Pastor's Ponderings: Meandering through Mark 10:28-31 bible study (June 4, 2024)

June 4, 2024:  Tuesday Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark 10:28-31

May the Love of God surround you today!

Thank you for joining me this morning. Every day is a busy day for us in this life. Whether we are young, or our minds just tell us that we must still be young (seniors), we seem to find all that we must do every day as a great busyness. I can only imagine how Christ's disciples must have felt as the Master keep them busy nearly 24/7. But like us, they found reserves of energy in the presence of Jesus. I know that if we were not still parents of an active group of sons in our home, that it would be a bit easier to get everything done. Yesterday, I prepared a very nice 11-pound turkey with dressing, and Melody made wonderful Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, asparagus and broccoli.  In the midst of that one of our sons needed a half hour ride one way to the movies to meet a friend, of course, just about the time the turkey had to be in the oven, and then for pickup about the time that the turkey was to come out of the oven.  As usual we are so thankful that our sons are willing and able to do the heavy lifting like getting that meal out of the oven. The food was delicious, then this morning, there were all of the pans and serving utensils that needed to be scrubbed. That is my job after every meal. I usually do them in the morning. So now I am back to my thoughts about Jesus and His disciples, and how they must have been thinking about what Jesus said in the passage from yesterday. And who would be more likely to open his mouth after considering that he, and the other disciples had indeed given up just about everything to follow Jesus during His ministry and outreach with God's healing touch, and His powerful Truth, and, like Christ, to live under the threats from leaders who were full of the things that the world offers for those who are powerful in this life, and who were unwilling to open their hearts to God's answer for the sins of all of humankind.

There are three things that Jesus emphasizes in this short passage. This is another of those passages which is filled with Christ's truths for all time.

1.  Once again Jesus tells His disciples, and us, that there is no one who has sacrificed for the Christ of God during their life, that will find that the leaving behind of the world's temptations, will find the believer's life filled with love and hospitality where ever they go.  Paul certainly knew that in his journeys for Christ to bring the new Church to the people of Asia minor and Rome. Yes, in some places Paul suffered abuse at the hands of people who were just like the leaders in Israel, yet wherever there were believers, Paul was warmly welcomed, and provided food and shelter, and a new family in those communities. In many ways Melody and I chose a similar path when we answered American's call to me to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we found a new home, a new family, many friends, as well as receiving the prayers every day of our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.  I know that our families found it hard that we chose to leave them behind to enter into the unknown life that would be ours so many miles away from them. I think that you cannot ever know the joy of the new life that covers a pastor's family with such joy in the faith of a new family in a church until you yourself enter into the journey that pastors and their families take as they trust God to provide what they will need for the Kingdom's work in a new home where the Gospel is to be served.

2. Jesus clearly tells the disciples that one’s sacrifice for Him shall be filled with persecutions as well. No one should expect a material reward for their sacrifices of worldly material things. No call to serve the Gospel is filled with only wonderful, good things. Every parish call has its troubles and difficulties. Jesus never tried to cover up the fact that His believers would not have the easiest of times in their ministries. Following Christ would be costly. American Lutheran is a wonderful call setting, yet to continue to fill the pastorate of this congregation has indeed been costly for us in ways that only a few people who are members of the congregation know or understand. I don't need to speak to that here, nor will I address it if you ask, but you need to know that the Spirit has made it clear to me that American Lutheran is where I need to be, and where I can best serve the Gospel, with Christ's faithful, and those who will be, because they have found the love of Christ in this congregation.   Jesus never promised that there would be a balance sheet based on our earnings through Christian living and acting. Instead, the reward is based on the goodness of the Savior, and His forgiveness  of our sins, and will come for all who are faithful in Christ who is our merit when we stand before the Judge of all things, who, in Christ, will find us righteous, even when we know that we have sinned.

3.  "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first" in His Kingdom. Peter was probably mulling over in his own mind how his own primacy was going to give him a leg up in the Kingdom of God.  It is so easy to believe that if we are in a position to wield power, that somehow makes us superior to others. Here is Christ's warning. Over my years at American, I have been approached to enter into new call interviews in some other churches. All were larger than American by thousands of members, and a call to any one of them would certainly have been a step up in the power framework of the Church. I did not interview, because the Spirit's presence in my life has continued to make it clear that I am to stay at American for the rest of my active ministry years. Christ's warning for Peter was against being filled with pride. We all know pastors who have lost their humility in Christ, and instead, have started moving through the power structure of the Church by entering into pastorates of increasingly influential congregations. Though those same opportunities were there for me, I have instead followed the Spirit's guidance and found joy in serving the Gospel of justice, kindness, and love in the midst of my current call with all of you.

Thanks for letting me share with you today.

With Christ Love, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Meandering through Mark 10:23-27 bible study (June 3, 2024)

June 3, 2024:  Monday Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark 10:23-27

May the lovingkindness of Jesus Christ surround you today and always.

Yesterday at church we had a wonderful Asian Cuisine carry-in meal after church. I am still deciding on a theme for the August carry-in. I am not certain when the 4th of July will be celebrated, but I suspect that the 7th will be the time.  That is the Sunday after July 4. If that is the case, I think that we will have a BBQ on the patio which will be hamburgers, the cost will be $2 per person, and bring a dish to share. Any dollar overage will be given to the discretionary fund. Your cost will include a burger (beef or turkey), condiments, buns, beverages, the cost of the grill and charcoal. Extras for you to bring will be chips, salads, and desserts. Sign up at Church. The 7th of July will also be a Gospel Music Sunday. This food is a big change from the full carry-in, but it really does seem to fit the national holiday theme. (If an extra $2 stretches your budget, please come to eat with us as a guest for this meal. We don't want to do it without you!)  Please continue prayers for those who are being treated for cancer, Kandice, Jeff, Steve, Pastor, Heidi, and others you know in your circle of family and friends. And please pray for the family of the victim of gunshot wounds and death, in the neighborhood of our church. Please pray for the perpetrator too that their life will be turned around by God's grace.

Today we are in one of the most troubling passages from the Gospel of Mark because it hits home for all of us as we question how we fit into the equation of this passage. I know that in our culture the cost of living is beyond anything which most of us ever thought prices would go. We may have to be careful with our spending, or perhaps we have done really well in our life, and we have more than adequate funds for living.  In this passage Jesus makes it clear, and we know this struggle! Today many of us live well. We have shelter, food, and financial resources much greater than people in the time of our Lord. So, who are we comparable to? You, see, Jesus takes a Jewish cultural and religious way of thinking and turns it on its ear. It was though that being wealthy was a blessing from God, so guarding one's wealth, and striving to become even more wealthy was seen as being blessed by God. Here Jesus says that there is a huge problem for those who have done well, and here it is!

1. A wealthy person, remember that probably includes all of us, tends to fix the heart of the individual on the things of this world.  If we look at the wealthiest people in our nation, we are often shocked by their desire for billions of dollars more. One of the richest men in the world believes that he deserves 56 billion as a bonus from his car company.  I don't know about you, but how many billions of dollars does it take for a person to be comfortable.  I can promise you this, no one in our congregation is in this position. However, even in our social security, we hope for more next year than we got this year, especially when the costs of living continue to rise. There lies a challenge before us with regards to our faith. What is enough? Like you, I am certain that I could live well on a billion dollars. But just like this rich man, I too have concern about retirement, and college expenses, and transportation, and more. So, we set aside for our retirement, wondering if we will have enough for it. So where does that leave my focus with regards to sharing my wealth with others? My focus is on the world, checking stock market surges and declines. Sound familiar?

2. If a person's interest is only in growing their wealth and reserves, then their life will see everything in terms of its monetary value, with little regard for the true Joy in Christ which might come from their generosity and lovingkindness towards those in need, and in the work of God's Kingdom through Christ's Church!  Focus on accruing more for ones’ self during life becomes an act of maintaining and working to avoid death. After all, there is no growing the bank account in death. 

We all know the common saying "You can't take it with you."  But what you can take with you is the promise of Salvation which Christ has brought to all of us. It's a free gift, and only God can do it in the face of our life struggles to keep things together with regards to having enough!  Christ has come that we might live this life with confidence in His care and love for us, even when we allow wealth to become our god. I don't say this lightly.  This is a struggle that we all have. Selfishness is our sin; selflessness is the Holy Spirit's action which guides us to the work of the Kingdom of God.

What a blessing our congregation has been when we have allowed the Spirit to be our guide with regards to refugee resettlement, world hunger and the global barnyard, disaster relief, and much more, including how we support our congregation, and her members. Whether it is that door that is too hard for us to pass through in the wall of the city of Jerusalem, or it is the measure of the eye of a needle, we need Christ's Grace and Forgiveness to thread our way through it as we allow ourselves to be led to the Kingdom of God, and our home in heaven.

Pastor's Ponderings: Old Testament bible study on Nehemiah 5:1-5 (May 30, 2024)

May 30, 2024:  Thursday Bible Study on the Old Testament book of Nehemiah 5:1-5

I pray that lovingkindness will surround your lives every day. Thank you for joining me this morning for the study of Nehemiah.

A reminder that this Sunday is Gospel Music Sunday, and also the carry-in meal after worship. There will be no Sunday school this week because the Gospel Music group needs their pianist, and that's me.   They are rehearsing at 9AM. You may not have signed up at Church to come to the meal, and that's OK.  You are certainly welcome to come be a part of the Sunday Carry-in meal.  The theme this month for the meal is Asian, and it can include east Indian food as well. I hope that you will join us. Water and coffee will be provided. Desserts are certainly OK too.

In the book of Nehemiah, we have read that the people really responded positively to Nehemiah's call to drop everything that they were doing, and that they made a commitment to come rebuild the wall and gate of Jerusalem. We have an entire section where all of the people who are coming are named, and following that, we read that they have indeed come to work on a specific section of the wall and gate. Even the priests are working at rebuilding the area that is close to where the temple will be. But in today's reading we discover that everything is not as rosy as we might have thought from earlier readings. Now, the people have come to Nehemiah with an outcry for justice to be done for them. While they are working and camping along the wall, their family farms and businesses have suffered, and in order to even feed their families, they have had to borrow the value of their family's food and necessities from people who have the resources to provide the money for those purchases to continue, and they have no way to repay it while the work on the wall continues.  Everyone who came back from exile in Persia had been given a strip of land to farm in order that they might have the necessary resources to survive. When they are building the wall, their family farm or business is fallow. They literally have no money, and they have borrowed in a way that we may be unfamiliar with.  We know that many people from Europe had to borrow against their value as servants and laborers to the people who provided the money for their trip. Our history is filled with the stories of indentured servants, who were really more like slaves. They had to work for the ones who gave them the money for their travel to get to the colonies. The situation in Jerusalem is similar. Since the men are rebuilding the wall and the temple, that means that when they have borrowed money for their families to live on, someone in the family must commit to working off the value of that loan. It was often the wives and the children who had to do that, and then the family property, which had stopped being worked comes into play, as continued borrowing means that the land we be turned over to the wealthy as payment. No wonder there was an outcry. The word used here is the same word used in Genesis when Cain murders Abel. This is way more than just a complaint. It is filled with grief, disbelief, anger, and frustration. After all, the Torah provided for these things, and the rule is that no interest can be charged for the loan, and after 50 years, what is called Jubilee, the time when loans and land must be forgiven and returned.  The Torah also provides a rule for no mistreatment of the people who have become servants to pay off their debts. However, as we see this happening in Nehemiah's presence, we must understand that the balance of wealth that was intended in the resettlement of Jerusalem is getting out of balance in greater and greater ways.

In this reading we find that there are three groups of people.

The first group are those that I have been talking about. They are the ones who have had to borrow resources and money to keep their families provided for while they work on the wall.

The second group of people are those whose land is away from Jerusalem. Not everyone who came back from exile would get their strip of land next to the city. Some people's land was far away, and now stood empty and unused.

The third group of people and their families were those whose experience with Persia meant that they were faced with their demanding labor on the wall, and having the burden of the taxation that came from Persia and King Artaxerxes.

There is of course a fourth group. These are the people who are gaining wealth from the unavoidable circumstances of others who have committed to doing the work on the wall. I guess we would call them opportunists, or culture vultures. They may well have been some of those from outside of the Judahite community. But in all likelihood, they were people who had come with Ezra and were well established and ready to take advantage of the whole situation.

In next week's reading we will get Nehemiah's response to all of this.

With love in Christ, Pastor Kim