A Cup of Eau Claire

Mark 1             5-27-18 Although the gospel of Mark is noticeably short, the first chapter is pretty long, and a lot happens here! The story begins in the Judean wilderness (the south) where John baptizes, but Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee (the north). Why would Mark begin with a quote from Isaiah/Malachi? What is the significance of Jesus being baptized? Hold on to verses 9-11; you’ll notice they’re a motif that will come again in this gospel. Notice Jesus’s places and times. He goes to various cities and locations in those cities, and “on the Sabbath” marks the time. Why does that matter? Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee Jordan River in the Judean wilderness  Synagogue at Capernaum How many different “hooks” can you find, something that assumes you know something more than is stated in the story, or that calls to mind another event or story? Being 2000 years removed from this sto...

This summer we will read the Gospel of Mark as a congregation, and this book will be the basis for worship (10am) and Bible study (11:15) on Sunday mornings, May 27-Sept. 2. A few things to keep in mind as you begin to read: Mark is short —only 16 chapters. There are no wasted words, no frilly adjectives or adverbs to fill out the sentences, no conjecture on the part of the narrator. Mark knows what he wants to say, and says it concisely and quickly. The story moves fast, beginning with an adult Jesus being baptized. The story moves a lot, from The Galilee in the north, around and across the Sea of Galilee, to Jerusalem, Judea in the south. We will meet many characters along the way, but most of them are cameo appearances; only a few will stay with Jesus throughout the story. Mark is old —believed to be the first of the four gospels, composed in the late 60s AD. Because there is so much material that recurs in Luke and Matthew, Mark is thought to have served as a source ...

Sermon 02-14-18      Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18  1 "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  16 "And w...

On November 15, 2017, Jacob Gapko turned 40! We invited him to speak at worship, and followed up with a birthday party. Here is the text of his reflection. Vocation at Age 40—Jacob Gapko My vocational path or calling has been a winding road.  It all began when I was baptized as an infant and freed from sin and death.  Baptism transformed me and my body into a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God and gave me the freedom to live without trying to earn God's favor through works.  My gift of curiosity and asking questions, however, my have dismayed my Sunday school teachers with my militant belief in science as everything—I don’t think I displayed much faith until my teenage years. When I was three years old I was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and, by my teen age years, I knew that my disease would likely shorten my lifespan.  When I was 15, I asked my parents what might seem an odd question, "Do you think I will live to be 29 years ol...

Finally, at the end of Acts, Paul makes it to Rome! In these chapters, we hear Paul’s various stages of defense of his case, as he is passed from the court of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, to the governor’s court in Caesarea, appearing before King Agrippa, and finally to Rome. Interestingly, we don’t hear about the trial in Rome, or any audience with Emperor Nero. The point of Paul’s journey to Rome, after all, is for him to witness to God’s saving work in Jesus, as God told him in last week’s reading (23:11). The accusation against him (that he is turning people away from Jewish tradition, and has defiled the temple by bringing Gentiles into it), and the ensuing trials are merely the vehicle by which he gets to Rome. Once again, Paul uses the channels available to him, this time his Roman citizenship and right to be heard before the Emperor, to get to a place where he can proclaim the gospel. While God does not rescue Paul from imprisonment this time, as had happened...

The end of Ch. 22 begins Paul’s trial. He has been arrested because the religious leaders are out to get him—much as he set out for Damascus in ch. 9 to “arrest any followers of the Way, men or women, and bring them bound to Jerusalem”. Now, as a follower of the Way himself, Paul is the target. This trial will take up the rest of Acts, as Paul is bounced between governors, kings, and even the Emperor, Nero. God promises that Paul will get to Rome, to the center of power in the Roman Empire, to proclaim Jesus, as Paul did in the center of the Jewish power, Jerusalem. It’s under arrest and on his way to trial, but Paul does indeed get to Rome. Some parallels with Jesus’ arrest and trial continue: it is the Jewish leaders who are bringing charges, and who conspire against Paul. When one leader doesn’t know how to proceed, he consults with others. Pilate and Herod sent Jesus back and forth between them; here Ananias the high priest and Felix the governor debate about the app...

These chapters are a transition. Paul has completed his third missionary journey, and is now on his way to Jerusalem to rejoin with the Jewish community there for the Passover celebration. From there he plans to go, at long last, to Rome. Along the way, Paul is warned or delayed several times by the Holy Spirit, because Jerusalem will be dangerous for Paul. This is an echo of the Jesus story, when he sets his sights on going to Jerusalem although he knows of the danger. Once Paul does arrive in Jerusalem, he must do some extraordinary and unusual rituals to prove his loyalty to his Jewish heritage, as his credentials are at stake. He has proclaimed that the Gentiles do not need to follow Torah fully, as agreed upon by the leaders in Jerusalem in ch. 15. The word on the street about Paul, however, is that he has also allowed or encouraged Jews living in Gentile areas to be lax about their Torah observance. We can see that it will be a problem to have two sets of standards for Chris...