Sunday Reflection – July 14, 2024

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Jesus’ message accepted by strangers but not family friends

Mark 6 14  Jesus became so well-known that Herod the ruler heard about him. Some people thought he was John the Baptist, who had come back to life with the power to work miracles. 15 Others thought he was Elijah or some other prophet who had lived long ago. 16 But when Herod heard about Jesus, he said, “This must be John! I had his head cut off, and now he has come back to life.”

17-18  Herod had earlier married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. But John had told him, “It isn’t right for you to take your brother’s wife!” So, in order to please Herodias, Herod arrested John and put him in prison.

19 Herodias had a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she could not do it 20 because Herod was afraid of John and protected him. He knew that John was a good and holy man. Even though Herod was confused by what John said, he was glad to listen to him. And he often did.

21 Finally, Herodias got her chance when Herod gave a great birthday celebration for himself and invited his officials, his army officers, and the leaders of Galilee. 22 The daughter of Herodias came in and danced for Herod and his guests. She pleased them so much that Herod said, “Ask for anything, and it’s yours! 23 I swear that I will give you as much as half of my kingdom, if you want it.”

24 The girl left and asked her mother, “What do you think I should ask for?”

Her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptist!”

25 The girl hurried back and told Herod, “Here and now on a serving plate I want the head of John the Baptist!”

26 Herod was very sorry for what he had said. But he did not want to break the promise he had made in front of his guests. 27 At once he ordered a guard to cut off John’s head there in prison. 28 The guard put the head on a serving plate and took it to the girl. Then she gave it to her mother.

29 When John’s followers learned that he had been killed, they took his body and put it in a tomb.

Sunday Reflection – July 7, 2024

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Jesus’ message accepted by strangers but not family friends

Mark 6 Jesus left and returned to his hometown with his disciples. 2 The next Sabbath he taught in the synagogue. Many of the people who heard him were amazed and asked, “How can he do all this? Where did he get such wisdom and the power to work these miracles? 3 Isn’t he the carpenter, the son of Mary? Aren’t James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon his brothers? Don’t his sisters still live here in our town?” The people were upset because of what he was doing.

4  But Jesus said, “Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their relatives and their own family.” 5 Jesus could not work any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people by placing his hands on them. 6 He was surprised that the people did not have any faith. Jesus taught in all the neighbouring villages. 7 Then he called together his twelve apostles and sent them out two by two with power over evil spirits. 8  He told them, “You may take along a walking stick. But don’t carry food or a traveling bag or any money. 9 It’s all right to wear sandals, but don’t take along a change of clothes. 10 When you are welcomed into a home, stay there until you leave that town. 11  If any place won’t welcome you or listen to your message, leave and shake the dust from your feet as a warning to them.”

12 The apostles left and started telling everyone to turn to God. 13  They forced out many demons and healed a lot of sick people by putting olive oil on them.

Kids Korner: Jesus comes home (July 7th)

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Read Mark 6:1-13 with your family.

It’s great when you have your friends and family and church support you, but not everyone has that experience. Jesus didn’t have that experience.

Jesus visited his mom and his brothers and sisters one time, but the people in the synagogue were not as happy to see him as his family. By then his reputation was known throughout Galilee, and the people who watched him grew up probably thought he was making himself too important.

You see, sometime when we have a very big message to share, like Jesus did, the people who knew us when we were younger forget that we grow up and learn new things. They always think of us as the kid we used to be.

The people around Jesus didn’t realize that no matter how he behaved when he was a child, he was now a grown up and had a special job to do. They didn’t understand Jesus or his job.

So Jesus didn’t waste time trying to convince them or anyone else. He even told his followers not to waste time if they weren’t accepted when they went out to share the message of God.

Some people are ready to hear it when you are ready to tell it. Others are not.

Sunday Reflection – June 30, 2024

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Jairus’ daughter and the woman with a hemorrhage

Mark 5 21 Once again Jesus got into the boat and crossed Lake Galilee. Then as he stood on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. 22 The person in charge of the synagogue was also there. His name was Jairus, and when he saw Jesus, he went over to him. He knelt at Jesus’ feet 23 and started begging him for help. He said, “My little daughter is about to die! Please come and touch her, so she will get well and live.” 24 Jesus went with Jairus. Many people followed along and kept crowding around.

25 In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26  She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.

27 The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. 28 She had said to herself, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 As soon as she touched them, her bleeding stopped, and she knew she was healed.

30 At that moment Jesus felt power go out from him. He turned to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 His disciples said to him, “Look at all these people crowding around you! How can you ask who touched you?” 32 But Jesus turned to see who had touched him.

33 The woman knew what had happened to her. So she came trembling with fear and knelt down in front of Jesus. Then she told him the whole story.

34 Jesus said to the woman, “You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace! You are healed, and you will no longer be in pain.”

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from Jairus’ home and said, “Your daughter has died! Why bother the teacher anymore?”

36 Jesus heard what they said, and he said to Jairus, “Don’t worry. Just have faith!”

37 Jesus did not let anyone go with him except Peter and the two brothers, James and John. 38 They went home with Jairus and saw the people crying and making a lot of noise. 39 Then Jesus went inside and said to them, “Why are you crying and carrying on like this? The child isn’t dead. She is just asleep.” 40 But the people laughed at him.

After Jesus had sent them all out of the house, he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples and went to where she was. 41-42 He took the twelve-year-old girl by the hand and said, “Talitha, koum!” which means, “Little girl, get up!” The girl got right up and started walking around.

Everyone was greatly surprised. 43 But Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. Then he said, “Give her something to eat.”

Kids Korner: Jairus’ daughter (June 30th)

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Read Mark 5:21-43 with your family.

Jairus’ daughter is one of the few stories in the entire Bible that is about a little girl. Her father was an important person in the synagogue, and he knew enough about Jesus to ask for help.

Along the way to Jairus’ house, another woman stopped Jesus and asked for help.

Both the daughter of Jairus and the older woman were healed simply by having faith.

Faith changes things. It can sometimes feel so hard to believe in something outside ourselves, and often like Jairus and the older woman, we are only pushed into faith when there is nothing else to try. However, Jesus encourages us to have faith at all times.

Having faith gets easer the more we practice. And our practice is as simple as asking God to be part of our everyday lives, the good parts and the bad parts. Eventually we will see God active in our lives and we will get into a habit of thanking God for always being with us.

Faith grows over time, and it’s never too early or too late to start.

Sunday Reflection – Trinity Sunday, May 26, 2024

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Jesus and Nicodemus

John 3 There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader. 2 One night he went to Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not work these miracles, unless God were with you.”

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God’s kingdom!”

4 Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?”

5 Jesus answered:

I tell you for certain that before you can get into God’s kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. 6 Humans give life to their children. Yet only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God. 7 Don’t be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. 8 Only God’s Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied:

How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? 11 I tell you for certain we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say. 12  If you don’t believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about things in heaven?

13  No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. 14  And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as the metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert. 15 Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.

16 God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! 

Kids Korner: Trinity Sunday (May 26th)

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Read John 3:1-17 with your family.

The Sunday after Pentecost every year is called Trinity Sunday. That is the day we stop to think about how we as Christians understand our relationship with God.

The early Greek Christians wanted to explain everything. The Hebrew Christians were happy with seeing God in social action and including everyone in God’s love, but the Greeks wanted to understand how God existed in the world and how God related to people.

They decided that there were three ways of seeing God: as the parent who created and loved everyone, as Jesus who lived as a person and taught everyone he met, as as the Holy Spirit who was the feeling of love and hope. This was still one God, just experienced in different ways.

Sunday Reflection – Pentecost, May 19, 2024

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Welcoming the Holy Spirit

Acts 2 On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. 2 Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. 3 Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. 4 The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.

5 Many religious Jews from every country in the world were living in Jerusalem. 6 And when they heard this noise, a crowd gathered. But they were surprised, because they were hearing everything in their own languages. 7 They were excited and amazed, and said:

Don’t all these who are speaking come from Galilee? 8 Then why do we hear them speaking our very own languages? 9 Some of us are from Parthia, Media, and Elam. Others are from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, parts of Libya near Cyrene, Rome, 11 Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others of us have chosen to be Jews. Yet we all hear them using our own languages to tell the wonderful things God has done.

12 Everyone was excited and confused. Some of them even kept asking each other, “What does all this mean?”

13 Others made fun of the Lord’s followers and said, “They are drunk.”

14 Peter stood with the eleven apostles and spoke in a loud and clear voice to the crowd:

Friends and everyone else living in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I have to say! 15 You are wrong to think that these people are drunk. After all, it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 But this is what God told the prophet Joel to say,

17 “When the last days come,
I will give my Spirit
    to everyone.
Your sons and daughters
    will prophesy.
Your young men
    will see visions,
and your old men
    will have dreams.
18 In those days I will give
    my Spirit to my servants,
both men and women,
    and they will prophesy.

19 “I will work miracles
    in the sky above
and wonders
    on the earth below.
There will be blood and fire
    and clouds of smoke.

20 The sun will turn dark,
and the moon
    will be as red as blood
before the great
and wonderful day
    of the Lord appears.
21 Then the Lord
will save everyone
    who asks for his help.”