One Little Word

As For Me and My House

Lessons:
    Genesis 2:18-24
    Psalm 8 (5)
    Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
    St. Mark 10:2-16
    Semicontinuous Series
        Job 1:1; 2:1-10
       Psalm 26 (3)
 
Prayer of the Day
    Sovereign God, you have created us to live in loving community with one another. Form us for life that is faithful and steadfast, and teach us to trust like little children, that we may reflect the image of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Text from “The Bible in 90 Days”

      ^24:1  Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. ^2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods.
     ^14 “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ^15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
     ^16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; ^17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; ^18 and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

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Joshua 24:1-3, 14-18 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

In our readings this week, Israel has experienced a change in leadership. Moses led the people of God through 40 years of wilderness wandering. But when it was time to enter into the Promised Land, it was Joshua who would lead them. For years he served God faithfully, leading Israel through battle after battle, eventually conquering the land that God was giving them, and making it their home.

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Divorce and Remarriage

Lessons:
    Genesis 2:18-24
    Psalm 8 (5)
    Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
    St. Mark 10:2-16
    Semicontinuous Series
        Job 1:1; 2:1-10
       Psalm 26 (3)
 
Prayer of the Day
    Sovereign God, you have created us to live in loving community with one another. Form us for life that is faithful and steadfast, and teach us to trust like little children, that we may reflect the image of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^10:2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ³ He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” ⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” ⁵ But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. ⁶ But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ⁷ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,^{ 8} and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”  ¹⁰ Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹ He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; ¹² and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”  ¹³ People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

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St. Mark 10:2-16 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

There is nothing easy about this week’s Gospel lesson. Confronted publicly by the Pharisees, Jesus declares that divorce is allowed in their time only because of “hardness of heart.” Questioned privately by the disciples, Jesus teaches that anyone who “divorces… and marries another commits adultery…” These teachings are followed by yet another example of Jesus’ love for children (themes we’ve noticed in the Gospel lesson for three weeks now).

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An Emblem on Your Forehead

Lessons:
    Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
    Psalm 19:7-14 (8)
    James 5:13-20
    St. Mark 9:38-50
    Semicontinuous Series
        Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
        Psalm 124 (7)
 
Prayer of the Day
    Generous God, your Son gave his life that we might come to peace with you. Give us a share of your Spirit, and in all we do empower us to bear the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Text from “The Bible in 90 Days”

^6:1 Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, ^2 so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. ^3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.

^4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ^5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. ^6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. ^7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. ^8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, ^9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

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Deuteronomy 6:1-9 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

In the Hebrew language, the first two words of verse 4 in today’s reading are “Shema Yisrael.” Translated into English, these words mean, “Hear, [O] Israel” – and are commonly referred to as “The Shema.” They are the first two words of a section of the Hebrew Bible that is a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. It is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words.

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“Cut It Off”

Lessons:
    Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
    Psalm 19:7-14 (8)
    James 5:13-20
    St. Mark 9:38-50
    Semicontinuous Series
        Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
        Psalm 124 (7)
 
Prayer of the Day
    Generous God, your Son gave his life that we might come to peace with you. Give us a share of your Spirit, and in all we do empower us to bear the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^9:38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone^ casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. ⁴² “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me,^ it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell,^ to the unquenchable fire. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,^{ 48} where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. ⁴⁹ “For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

 

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St. Mark 9:38-50 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

An acquaintance of mine has a plan. He is going to bring an axe with him to worship this weekend. Walking the aisle, he will interview worshippers, ask them what body part causes them to sin the most, and then offer to chop it off for them.

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Blessed as Test

Lessons:
    Jeremiah 11:18-20 or Wisdom 1:16 – 2:1, 12-22
    Psalm 54 (4)
    James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a
    St. Mark 9:30-37
    Semicontinuous Series
        Proverbs 31:10-31
        Psalm 1 (3)

Prayer of the Day
    O God, our teacher and guide, you draw us to yourself and welcome us as beloved children. Help us to lay aside all envy and selfish ambition, that we may walk in your ways of wisdom and understanding as servants of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Text from “The Bible in 90 Days”

^16:2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ^3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
^4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. ^5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” ^6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ^7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?” ^8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.”
^9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’ ” ^10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. ^11 The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ^12 “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
^13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ^14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. ^15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

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Exodus  16:2-15 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Here at Saint Peter Lutheran Church in the Denver area, 78 of us have made the commitment to read through the entire Bible (the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament) in 90 days. We began this past Sunday. We’ll be reading about twelve pages a day. That means we will finish up on December 12^th or so. The lesson to which we turn this week, Exodus 16:2-15, will be part of our reading this Friday (September 18^th).

It is the vaguely familiar story of the manna and quail that God provides for the people of Israel, while they wander in around the Sinai Peninsula after escaping from their slavery in Egypt. I say “vaguely familiar” because although we know of the story, most of us probably haven’t studied it well enough or read it recently enough to remember many of the specific details.

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Greatness

Lessons:
    Jeremiah 11:18-20 or Wisdom 1:16 – 2:1, 12-22
    Psalm 54 (4)
    James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a
    St. Mark 9:30-37
    Semicontinuous Series
        Proverbs 31:10-31
        Psalm 1 (3)

Prayer of the Day
    O God, our teacher and guide, you draw us to yourself and welcome us as beloved children. Help us to lay aside all envy and selfish ambition, that we may walk in your ways of wisdom and understanding as servants of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^9:30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; ³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” ³² But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.  ³³ Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” ³⁴ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. ³⁵ He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

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St. Mark 9:30-37 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

How many of us would love to be great at what we do? I once had dreams of being an accomplished golfer. There was one problem: every time I’d take a club out of my bag I’d wind up, wack it a mile, and it would slice off out of bounds to the right. Some of my friends who didn’t hit the ball as long as I did used to worry about hitting their shots into ponds – I worried a lot more about the swimming pools of those course-side homes. Eventually, I gave up all hope of being a great golfer, and began to concentrate on other things.

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A New Beginning — Let’s Get It Started!

Lessons:
    Isaiah 50:4-9a
    Psalm 116:1-9 (9)
    James 3:1-12
    St. Mark 8:27-38
    Semicontinuous Series
        Proverbs 1:20-33
        Psalm 19 (7) or Wisdom 7:26 – 8:1 (7:28)
   
Prayer of the Day
    O God, through suffering and rejection you bring forth our salvation, and by the glory of the cross you transform our lives. Grant that for the sake of the gospel we may turn from the lure of evil, take up our cross, and follow your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

This week’s reading from “The Bible in 90 Days”

^1:1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ^2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. ^3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ^4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. ^5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
^6 And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ^7 So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. ^8 God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
^9 And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. ^10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. ^11 Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. ^12 The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. ^13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
^14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, ^15 and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. ^16 God made the two great lights-the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night-and the stars. ^17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, ^18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ^19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

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Genesis 1:1-19 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Martin Luther and his 16th Century colleagues had a robust belief in the power of God’s word. As they worked to reform the church, they made changes that would affect the course of Christianity for thousands of years. Yet they never attributed these changes to their own efforts. They believed that it all occurred because of the power of God’s word.

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The Life of a Christian

Lessons:
    Isaiah 50:4-9a
    Psalm 116:1-9 (9)
    James 3:1-12
    St. Mark 8:27-38
    Semicontinuous Series
        Proverbs 1:20-33
        Psalm 19 (7) or Wisdom 7:26 – 8:1 (7:28)
   
Prayer of the Day
    O God, through suffering and rejection you bring forth our salvation, and by the glory of the cross you transform our lives. Grant that for the sake of the gospel we may turn from the lure of evil, take up our cross, and follow your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

^8:27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”^{ 30} And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. ³¹ Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³² He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³ But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”  ³⁴ He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel,^ will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷ Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸ Those who are ashamed of me and of my words^ in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 

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St. Mark 8:27-38 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

“What does it mean to be a Christian?” That was the name of a video series that former ELCA Bishop Herbert Chilstrom developed a number of years ago. It is also a good question for us to ask — at least those of us who are bold enough to call ourselves “Christian.” What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus, the Christ?

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