May the blessings of God be with you! This week we hear a
story about someone who isn’t part of Jesus’ own circle who is
casting out demons in Jesus’ name, and the disciples want him
stopped. They appeal to Jesus, as Joshua did to Moses about the
elders who prophesied without official authorization. Like
Moses, Jesus refuses to see this as a threat. Jesus welcomes good
being done in his name, even when it is not under his control.
The circle we form around Jesus’ word must be able to value
good being done in ways we wouldn’t do it, by people we can’t
keep tabs on.
This leaves me to wonder if the moral of this story still
applies in our current age. Hopefully I'll figure it out before
Sunday! Can't wait! God be with us all.
Greetings in the name of Jesus! Well, I am pretty much on a
high after last Sunday's church picnic. The attendance was great
and I am hopeful that we will be able to make this an annual
event. It is always great when both congregations can get
together as one! Our next opportunity will come at
Thanksgiving when we will have our service this year in
Lynchburg.
This coming Sunday we continue our readings both in the
book of James as well as the Gospel of St. Mark. We will be
hearing James warn against selfish ambition, while in the
gospel, Jesus' disciples quarrel over which one of them is the
greatest. Jesus tells them the way to be great is to serve. Then, to
make it concrete, he puts in front of them a flesh-and-blood
child. We are called to welcome the children God puts in front
of us, to make room for them in daily interaction, and to give
them a place of honor in the assembly. May God bless you all!
Greetings in the Name of Jesus! Years ago, I remember an ongoing
debate among our congregation's Confirmation Committee. It was our
tradition that we would conclude our three-year program with a retreat that
would often prove to be quite inspirational for our prospective
confirmands. Here's the gist of the debate: what if a young person who has
not completed all three years of confirmation goes on the retreat and, as a
result, expressed a desire to be confirmed? Half the committee said, "if the
student hasn't completed the classes they cannot be confirmed with the rest
of their class." The other half suggested that the student should be
confirmed but encouraged to complete the classes afterwards at some
point. Which side would you be on? Better yet, which side do you think
Jesus would support?
This leads to the theme of our lessons for this Sunday. James tells us to
stop showing favoritism in the assembly, treating the rich visitor with more
honor than the poor one. Jesus himself seems to show partiality in his first
response to the Syrophoenician woman in today’s gospel. Was he testing
her faith in saying Gentiles don’t deserve the goods meant for God’s
children? Or was he speaking out of his human worldview, but transcended
those limits when she took him by surprise with her reply? Either way, the
story tells us that God shows no partiality. Everyone who brings a need to
Jesus is received with equal honor as a child and heir. We will think about
this together in our worship this Sunday.
Remember that next Sunday (September 15th) is our church picnic and
worship for both congregations at Smith Mountain Lake. We will send
detailed directions next week in your email. Copies are now available on
the table. The service will begin at 10:30 and it takes me about 35 minutes
in travel time. Living Grace folks should bring their own drinks, plus a side
dish. Bethlehem people are bringing desserts, and fruit. We will provide
disposable plates and plastic silverware, so if you want a real plate, fork and
knife, you will need to bring your own as well. The main dish is fried
chicken and will be provided by the church. I'm looking forward to seeing
you all. Plan to stay if you want to swim or go boating afterwards.