Sunday Reflection – November 24, 2024

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Is Jesus a king?

John 18 33 Pilate then went back inside. He called Jesus over and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own or did someone tell you about me?”

35 “You know I’m not a Jew!” Pilate said. “Your own people and the chief priests brought you to me. What have you done?”

36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom doesn’t belong to this world. If it did, my followers would have fought to keep me from being handed over to our leaders. No, my kingdom doesn’t belong to this world.”

37 “So you are a king,” Pilate replied.

“You are saying that I am a king,” Jesus told him. “I was born into this world to tell about the truth. And everyone who belongs to the truth knows my voice.”

Kids Korner: Is Jesus a king? (November 24th)

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Read John 18:33-37 with your family.

In the days when Jesus was teaching, people tried hard to understand what he was trying to say, especially when the things Jesus said were so different from what they understood of the world around him.

We have the same problem today. We expect Jesus’ stories and teachings to fit into our 21st century world, and really struggle to force it to fit when it doesn’t easily.

But Jesus asked us to think outside the box, to not use our assumptions to understand what he was saying, but rather to use our heart and our ears to hear the message and vision of something new.

When Jesus was asked if he was king, he knew Pilate was only asking about political leadership the way Pilate understood it. But Jesus was never interested in leading a country or an empire, Jesus was trying to change all of it into a better world for everyone, not just the rich.

Jesus didn’t answer Pilate because Pilate could not understand. Now it’s our turn. Do we understand Jesus?

Sunday Reflection – November 17, 2024

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Do not look for signs or warnings

Mark 13 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these beautiful stones and wonderful buildings!”

2 Jesus replied, “Do you see these huge buildings? They will certainly be torn down! Not one stone will be left in place.”

3 Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him in private. 4  They asked, “When will these things happen? What will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

5 Jesus answered:

Watch out and don’t let anyone fool you! 6 Many will come and claim to be me. They will use my name and fool many people.

7 When you hear about wars and threats of wars, don’t be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end. 8 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. There will be earthquakes in many places, and people will starve to death. But this is just the beginning of troubles.

Kids Korner: Don’t look for warnings (November 17th)

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Read Mark 13:1-8 with your family.

It is understandable that we want to look for warnings about dangers that might happen so we can be better prepared, but some people think everything is a warning and encourage people to live in fear. God does not want us to live in fear.

In this story Jesus tells his closest friends not to think everything bad around them and throughout the world is a warning or a sign of the world ending.

Jesus told them bad thing do happen all the time, which is sad. But just because they happen does not mean God made them happen. People make their own choices and people make choices that hurt others, sometimes by accident, and lots of time on purpose.

Jesus said none of those things mean the world is coming to an end, just that bad choices have been made.

We have to trust that God is helping wherever people are helping to make it better, and that is something that can give us hope.

Sunday Reflection – November 10, 2024

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Do not boast, live your faith quietly

Mark 12 38 As Jesus was teaching, he said:

Guard against the teachers of the Law of Moses! They love to walk around in long robes and be greeted in the market. 39 They like the front seats in the synagogues and the best seats at banquets. 40 But they cheat widows out of their homes and pray long prayers just to show off. They will be punished most of all.

41 Jesus was sitting in the temple near the offering box and watching people put in their gifts. He noticed that many rich people were giving a lot of money. 42 Finally, a poor widow came up and put in two coins worth only a few pennies. 43 Jesus told his disciples to gather around him. Then he said:

I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 44 Everyone else gave what they didn’t need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had. Now she doesn’t have a cent to live on.

Kids Korner: Bragging is not God’s way (November 10th)

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Read Mark 12:38-44 with your family.

If you talk to people outside of church these days, most of them think being Christian is not a good idea, or even that we hate other people. Some of the reason others think that is because all they see on the news is people making a big show of praying in public, and saying they talk for God and know who God hates.

First, God does not hate anyone. God is only love.

Secondly, this story from Mark shows us that Jesus encountered these people too, those who talk about their relationship with God in order to impress others. Jesus told his followers that was not the way to behave. He knew that those boasting about their faith probably did not have real faith, they just liked the power that claim of faith gave them.

Jesus told us to love God quietly, that our actions should show what we believe, not our words.

Jesus also showed us to be suspicious of anyone who tried to attention-seek through praying loudly or big demonstrations of belief in God.

We have to remember what Jesus taught us, and pray quietly while we try to love the world through our behaviour.

Sunday Reflection – November 3, 2024

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Greatest Commandments

Mark 12 28  One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important commandment?”

29  Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. 30 You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ 31  The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.”

32  The man replied, “Teacher, you are certainly right to say there is only one God. 33  It is also true that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and that we must love others as much as we love ourselves. These commandments are more important than all the sacrifices and offerings that we could possibly make.”

34 When Jesus saw that the man had given a sensible answer, he told him, “You are not far from God’s kingdom.” After this, no one dared ask Jesus any more questions.

Kids Korner: Loving our neighbour (November 3rd)

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Read Mark 12:28-34 with your family.

Jesus was asked a lot of questions, but the only questions he answered were from people who truly wanted to know what Jesus was teaching about God’s world.

When asked about the greatest commandments, Jesus replied by quoting two verses found in the Hebrew Scriptures (or Old Testament). First was loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-6, and for our Jewish siblings, this is called the “Shema”, something they say every morning when they get up and at night when they go to bed.

The second was to love our neighbour as ourselves, which is found in Leviticus 19:18.

Most people don’t realize Jesus is saying three things, not just two. Love God is plain, love our neighbours makes sense, but Jesus is also saying that we much love ourselves.

How will be ever be able to love other people if we don’t love ourselves first?

God wants us to feel good about our choices and our talents, and wants us to respect and like ourselves. In a world that is constantly telling everyone from children to seniors that we are not good enough, it is a radical idea to realize we are enough and worthy of the love of God and our neighbours, but also ourselves.

Sunday Reflection – October 27, 2024

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I want to see

Mark 10 46 Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus from Nazareth, he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” 48 Many people told the man to stop, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him over!”

They called out to the blind man and said, “Don’t be afraid! Come on! He is calling for you.” 50 The man threw off his coat as he jumped up and ran to Jesus.

51 Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man answered, “Master, I want to see!”

52 Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.”

At once the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus.

Kids Korner: Being important (October 27th)

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Read Mark 10:46-52 with your family.

Have you ever been at church or in a theatre or concert, and you wanted to see something so you demanded for people to move only to be told by adults to be quiet and sit still? That was what was going on with Bartimaeus in this story.

Bartimaeus knew Jesus was coming and could heal him, and he wanted to see Jesus, but everyone around him told him to be quiet. However, he wasn’t quiet, he called louder so Jesus would hear him.

Sometimes those around us don’t always understand how important it is that children and teenager see what is happening and what is around them, that things are not only for adults. This is especially true with faith. We want to experience God and not have the adults sush us. Kids need to be able to talk to God in our own way, just like Bartimaeus did. We develop it through talking and seeing God acting in the world all around us, not by adults telling us to be quiet or telling us what things we should believe.