Feb 01

Kingdom Time and Our Problems

How long, O Lord? -Psalm 13:1

     The Psalmist in Psalm 13, repeatedly cries out, “How long…?”  Our patience and God’s time rarely coincide.  When it comes to personal tragedy, time is always at a premium.

     In Mark’s Gospel time is noted for us in times of tragedy or trial.  This keeps with the urgency of the gospel message, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news. (1:15)” Then we are thrown into a flurry of activity when time seems so urgent.  A great example of that is in this week’s text, Mark 5:21-43.  We see two situations.  A very prominent leader in the religious community who has a daughter dying at home, and a woman who has an affliction now for 12 years.
 
     We can hear the urgency in the pleading of Jarius for Jesus to come and lay his hands on his precious daughter before it is too late.  We hear the frustration of the woman that for 12 years has suffered, and it has cost her everything.  We can see Jarius walking ahead of Jesus, trying to move the crowds to get Jesus there faster.  We can hear the conversation of the woman with herself as she jostles and tries to get closer to Jesus.
 
     I am sure both of them are praying, “how long, O Lord?”  Then when Jesus stops precious moments are slipping away for Jarius, couldn’t the woman had waited 15 more minutes.  This gives us the perspective of what I call, Kingdom Time.  The urgency of the Kingdom message was not just for Jarius when his little daughter is slipping toward death, it also includes the woman’s wait for 12 years to be delivered from her affliction.
 
     What brought these two times together?  Jesus was there.  He was delaying his arrival, nor was he in a hurry to move on.  He was there to bring Kingdom nearness to the lives of these two people.  One had the attitude of this must happen “Now!”  The other had the attitude of “now” I can touch him!  If we discern the nature of our “now” or “how long”, we can be ready to allow the presence of Jesus and his power to come in and touch our personally tragedy.

Pastor Greg

Jan 18

Spiritual Attention

Mark 4:1-20

We often make our spiritual lives more complicated than they need to be.  It goes back to the time where the sisters Mary and Martha were hosting Jesus in their home.  Martha was in a flurry and bothered by all that needed to be done, but Mary was at the feet of Jesus listening to his teaching.  The passage of the seed and the soils brings our attention to this. 

Jesus tells us “The one that has ears to hear, then hear.”  For me that calls me to where am I giving my attention.  We allow so much to distract us from just hearing what Jesus has to say.  But when his words some puzzling, Jesus comes to the disciples and explains it to us.  Jesus does not want us to miss the secrets of the life he wants to live in us.  He says, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God.”  And that understanding is for those who use their ears to hear his words and pay attention to what he is teaching us.

Listening to what the Spirit is saying is always the key to our spiritual prospering.

Pastor Greg

Jan 11

How to Stop the Legalist

 When I was younger, we had a saying about our “Christian standards,” that I don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew, and don’t go out with girls that do!  Though it was a joking way to say it, it did also reinforce something we discussed in Pub Theology last Monday.  We talked about “legalism.”  Most of the time when we talk about legalism, we are referring to ways and teachings that someone feel makes them a superior Christian or even make the other person a non-Christian.  We also call these things sacred cows.

 Jesus was a destroyer of sacred cows.  He constantly was confronting the misapplication of the religious of his day as to the Sabbath, honoring parents, and marriage.  He was exposing the hypocrisy in the way the holier than thou people judged other people.

 Judgementalism is not just for the conservative or evangelicals; it is an affliction that many of us add to our practice of faith.  We feel we have to be right on a particular topic or attitude and judge those that do not meet our expectations.  What is the solution?  It is only the Holy Spirit that can show us our legalism and judgmentalism.  That only comes with an honest and prayerful laying out of our lives to the teachings and good news of Jesus.

 It is necessary that we constantly look at ourselves in the mirror of Scripture and have the Holy Spirit of God show us what really is going on in us and our church.

Pastor Greg

Jan 04

The Gospel of Mark, Demon Possession and Today

One thing that stands out in the earlier chapters of Mark is what is called “demon possession.”  Many commentators shrink back at this term.  They know the history of the mentally ill being called demon-possessed.  They also know the excess in some parts of the church about exorcisms, coupled with the entertainment industry’s over-the-top use of this in the horror genre.  But the Gospel deals with it as a part of the human condition that the good news of Jesus addresses. 

Mark’s favorite term for this is “unclean spirit.”  What are the factors that make people feel “unclean”?  We as a society are obsessed with the cleaning of our bodies.  Just go to the typical grocery or drug store and look at the long aisle devoted to soaps, shampoo, shower gels, and other personal cleansers.  Couple all this with the equally packed aisle for products to clean our houses, clothes, and pets; maybe the advertising industry has tapped into something.  We seem to obsessed with getting clean.

Then what makes us feel unclean?  Shame, failure, weakness, betrayal, exposure, abuse are just a few examples of us feeling unclean.  A bar of Safeguard will not mitigate these.  The world is filled with people weighed down by “uncleanness.”  And yet is the church or Christians offering nothing more than moralizations and more condemnations?  “Welcoming and Affirming” offers a glimmer of hope to those who feel doomed to always being on the outside.  Are we prepared to offer it?

Don’t succumb to the temptation to sensationalize the condition that Mark calls demon-possession.  But look how each individual is situated, and think what gospel remedy you can offer to them.  As we study the Gospel of Mark, we will encounter many with unclean spirits, pay attention to these people and see the human condition that the compassion of the Savior brings hope and healing.

Pastor Greg