Pastor's Ponderings: Meandering through Mark 6:7-13 bible study (January 16, 2024)

January 16, 2024

Monday Bible Study on the Gospel Mark 6:7-13

Good morning, dear friends.

Last week I sent out the Bible Study on Wednesday, however, the plan is to give you two studies in two consecutive days on the Gospel of Mark, and then to share a study of Ezra on Thursdays each week. As we all look forward to a warm-up this week, and for at least the next 10 days, we need to remember in our prayers all of the people in our nation who are suffering with extreme cold, winter wind, and snow. My boys think that it has been terribly cold here. They all grew up in Tucson of course. I plan to get back into my swimming on Wednesday morning at an open-air pool. I try to spend an hour in the water doing aerobic style swimming. The boys would only go to the hot tub if they were to come with me. I pray that yesterday you were attentive to MLK Day, giving thanks for the ministry of the Gospel and the social justice in the name of Christ that he worked so tirelessly to teach. I have been in MLK's church before it became a national park in Atlanta. I stood in his pulpit, put my hands on his much-worn Bible, and then with the rest of the World Ecumenical Council, was served dinner in the church basement by the women of the congregation. Today, you can only glance into the church, but in addition there is a bronze which portrays an integration march in the south with life-size bronze people, and you can pause, or choose to walk in the midst of this amazing sculpture. I was there with our youth group at the Atlanta National Youth Gathering for the ELCA. I was so happy that my daughter Rachel and my son Jeremiah were able to be there for that whole event as counselors, and my son Joshua was there as a participant along with 30,000 plus youth from all over the U.S.

"He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two." ~Mark 6:7

Today we continue in chapter six of Mark, and this amazing sending of the disciples into the communities of Israel to preach Christ's message, and to offer the power of Christ's healing love for those whose lives were laden with illness and disease. We are told in this passage that Jesus gave the power to do these things to the disciples who He began to send out in pairs. It seems obvious from the usage here that not everyone went at the same time; after all, in every situation in which people are going to become more independent to do their difficult work, some will be ready before others. In the case of the disciples, the real issue is one of having enough faith to get prepared, and then to receive the Spirit with confidence in the Spirit's presence to give them all of the strength and courage necessary to do the work for which they were sent.

There is the issue of how the disciples were to go forward on this journey for the Master. Every one of the disciples very likely had five pieces of apparel.

1. The garment closest to the skin was called a chilon or sindon. It was a single long piece of cloth sewn on one side after it was folded over. It was long enough to reach to the ankles, or just above the ankles. It was really little more than a cloth sack with holes cut into it for arms and head.

2. The outer garment was called the himation. It was used as a cloak by day, and as a blanket at night. It was often sewn from two pieces of cloth seven feet from left to right, and four- and one-half feet from top to bottom. For most people it was made from two strips of cloth, but if made very carefully, it could be made of one piece, like the one which Jesus wore. This outer garment was the main part of the clothing which a person wore.

3. There was also the girdle which was worn over the first two garments mentioned above. It was generally 18 inches wide folded-in half-lengthwise, making a kind of pocket in which a person could carry money.

4. There was also a headdress. It was a piece of linen or cotton about a square yard, folded in a variety of ways, but its purpose was to protect the wearer's neck and face from the sun.

5. The one piece which we are still missing is the sandals. They were merely soles made of leather, wood, or grass. They were attached to the feet by means of a thong.

Jesus' direction to take no money or food, and only one tunic might seem strange, yet their dress was to make it clear to others that they were not thieves who were trying cover the things that they had stolen along the way to their destinations. The disciples of Jesus were to not collect for themselves, they were to give freely of what they had, and receive with gratitude the hospitality of the communities in which they ministered.

In addition to the above, when a man entered the temple, he was supposed to leave all the material things of the world behind, taking off sandals, leaving behind his bag or purse, and leaving his staff behind as well. All of the ordinary things of the world were to be left behind because of the holiness of the Temple. Perhaps Christ is trying to help is disciples see that every humble home they enter into is as holy as the Temple in Jerusalem. He is certainly telling them that they are meant to be completely dependent on the hospitality and goodwill of the people who receive them, and their teaching and healing.

In Mark 6:12,13 we discover the great success of the disciples in this undertaking and ministry for Jesus. They are not to get creative with their messaging. They are to teach exactly what they have learned from Jesus. They were to bring only God's Truth. That Truth for all people was that everyone needed to repent and have a change of heart, a metanoia. However, the disciples not only came bearing God's Truth, but they also came bearing the King's Mercy. They were able to heal diseases and bring the hope of God's caring Love and Mercy for everyone. They came with the Word and Action to show how the Word is meant to change lives because of God's compassion. This to the same today for the message that is received through confession, prayer, hymns, the reading of Scripture, and sermons. The model of the Church still remains true to this pattern if it is truly going to find the success of the Gospel alive in the midst of all people.

REMINDER: on Sunday at 9AM I will offer a Bible Centered learning opportunity and discussion on the hospitality of the Church (our church) for all people.

With the Love of Christ in our hearts, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Old Testament bible study on Ezra 6:1-16 (January 11, 2024)

January 11, 2024

Thursday morning Bible Study on the OT Book of Ezra 6:1-16

Blessings and Peace to you this Thursday morning.  I hope that you will be safe moving around town today, as the weather is going to change with high winds and the potential for some rain.  If you are also doing the study of Mark on Mondays and Wednesdays, then you already know about the free movie at American on Saturday afternoon at 2PM.  I hope that we will get a number of you out to come and see this very well-received movie.  NO COST, FREE SNACKS.  It’s a great way to spend a few hours on Saturday afternoon.  Today please pray for the homeless in our community as they deal with this weather forecast.

Old Testament book of Ezra

Today, we continue in chapter 6:1-16 in the book of Ezra, and here is an amazing thing, though the Judahites were having issues with the Samaritan end of their heritage as they were trying to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and they were battling the thinking that since housing was getting finished they could relax about getting the Temple completely rebuilt, which by the way, even with the story of this chapter, never really gets fully completed, the Judahites find that God has been working in the midst of this situation for quite a while, beginning with King Cyrus all the way to King Artaxerxes.  We know full well how hard it can be for Christian communities to get along, sometimes even within denominations.  The Church on earth is, after all, led by people who are both saints and sinners, seeking and finding God's help in every single day, yet, who are also often ignoring God's Grace and Fullness as they live in their "castles" of faith, thinking that every other denomination, in some way, makes them smaller and less important in the work of the Kingdom of God.  But sometimes, when we think that things have kind of gotten off track, we discover, as did the Judahites, that God has been there all of the time, moving and shaping the political, environmental, and economical issues of the day.  So, to their surprise the Judahites discover that the costs of rebuilding the Temple will be borne by the current King of Persia at the order of that distant Kind Cyrus, now long dead.  When a search of Persian records is done, the orders of King Cyrus are found, and Artaxerxes moves to act in accordance with those orders.  Even the contraband from the earlier conquering of Judah and Jerusalem, and the King's palace, are to be returned, and as we see, there must be caches of these kinds of riches throughout Persia, kept away from the King's Palace for the reason that if they are kept centrally, they become vulnerable to those who would overthrow the current Persian King.  Artaxerxes even goes so far at the orders of Cyrus, to provide quality animals for use as sacrifices to the God of the earth on the altar of the rebuilding Jerusalem.  We must note here that evidently the Persian King is more than a little worried about ticking off the Judahite God!

All of this is not the same situation as Christian Nationalism in our country for the Judahites remained completely under the control of the government of Artaxerxes, though they were most certainly being offered the benevolent help of the Persian nation.  The reality is that Jewish Nationalism created and has continued to create many very difficult situations for Israel.  Jesus knows this and says that we should render to government that which belongs to the government and render to God what belongs to God.  Christianity in the Middle East today remains under that control of governments and nations, some of which are tolerant of it, and others which seek to destroy it.  Obviously, Christianity is not in that circumstance in Israel, but Jordan is one of the few nations which, under Muslim rule, tolerates Christianity, even while Muslim law fully applies to the Christian Communities too. 

Remember that we are not able to use Ezra as a chronologically correct text.  In chapter four an order which will come after what we have just read, will require the work on the Temple in Jerusalem to stop.  This happens because the people in charge beyond the river inform the Persian King that these people who are now rebuilding the Temple are dangerous, to his kingship.

Of all of the things that we might learn from this passage, the most important is to know that God's Hand is always involved in the endeavors of His Faithful people.  In all of the ups and downs of congregations our God is never absent, even though we may act like He is.

God bless you and keep you until we are together again in worship, in the community, or here in our Bible Studies of Mark and Ezra.

With love in Christ for your faith, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Meandering through Mark 6:1-6 bible study (January 10, 2024)

January 10, 2024

Wednesday Morning Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark 6:1-6

Good morning and may Christ's blessings, grace, and peace be with you today, and always.

Today is kind of a busy day for us, our three oldest in high school all have SLCs today.  (Student Led Conferences) This is when they present their own progress in the form of a presentation with art work and graphics to support their presentation.  I don't know about you, but in high school I would have been blown away by having to do this with my parents, fellow students, and teachers present for this kind of conference.  I only began having to do this when I was working on my Master of Divinity Degree at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.  It all becomes much more normal when I am writing my Bible Studies or preparing the message for Sunday morning.  Please remember that this Saturday we will be showing a movie which was very well received at 2PM.  The movie is free, and so are the snacks.  We will show it on the large screen in the sanctuary.  If you have questions about its name, please know that by agreement we cannot publicly advertise the title.  There are posters and the movie name on the announcement boards at church.  This movie is appropriate for all ages, but perhaps mostly for adults living as a member of a Christian community.  Please be sure to join us.  Doors will be open at 1:45PM.  Please pray today for David who is receiving heavy doses of radiation treatment for critical lung cancer, and for John who is very ill with the flu or RSV.  This week I have stayed away from the office because of the cost of heating the space to bearable temps with this very cold weather.  This way, the parish administrator and I are hoping to help keep heating costs down for this cold spell.  I have been picking music out getting ready for the season after Epiphany and practicing on my home piano.  I am also preparing for that special Sunday School class on January 21st as an opportunity for discussion about how it is that the larger ELCA, and our congregation have come to welcome such a diverse group of people into membership, when in previous decades the Church was not prepared to do so.   Coffee and pastries will be provided for this learning opportunity.  That is 9AM on the 21st of January.

THIS IS SOME IMPORTANT NEWS!   The Rev. Kurt Fangmeier was called as pastor to Sierra Lutheran Church, Sierra Vista, AZ, this past Sunday.  I will share installation date and time with you as it becomes available.  Kurt was a member of American before heading off to seminary at LSTC in Chicago where he received his Master of Divinity degree, and subsequent ordination to the ministry of the ELCA.

"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?" Mark 6:3

Now on to our Bible Study for this morning.  We continue in Mark 6:1-6.  As I said on Monday, it becomes clear right away that Jesus departs from his raising of the Ruler of the Synagogue's daughter, and heads back to Nazareth.  There are a number of revealing facts here in this passage.  Let's take a look at them.

1.       Jesus is received with amazement for His knowledge and teaching, yet we discover that here in his hometown, there are nearly immediate questions about how it is that he has come to know so much, after all he is only the son of Mary, and here for the first time, we find that Joseph is, in all likelihood, already deceased.  So evidently Jesus has become the one who supports the family and his mother by the vocation of carpentry.  BUT Jesus is no run of the mill carpenter, he is one who we would call a master carpenter, hence the word tekton used to describe him.  Perhaps this contributed to the fact that people had trouble seeing him in any other role in Nazareth.  So, they were unable to allow for this "new-found" knowledge that Jesus had brought to the community with him, and they were amazed, but perplexed, and ultimately came to disbelieve Christ's mighty gifts to preach and heal.  The saying of this passage is really true, and it is why pastors rarely go back to their home congregations, or to places in which they are well known, because their lives have become different through their calling to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  "A prophet is not without honor, except in their hometown".  For these people it was all too easy for them to know that Jesus could create a fine piece of wooden furniture, but his hands, which healed so many in other places, could not bring the LORD' healing for the sick.  I had several opportunities to respond to the call committee at my home church in Michigan, but I would be mostly remembered as the child who got his head stuck between the balcony rails when he was little.  I suppose by now, everyone who knew about that would be gone, but is it really worth the risk to take that call, and worry that some might never hear the Good News of God's Grace in Jesus Christ, because of that railing event?  Jesus was faced with the same reality, so teaching in the Synagogue, and moving through the community, He discovered that he was being derided and shunned by the community and family where He had grown up.

2.     Another thing that we have here in Mark is the naming of the brothers of Jesus, and we discover that not only does he have brothers, but he also has sisters, still living in Nazareth with whom people were very familiar.  Now there are many questions in scholarship about who exactly these named men, and the women really are.  Some say that they were just a part of the disciples’ crew, but like many others, I think that we would be naive to think that there were no other children between Mary and Joseph.  Here it sounds like there were five men, and a number of women.  It is not surprising, is it, when we later find that Mary and the family pick up the family business, and move it to Galilee, which was the major area of Jesus ministry so that they might be near to the oldest son.   And we know that in the early church, there is a James, who is known as Jesus’ brother, who is one of its leaders.  It really does seem obvious that Mary and Joseph had parented a very large family in their years together.  Your next question should be about Mary's status according to the Catholic Church as the perpetual virgin.  I think that is a conversation that we must undertake at another time.

I believe that we should take pity on the people of Nazareth.  They were blinded by their fore knowledge of this master carpenter in their community.  Like so many of us, they were unprepared for the in-breaking of God's Grace into their midst.  They lost out in a massive way.  They lost out in their deafness to God's Truth for their lives because they could not get out of their limited world understanding, or of their religious entrapment.  Here God was giving them the chance to do something new which would transform their lives, to receive His healing through the hands of His Son.  Don't you wonder how it was that only the shepherds and the wise men were the ones to see that spectacular comet which was God-sent to reveal His newly revealed Grace in all of its fullness in the child of Bethlehem.  Where was everyone else?  I guess it would be like not seeing the beautiful rainbows that are often in the summer thunderstorm sky.  Our lives are just so busy that we don't even look up at this most amazing sight, even when it is right in front of us.  And what about God's continuing miracles in our lives, from healings, to revelations, to amazing transformations?  Do we take the time to listen and look?  Or, like me, are you one who looks to the sky every time it rains, so that you too can be one of the few who gets to see this miracle of God's creation?  I give thanks every day for the many times that the healing of Christ has broken into my life.  Like you, my heart needs to be healed by Christ's love more frequently than I care to admit.  For me it happens in hymn and music, or in the prayers of our congregation's members, or in the speaking of the sermon, even when I am the one giving it, or in the seasons of the Church Year and all of the parament vibrant colors which surround them, in the fullness of God's creation, and in the times that people become Holy for being exactly who God created them to be!  I am fortunate that this is all a part of my life, but going home to be the presence of Christ?  That just does not work very well.

Joy in Christ, congratulations Pastor Kurt.  You have our love and support!

In Christ's love, Pastor Kim