Mark 1:1 (NIV)
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,
the Son of God.
Reflection
Wow! No doubt you are scratching your head wondering why one sentence is worth a whole reflection and a “Wow”.
Well, we know these early communities are small, like us, and this is the beginning of Mark’s Gospel- the earliest account (70 CE) we have in the New Testament of Jesus; what he did, what he said, where he went and what happened to him.
Sometimes these early groups just met in households, sometimes meeting in secret because they were not accepted as either “Greek or Jew”. They were outside both these groups, not one or the other. People were suspicious of them, they didn’t participate in the usual pagan rituals of Rome and they weren’t Jews and on top of that they had weird rituals of their own that included “body and blood”. These followers of “The Way” as they called themselves would have been so excited to receive the scroll we call the Gospel of Mark. It indeed would have been Good News for them!
The concept of the Way goes back to the story of Exodus where God In Exodus 13:21-22 was revealed to Israelites in a pillar of a cloud to guide them and fire for light while in the desert. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.
We, too, are travellers on the Way. We are on a journey don’t know where we will travel, we are lucky to know some of the people who journey with us, and we know that God leads us and that Jesus acts as a guide, the one who has gone before us.
Mark’s introduction, which we tend to read and quickly dismiss so as to get on with the rest of the story, is really a proclamation that would have had the early church community jumping up and down and pumping their fists in the air and shouting “Right on” as it announces “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.”. This good news is a challenge to the world they see about them and have to contend with everyday.
This Jesus, asserted in the Gospel of Mark, as the Son of God is not the power of Rome: Caesar Augustus, Son of God backed up by military might, fortresses and authority. This is Jesus of Nazareth, an insignificant little town in Galilee. He is a wandering preacher, teacher, healer dependent on what people offered him and who ultimately was crucified on a cross on a garbage heap outside of the city of Jerusalem.
This Good News is not the Roman fare of territory won, taxes collected or a people brought to their knees and their temple destroyed (which happens around the same time as the scroll was written 70 CE). It was not the Good News of another emperor draped in a royal purple robe and crowned in an elaborate ceremony with adoring crowds and feasts.
It is, however, the Good News of someone they can identify with, Jesus, the Son of God, a wandering preacher and healer, who comes to them as one broken and beaten. Yet, who rose among them as a Messiah, a Christ, a Saviour leading them to a God who shows compassion, who calls them beloved, who gives them strength and courage to meet and pray and hope as a faithful community. God is with them on their journey leading them day and night. The same God is with us on our journey, leading us as we traverse a path we have not travelled before.
Goodness knows this COVID time is a journey, one we thought would be over. I, for one, thought: Oh we’ll be back in the church soon (September) and then I thought: oh we can have indoor services with fewer people (October) and all of a sudden we get increasing numbers of people with COVID and some of them closer to home. And all the while I’m trying to figure out what I could do online. I’m still working on that. It’s a journey!
So how can we be a faithful, faith filled community? I will be trying out different things in the coming weeks so bear with me, together we can do this. If those people in the first century could figure out how to be Followers of The Way together so can we.
Prayer
Holy One, we are sad and afraid and weary.
You have promised to be with us – always
And while we trust in your presence
We miss our friends and family and the church
We miss that part of us which is fed by being in community with others who also give their lives and hearts to you.
We miss the power of silence that gathers us together in your spirit
We miss the music that raises our spirits to the heavens and the communion we share that unites into the body of your faithful people.
Holy One, you are with us but we miss each other.
Help us in our aloneness.
Help us to find ways to reach out
Help us to find ways to worship
Help us to find peace.
We pray for those who are ill,
for those who are hurting in body, mind or spirit.
Heal their hurts and wounds and fears.
We pray for those who are facing financial or housing difficulties as winter approaches.
Bring security into their lives.
We pray for those who have lost loved ones.
Instill comfort and peace into their lives.
We pray these and all the other prayers
that crowd our hearts
Knowing that you will listen
And in your wisdom answer.
We pray in the name of Jesus the Christ
Amen
Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
Amen
Minute for Mission
October 18
Sharing Circle Lifts Indigenous Voices
Our gifts for Mission & Service support community ministries as well as Healing Fund projects like the weekly sharing circle at St. Matthews Maryland. This community ministry offers health and wellness programs to meet basic needs and help families thrive.
One of the programs is a weekly sharing circle led by an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, followed by a simple lunch. One participant describes her experience there:
The Elder opened the sharing circle with a prayer and lit some sage, one of the traditional medicines used by Indigenous peoples. When sage is burned, the smoke cleanses a person’s body, mind, and spirit so they can put aside their worries and be present. Also, it is believed that smoke can carry a person’s prayers to the Creator.
Once the circle opened, we all took turns sharing anything we wanted. The Elder taught us about the Anishinaabe Creation Story, and later we talked about what we learned.
After the sharing circle we had lunch. The bannock was delicious! I was happy to chat with one of the Indigenous participants who was a long way from home on the west coast of British Columbia. She first came to St. Matthews Maryland three years ago looking for services, and the warm reception encouraged her to return for programming. Eventually, she started to volunteer and built her confidence as a helper.
I was grateful to them for providing such a safe place for the participants to build relationships, learn about health issues, and support their goals for health and wellness.
If Mission & Service giving is already a regular part of your life, thank you so much! If you have not given, please join me in making Mission & Service giving a regular part of your life of faith. Loving our neighbour is at the heart of our Mission & Service.
MISSION AND SERVICE FUND
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,
the Son of God.
Reflection
Wow! No doubt you are scratching your head wondering why one sentence is worth a whole reflection and a “Wow”.
Well, we know these early communities are small, like us, and this is the beginning of Mark’s Gospel- the earliest account (70 CE) we have in the New Testament of Jesus; what he did, what he said, where he went and what happened to him.
Sometimes these early groups just met in households, sometimes meeting in secret because they were not accepted as either “Greek or Jew”. They were outside both these groups, not one or the other. People were suspicious of them, they didn’t participate in the usual pagan rituals of Rome and they weren’t Jews and on top of that they had weird rituals of their own that included “body and blood”. These followers of “The Way” as they called themselves would have been so excited to receive the scroll we call the Gospel of Mark. It indeed would have been Good News for them!
The concept of the Way goes back to the story of Exodus where God In Exodus 13:21-22 was revealed to Israelites in a pillar of a cloud to guide them and fire for light while in the desert. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.
We, too, are travellers on the Way. We are on a journey don’t know where we will travel, we are lucky to know some of the people who journey with us, and we know that God leads us and that Jesus acts as a guide, the one who has gone before us.
Mark’s introduction, which we tend to read and quickly dismiss so as to get on with the rest of the story, is really a proclamation that would have had the early church community jumping up and down and pumping their fists in the air and shouting “Right on” as it announces “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.”. This good news is a challenge to the world they see about them and have to contend with everyday.
This Jesus, asserted in the Gospel of Mark, as the Son of God is not the power of Rome: Caesar Augustus, Son of God backed up by military might, fortresses and authority. This is Jesus of Nazareth, an insignificant little town in Galilee. He is a wandering preacher, teacher, healer dependent on what people offered him and who ultimately was crucified on a cross on a garbage heap outside of the city of Jerusalem.
This Good News is not the Roman fare of territory won, taxes collected or a people brought to their knees and their temple destroyed (which happens around the same time as the scroll was written 70 CE). It was not the Good News of another emperor draped in a royal purple robe and crowned in an elaborate ceremony with adoring crowds and feasts.
It is, however, the Good News of someone they can identify with, Jesus, the Son of God, a wandering preacher and healer, who comes to them as one broken and beaten. Yet, who rose among them as a Messiah, a Christ, a Saviour leading them to a God who shows compassion, who calls them beloved, who gives them strength and courage to meet and pray and hope as a faithful community. God is with them on their journey leading them day and night. The same God is with us on our journey, leading us as we traverse a path we have not travelled before.
Goodness knows this COVID time is a journey, one we thought would be over. I, for one, thought: Oh we’ll be back in the church soon (September) and then I thought: oh we can have indoor services with fewer people (October) and all of a sudden we get increasing numbers of people with COVID and some of them closer to home. And all the while I’m trying to figure out what I could do online. I’m still working on that. It’s a journey!
So how can we be a faithful, faith filled community? I will be trying out different things in the coming weeks so bear with me, together we can do this. If those people in the first century could figure out how to be Followers of The Way together so can we.
Prayer
Holy One, we are sad and afraid and weary.
You have promised to be with us – always
And while we trust in your presence
We miss our friends and family and the church
We miss that part of us which is fed by being in community with others who also give their lives and hearts to you.
We miss the power of silence that gathers us together in your spirit
We miss the music that raises our spirits to the heavens and the communion we share that unites into the body of your faithful people.
Holy One, you are with us but we miss each other.
Help us in our aloneness.
Help us to find ways to reach out
Help us to find ways to worship
Help us to find peace.
We pray for those who are ill,
for those who are hurting in body, mind or spirit.
Heal their hurts and wounds and fears.
We pray for those who are facing financial or housing difficulties as winter approaches.
Bring security into their lives.
We pray for those who have lost loved ones.
Instill comfort and peace into their lives.
We pray these and all the other prayers
that crowd our hearts
Knowing that you will listen
And in your wisdom answer.
We pray in the name of Jesus the Christ
Amen
Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
Amen
Minute for Mission
October 18
Sharing Circle Lifts Indigenous Voices
Our gifts for Mission & Service support community ministries as well as Healing Fund projects like the weekly sharing circle at St. Matthews Maryland. This community ministry offers health and wellness programs to meet basic needs and help families thrive.
One of the programs is a weekly sharing circle led by an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, followed by a simple lunch. One participant describes her experience there:
The Elder opened the sharing circle with a prayer and lit some sage, one of the traditional medicines used by Indigenous peoples. When sage is burned, the smoke cleanses a person’s body, mind, and spirit so they can put aside their worries and be present. Also, it is believed that smoke can carry a person’s prayers to the Creator.
Once the circle opened, we all took turns sharing anything we wanted. The Elder taught us about the Anishinaabe Creation Story, and later we talked about what we learned.
After the sharing circle we had lunch. The bannock was delicious! I was happy to chat with one of the Indigenous participants who was a long way from home on the west coast of British Columbia. She first came to St. Matthews Maryland three years ago looking for services, and the warm reception encouraged her to return for programming. Eventually, she started to volunteer and built her confidence as a helper.
I was grateful to them for providing such a safe place for the participants to build relationships, learn about health issues, and support their goals for health and wellness.
If Mission & Service giving is already a regular part of your life, thank you so much! If you have not given, please join me in making Mission & Service giving a regular part of your life of faith. Loving our neighbour is at the heart of our Mission & Service.
MISSION AND SERVICE FUND
