his word rather than my worries, my soul is refreshed.  When I get outside and see his works, my soul is refreshed.  Community love and laughter refreshes my soul.  I love music.  The Lord refreshes me better than coffee that stimulates.

The Lord guides my feet for his glory, not my glory.  I need guidance and not just for taxes at this time of the year.  I need guidance in dealing with my kids.  I need more than medical guidance for aging.  I pray the Lord gets the glory.

So perhaps as you reflect today you may sense the tension of submitting your will or perhaps a fogginess in his leading or a weariness in your souls that needs refreshing or you just need guidance.  The Lord can meet all of us as we face our challenges.  I would agree that the Lord is a “good shepherd.”

It is hard to think of Jesus saying he is “the good shepherd” in the gospel of John without thinking of Psalm 23 written by King David.  It is so familiar to many that the words roll off the tongue and perhaps our mind races to God’s promise to be with us as we walk through the valley of death or perhaps to the final banquet in the presence of our enemies.  I’d like to tackle the psalm again this week.  I am stepping into widowhood and you are stepping into your challenge but that must not change the meaning of the psalm.  Let’s not treat it as a panacea to make us feel good but see if we can apply it to our situation today.

The first three verses seem to me to speak to my context.  I am his sheep and one of a universal believers in a huge herd.  The shepherd is opening the gate of today and calling me out to life.

Psalm 23. A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

²  He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

³ he refreshes my soul.

The first challenge for me is to remember that God is my shepherd — not my husband, not my finances, not my health and not my friends.  The Lord is the “good” shepherd as we looked at yesterday and it is only as I look at him that this makes sense.  Widowhood is not a punishment nor any other challenge I face.  Life is a blessing the Lord is leading me into today.  I am not alone and I am not abandoned no matter how much my emotions try to convince I am.  The Lord is there leading me.

We lived with pastoralists in Kenya and sheep were a constant reality.  We joke about them being stupid but I noted that as the sheep walked along, their heads were often looking down for grass, blindly following the heels of the guy in front.  A group of three walked right in front of a speeding minibus I was riding to town one day.  I heard the clunk, clunk, clunk as we rolled over them and smelled their death the rest of the way.  They followed the wrong leader, didn’t keep their heads up and never saw what hit them.  I must remember to keep my eyes on the Lord and remember only he is good.

In the middle of the desert those sheep thrived and grew great big bulbous tails with fat that was used to heal wounds.  Our friend said he fell out of a tree, cracking his skull and the elders took a sheep and took part of his tail to pad the wound and heal my friend.  Perhaps it is true.  Wherever I am, there is green or nutritious pasture.  The Lord does lead me to green pastures but I am in green pastures right now and he is here to feed my soul.  Contentment is not just something for heaven or tomorrow but is available today.  I can find peace today and lay down, rest knowing the Lord is leading me.  That is the truth of my context.

Often my life looks like a raging storm at sea.  How will I make it through taxes this year?  When will survivor benefits kick in?  I love the picture of the young man standing at the helm of a boat obviously tossed by the waves but Jesus is standing over his shoulder and pointing the way.  Psalm 23 says that the Lord leads me beside still waters.  I need to remember that he only need say, “Be still,” and the storm that scares me so much will calm to still waters.  It’s a promise I can cling to when the skies are dark.

I love the end of these first three verses that informs my context.  Not only is the Lord my good shepherd, providing what I need for now, nourishing me in my situation, and calming my storms, the Lord is also “restoring my soul.”  I need not just exist and stay alive but there is something about today that is meant by the Lord to be restoration.  

I am challenged to look at the pastures the Lord is leading me into today and to ask him to open my eyes to see the gift of restoration he is providing.  Lord help me to keep my eyes on you and not be so occupied with finding food or following the herd.  Restore my souls today as you shepherd me.  Thank you.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  ¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—“.  John 10:11-14

We are looking at the I-am statements by Jesus that the gospel of John records.  This week we will reflect on Jesus, the good shepherd.  It reminds me of an encounter found in Matthew 19.  A young man comes to Jesus asking what he has to do to get eternal life.  Jesus sidesteps the complement and responds that no one is good but God.  Keep his commandments, Jesus advises.  The man argues that he has but realizes there must be more than just being “good”.  Jesus focuses now not on actions but on the man’s heart.  Jesus challenges the man to sell his goods and give the money to the poor.  The man leaves sad because he is rich.

Often we think of the “good shepherd” as the person who takes care of us and leads us to the “good life.”  Unfortunately Hollywood and culture defines for us what that good life looks like.  It certainly does not include war, job challenges, divorce, illness or financial constraints.  When these challenges enter our life we are tempted to question the goodness of God as our shepherd.  We wail that government should be doing life differently.  We demand that the people at church be perfect and not be forgiven sinners like ourselves.  Our knee-jerk reaction is to cry that we do not have a good shepherd who gives us a good life.

Let us start this week refocusing our thinking.  Only God is good.  We are just passing through this life with God as our shepherd who knows what is good for us.  Hmmmm.  OK.  Let’s start the week with an acrostic on the word “shepherd.”  When we think of God as our shepherd, what do we think of?  S is for _____, H is for _____, E is for _____, P is for ______, H could also be for _____,  E could also be for _____, R is for _____, and D is for _____.  Blessings as he leads you to green pastures and still waters this week.

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

[Moses said:] ¹⁵The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. ¹⁶This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” ¹⁷Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. ¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. ¹⁹Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. ²⁰But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.”

Psalm: Psalm 111

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Ps. 111:10)

 ¹Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
  in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.
 ²Great are your works, O Lord,
  pondered by all who delight in them.
 ³Majesty and splendor mark your deeds,
  and your righteousness endures forever.
 ⁴You cause your wonders to be remembered;
  you are gracious and full of compassion. 
 ⁵You give food to those who fear you,
  remembering forever your covenant.
 ⁶You have shown your people the power of your works
  in giving them the lands of the nations.
 ⁷The works of your hands are faithfulness and justice;
  all of your precepts are sure.
 ⁸They stand fast forever and ever,
  because they are done in truth and equity. 
 ⁹You sent redemption to your people and commanded your covenant forever;
  holy and awesome is your name.
 ¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
  all who practice this have a good understanding. God’s praise endures forever. 

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

¹Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ²Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; ³but anyone who loves God is known by him.
 ⁴Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” ⁵Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords—⁶yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
 ⁷It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ⁸“Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. ⁹But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? ¹¹So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. ¹²But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. ¹³Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

²¹[Jesus and his disciples] went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.²²They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. ²³Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, ²⁴and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” ²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” ²⁶And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. ²⁷They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” ²⁸At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson is a delightful story of an emperor, a king, who is duped by two tailors who claim they can make him beautiful garments that would be invisible for people unfit for their jobs.  The king would be able to tell the wise from the foolish.  The king would not only look handsome but also the clothes would help him tell who was fit for his or her office.  All his officials were afraid to admit they could not see his wonderful new clothes.  But then a small child seeing the king strutting around, cried out, “The king has no clothes.”

The king thought his clothing would tell everyone that he was a king and confirm his right and power to reign.  The child saw the truth.  What do you think gives a ruler authority to rule?

Let us pray.  Lord, may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

Epiphany is a season of the church when we have “Aha,” moments as we experience the life story of the incarnation of Jesus. An epiphany is a new insight, an “aha” moment, a new understanding about life.

• The first week we were amazed as John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordon and God’s voice from heaven claimed Jesus as his son.  We had seen baby Jesus born in Bethlehem to  Mary and Joseph and knew he was human but now God publicly claims Jesus and we begin to understand Jesus as the God-man.  The Holy Spirit descends like a dove.  We stand with our mouths hanging open.  God does not just sit somewhere in space watching us but comes to us as trinity and we begin to understand what God is like.  AHA!
• Week 2 we were amazed that God seeks us to follow him just as we are with all our doubts, scars, and limitations.  We do not choose him as our candidate, he chooses us as his disciples.  AHA!  
• Today we might agree with the crowds, “What is this?  A new teaching — with authority!” AHA!  

Authority is the underlying theme of today’s text.  Jesus is in the synagogue teaching.  Internet explanations of authority define authority as a person’s “right” and “power” to do something.  In 2024 Americans will go to the polls to elect a President who represents for many the top authority in the United States.  Our votes will give someone the right and the power to speak for us.  We also recognize the Supreme Court and the Congress but we look to our Presidents as a kind of leader.  Similarly the Jews looked to Jerusalem as their authority, possibly the  leaders in the Temple since they no longer had kings and lived under the presence and power of Rome.  So our text first compares Jesus with the Scribes.

Author or Copier

Our text today comes down through the ages, before the invention of the printing press.  The Scribes were the men dedicated to copying the Scriptures by hand on to parchments or scrolls that were read in the temple or church.  Scribes were the men who copied the Law and Pharisees were the men who taught the law.  The people are amazed that Jesus “taught with authority, not like the Scribes.”  So what is the difference?

There is a difference between the author of the book and the publisher of the book.  The author has authority because the author knows the intent of the writing and the direction it is going and knows the pre-story and the epilogue.  The scribe only knows what is written.  The scribe might be familiar with what came before and might be able to guess what is about to happen but the author knows where the story is going.

So we might ask ourselves today if we really know the author of the story who can explain his intent and application to our lives or do we just read to see what was written.  I love to do some sort of program that tells me what chapter I should read each day so that at the end of the year I will have read through the Bible.  I love to tick the box that shows I read the assignment for the day. But, I must admit that at times my mind is reading on “cruise control mode”, not seeking to understand how the written words apply to my life today but just reading to tick the box.   In the same way, I might also ask if we tend to just read familiar passages of Scripture that feel good or do I plow through and ponder some of the more difficult passages like in the Old Testament.  Jesus speaking as the “living Word,” “the author,” speaks with authority through Scripture to us today and speaks to the challenges we are facing.  He is not copying what someone else wrote.  He is the author.

Perhaps I might make one more clarification.  One of the big differences between Christians and Muslims who both claim to believe in the Old Testament is that Muslims believe the actual words are inspired as written in Arabic.  The words themselves, spoken by God, are holy.  Other translations into other languages are not inspired.  The Quran is not allowed to touch the floor for it is a holy book.  Christians use the word “inspiration.” We too believe God spoke through men to all people but those words of the Bible were meant  to be understood by all people in all languages. The Bible is not just a history book or a science book.  God is telling us a story and talking to us. The Holy Spirit still speaks today through different translations to peoples’ hearts. The text challenges us to be alert when we are reading Scripture  because we are meeting with God and when we are sloppy and just reading words, we are missing the message and the messenger.   

Authority over Evil

“He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

“Just then,” how like Evil to show up right when Jesus is making an important point and the people are impressed. “Have you come to destroy us?” Asks the man with the unclean spirit.  Doesn’t that sound similar to the snake in the Garden of Eden when he plants doubt in Eve-surely you won’t die if you eat the fruit.  Evil confronts Jesus in front of the people and claims that the Law was given to destroy people.  It is sort of like the claim that to believe is to not be strong and to need a crutch or to believe is to commit to a life without fun.  The Evil One would always like us to think that submitting to the authority of Scripture is compromising our personhood and  our future.  That sly father of lies adds just enough truth to make us think he knows what he is talking about.  The unclean spirit clearly identifies Jesus as “the Holy One of God.”  In the Garden the serpent added that eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would make Eve wise.  That was true but that did not change the lie that she surely would not die.

True authority does not mix good and evil.  God does not sugar coat truth for us.  We may not understand the depth of the truth we are reading but God does not play games with us.  Jesus turns to the man with the unclean spirit and commands it to be silent.  The spirit must obey and must exit the man.  AHA!!!  We are not locked in a battle to see if good will triumph over evil as  if they are two equal powers battling for reality.  This scene shows that God is all powerful and can command Evil and Evil must obey.  The spirit screams and the man convulses but the evil spirit must obey, be quiet and leave.

Perhaps today you are standing at the parting of two paths in the woods and both seem equally appealing.  Like in our story, the tailors may be offering you clothing that will make you wise and knowledgeable, but the truth is as the child could see, it is a lie.  We are naked if we are not clothed in God’s power for he commands Evil.

 ²⁷They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority!

Authority is having the right and the power.  God has the right of the author, the creator and maker of our lives, to speak into our reality.  God does not sit out in space seeing which ending to the book we will choose.  He does not want to relate to us only because we are good enough to come up to him.  He came down to us and speaks.  He does not just write a letter that is copied and passed around.  He speaks truth through his letters to us.  He does not wear invisible clothes so he can see if we are fit for his kingdom.  He is a God who created us and wants to relate to us, even on days when we feel the job we face is too big for us.  AHA.

God has the power all the time and Evil can only go so far in our lives.  We may feel like Evil is winning but the truth is that God is more powerful than Evil.  He need only say, “be silent.”  AHA.

Jesus taught with authority, not like the Scribes, but like the author of life.  Jesus, the Holy One of God, told the unclean spirit to be silent.  That’s power and it’s power that cares about us.  Thank you, Lord.

Let the people of God say, “Amen!”

0The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

    To him belongs eternal praise.

Tomorrow our psalm for the day will be Psalm 111 and we will focus on the authority of Jesus.  When he spoke, people were amazed.  He did not speak like their leaders and scribes.  He had authority over unclean spirits.  This was a true epiphany moment for the people and for us. 

 Authority comes from the same word as author. The author of the book has more authority, understanding about the characters in the book, in the story, than the publisher.  Psalm 111 speaks of God, the creator, the author of our lives.  He has true authority and we can look to him today.  

The first link is a cute children’s expression of this psalm focus verse. The second puts verses 2-10 to music.  Enjoy as you face the challenges today.  You can always turn to the author of your life!  That is grace!