For They Were Afraid

The Gospel of Mark starts with Jesus' baptism, there is no birthday story, no background, just jumps right in with his baptism, driven into the wilderness to be tempted, proclaims, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." Plucks Simon and Andrew up which they mend their fishing nets, heals Simon Peter's mother-in-law and she immediately gets up and serves them. (How many times does Mark use immediately?) And the next morning gets up early and while everyone is searching for him, he is heading to the next town. It is like a big movie opening that grabs everyone's attention and it doesn't slow down.

Did you ever watch Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail? There was to be this final battle of King Arthur with his forces and the God's blessing and just as the battle commences, modern police show up and arrest everyone and the movie is over and we are left scratching out head, "What just happened?" The end of Mark is just as confusing, for we read the original final eight verses of the Gospel. Three women, waiting for sunlight, finds the stone rolled away and a young man dressed in white sitting where Jesus' body should be and told not to be afraid, but go and tell the disciples that Jesus is risen and going ahead of them to Galilee. They leave, they flee, the get the "H-E-double hockey sticks" out of there. And they don't say anything to anyone, not a single word, not a peep, because they are afraid. End of Story! Two other communities or writers added to it eventually because they needed more.

But let's stay with this story, this gospel. The writers and the hearers didn't believe that was the end. How could it be, because we are hearing it so somebody must have said something eventually, right? This gospel was written about 30 years after these events taking place. The writer or writers didn't think they needed more than Jesus predictions of his death and resurrection and the word of the three women who was told by the messenger, maybe an angel. Even though it abruptly cuts off with no explanation, Mark's gospel story sustained the early Christians and inspired others to share the story of Jesus and of God's love.

We can all relate to being afraid at times or all the time, and unsure and wondering if this is the end. Can we relate to having the story unfinished but still buying into it? Whether we are talking about Jesus' resurrection, Jesus second coming, or universal healthcare which someone mentioned at our Maundy Thursday Supper about what would like coming kingdom would look like. Do we have a strong enough faith to believe in the goodness of this world and creation? Do we have enough hope not just that the world can get better, but will get better? Do we have enough love for God, the world, our neighbors, and even those who may consider us their enemies? Faith, hope, and love will remain, Paul the Apostle tells us, and the greatest of these is love.

God is good! (All the time!) All the time! (God is good!) We are here because there is something more than bad news in our world, in our future, and he who dies with the most money wins. We are here because we believe in Spring and life comes back. We are here because we have found some connection, some community that helps us get up and move forward. There is a God of love, whose image, every person in this world is created from. Each and everyone a miracle and blessing. We are here because we have found in Christ, in his teachings, in the healings and miracles, in the death and resurrection, and in the ongoing covenant through the body of Christ, the church, love, grace, and a call to do justice.

On this Easter Sunday, let us worship the Lord of Life, against whom the powers and principalities that divide the human race, oppress it, starve it, harm it and the world in which we live cannot and will not prevail. Amen?

A Tale of Two Females

In a book called, "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs, he tried to follow all 435 commands found in the Torah or Pentateuch. One of those commands was that you couldn't touch a woman while she was having her period so he wouldn't hug, kiss, or hold the hand of his wife during her cycle. She learned that he couldn't sit where she sat, so when she became frustrated with him she would sit on every piece of furniture in the house so he would have to stand or sit on the floor the whole day. We don't know what kind of hemorrhaging this woman in the crowd was suffering, but for her to be so afraid of Jesus and the crowd that she didn't ask for healing, but just touched his cloak and had faith that she would be made well, we have to assume that she has spent twelve long years not being able to hug, kiss, or hold hands with her family and friends. This physical and social isolation seems to be more damaging as she persisted with this illness for twelve ...

Covenant of the United Church of Christ

That they may all be one! This was the dream of the these different denominations and churches coming together in 1957. That they may all be one! While many denominations were splitting and continually finding reasons that they couldn't be siblings with those Christians over there, a group of mainline Protestant leaders came together that united and uniting was the future of the Church. Yes, it was mainly four major denominations which are: 1. Congregational 2. Christian 3. Reformed (German) and 4. Evangelical Synod (Lutheran). There were many other smaller groups that joined as well, that included Back, Native, and Hungarian. But if you look at the first General Synod picture, it was pretty much white, middle class men. With global communication becoming easier, travel, television, and the United Nations, they had a dream and vision that all Christians could live together, worship together, and be one as we are one in God with Christ. That they may all be one! is the United Churc...

Sabbath

In the Five Books of Moses where also known as the? (Pentateuch) What was the last thing written of the Pentateuch, the last story? Hint: it was a poem. (The First Creation Story) The Seven Day Creation Story was put in its final form, the first time it was written down was while the people of Israel were in the diaspora spread throughout the Babylonian Empire in the sixth century BCE. It became widely shared because the prophet Jeremiah told the people to marry amongst the people wherever they were at and to settle in. Yes one day, they would return to the towns and Jerusalem, but for now, continue to live. The people of the nation of Judah were there for about seventy years, so there were a couple of generations happening and their children and grandchildren were forgetting their language, their heritage, and their God. Then, the poem about God creating the world in seven days was used as a reminder, a balm, and a way to remember who and whose they were. It centered on the sabba...

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