Addition?!?!

[9 They promptly reported all of the young man’s instructions to those who were with Peter. Afterward, through the work of his disciples, Jesus sent out, from the east to the west, the sacred and undying message of eternal salvation. Amen. ]

[[9 After Jesus rose up early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to the ones who had been with him, who were mourning and weeping. 11 But even after they heard the news, they didn’t believe that Jesus was alive and that Mary had seen him. 12 After that he appeared in a different form to two of them who were walking along in the countryside. 13 When they returned, they reported it to the others, but they didn’t believe them. 14 Finally he appeared to the eleven while they were eating. Jesus criticized their unbelief and stubbornness because they didn’t believe those who saw him after he was raised up. 15 He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever doesn’t believe will be condemned. 17 These signs will be associated with those who believe: they will throw out demons in my name. They will speak in new languages. 18 They will pick up snakes with their hands. If they drink anything poisonous, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:9-18, CEB)

These verses are in the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, and here they appear in [ ]. This is because they were added later.

The gospel of Mark ends with the women fleeing from the tomb and saying nothing to anyone because they were afraid, but scribes and early believers didn’t see this as a proper ending to the gospel of Mark. Well it is a good Lutheran ending, because Lutherans have a hard time sharing their faith with others, and usually don’t say anything to strangers. I am kidding, sort of…

I find the actual ending of Mark better than these 2 additions. Mark left the story hanging, because it was not meant to be finished. GO back to Mark 1:1 The Beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ. And then go to the women fleeing in fear and not telling anyone anything. So how do we know the message? Because that wasn’t the end. The good news of Jesus Christ is still being written.

Tell everyone about the Love God gives you through Jesus.

Love People. Love God.

Live In Love

1 From the elder. To the chosen gentlewoman and her children, whom I truly love (and I am not the only one, but also all who know the truth), 2 because of the truth that remains with us and will be with us forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be ours who live in truth and love. 4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children living in the truth, just as we had been commanded by the Father. 5 Now, dear friends, I am requesting that we love each other. It’s not as though I’m writing a new command to you, but it’s one we have had from the beginning. 6 This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love. (2 John 1-6, CEB)

We need to live love. That is all Jesus asked us to do.

Live and love everyone as God is loving us.

This is one of the easiest and hardest things to do.

Live your life so that all can see God in and through everything you do.

Love People. Love God.

Who?

10 This is how God’s children and the devil’s children are apparent: everyone who doesn’t practice righteousness is not from God, including the person who doesn’t love a brother or sister. 11 This is the message that you heard from the beginning: love each other. 12 Don’t behave like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he kill him? He killed him because his own works were evil, but the works of his brother were righteous. 13 Don’t be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have transferred from death to life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The person who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that murderers don’t have eternal life residing in them. 16 This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:10-16, CEB)

Does this really make it clearer who is following God and who isn’t? I think it does.

If you don’t love a brother or a sister you are not practicing righteousness and therefore not of God. So if you think you are better than anyone else, that is not loving your siblings and makes you not from God.

If you believe you are more sacred or righteous than someone else for any reason, you are not from God.

We need to be ready to lay down our lives for our siblings, and if you aren’t you are not from God.

Love all people as God loves you.

Love People. Love God.

What’s for supper?

Jesus himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 37 They were terrified and afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you startled? Why are doubts arising in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me! Touch me and see, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones like you see I have.” 40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 Because they were wondering and questioning in the midst of their happiness, he said to them, “Do you have anything to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of baked fish. 43 Taking it, he ate it in front of them. 44 Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. 46 He said to them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:36b-48, CEB)

The disciples met on the shore and Jesus was there after the resurrection. And in order to show them that he was not a ghost he asked them for food. We all know a ghost can not eat.

This was to show the disciples all that Jesus had told them was true and that he was God. And because of this and everything they saw for the time they were with Jesus, they are witnesses to the world.

We are all witnesses to who Jesus was, is and will be, and we are to go into the world and share that truth.

Know that Jesus wasn’t a ghost and the promises are truth.

Love People. Love God.

Who is greatest?

24 An argument broke out among the disciples over which one of them should be regarded as the greatest. 25 But Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles rule over their subjects, and those in authority over them are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But that’s not the way it will be with you. Instead, the greatest among you must become like a person of lower status and the leader like a servant. 27 So which one is greater, the one who is seated at the table or the one who serves at the table? Isn’t it the one who is seated at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 “You are the ones who have continued with me in my trials. 29 And I confer royal power on you just as my Father granted royal power to me. 30 Thus you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones overseeing the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:24-30, CEB)

Who is greater? The one who is served or the one who serves?

Of course we would all answer that the one who is served is greater, but Jesus turns this on it’s head. The one who serves is not lesser than the one they serve, nor are they greater. We have a way of wanting things to be laid out in order and know who is above another, yet in the kingdom of God there is no one greater than another and we are all equal.

We need to understand what it is to be a servant of others in order to lead people to the place God has for us.

So lower yourself and love as God loves you.

Love People. Love God.

remain

26 I write these things to you about those who are attempting to deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains on you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you the truth. But since his anointing teaches you about all things (it’s true and not a lie), remain in relationship to him just as he taught you. 28 And now, little children, remain in relationship to Jesus, so that when he appears we can have confidence and not be ashamed in front of him when he comes. (1 John 2:26-28, CEB)

The anointing you got from Jesus stays with you always. Do not be deceived by others as they will come to deceive you.

Know that Jesus wants to be in relationship with you and wants to remain in that relationship.

Keep the confidence you have with Jesus and walk always with him.

Love People. Love God.

Who is the liar?

18 Little children, it is the last hour. Just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really part of us. If they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. But by going out from us, they showed they all are not part of us. 20 But you have an anointing from the holy one, and all of you know the truth. 21 I don’t write to you because you don’t know the truth but because you know it. You know that no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? Isn’t it the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This person is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, what you heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you will also remain in relationship to the Son and in the Father. 25 This is the promise that he himself gave us: eternal life. (1 John 2:18-25, CEB)

This is interesting. Who is the liar? Isn’t it the person who denies Jesus is the Christ? Does Satan deny Jesus is the Christ? Yet we call Satan the Father of Lies.

And there are many who say Jesus is the Christ and yet really don’t love their siblings from God because the say they need to be separated from those obtaining glory because they are sinful. How do we know who is really following after where God is leading us?

I say error on the side of love. This made me think of a new game we got the other day that laid out the rules, but then specifically said that if a card in your deck every says to do something that is different from the these rules, the card trumps the rules and you follow what it says. The Bible is the set of rules, and the card says to love regardless of what the rules say. God loves us even when God shouldn’t and that is according to the rules.

Love People. Love God.

You are seriously mistaken

18 Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus and asked, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a widow but no children, the brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman; when he died, he left no children. 21 The second married her and died without leaving any children. The third did the same. 22 None of the seven left any children. Finally, the woman died. 23 At the resurrection, when they all rise up, whose wife will she be? All seven were married to her.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Isn’t this the reason you are wrong, because you don’t know either the scriptures or God’s power? 25 When people rise from the dead, they won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like God’s angels. 26 As for the resurrection from the dead, haven’t you read in the scroll from Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to Moses, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27 He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living. You are seriously mistaken.” (Mark 12:18-27, CEB)

You are seriously mistaken.

No one is married in the fulfillment of the kingdom. But that would cause an issue when you see the woman as property and belonging to each of the seven men. They don’t even react when Jesus says we will all be like God’s angels, meaning all of us men, women, children, we will all be the same. I’m surprised they didn’t throw a fit about that.

You see we are all the same in the eyes of God and none of us are better than the next person. God is our God and we will live forever. So let us now love as God does, equally all people.

Love People. Love God.

cravings

12 Little children, I’m writing to you because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus’ name. 13 Parents, I’m writing to you because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. Young people, I’m writing to you because you have conquered the evil one. 14 Little children, I write to you because you know the Father. Parents, I write to you because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. Young people, I write to you because you are strong, the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one. 15 Don’t love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them. 16 Everything that is in the world—the craving for whatever the body feels, the craving for whatever the eyes see and the arrogant pride in one’s possessions—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world and its cravings are passing away, but the person who does the will of God remains forever. (1 John 2:12-17, CEB)

Love God and nothing else.

This passage made me think of the song If You Wanted Me by Todd Agnew. Todd talks about all the things around us that are so right in creation and made for us, that we aren’t supposed to love. Because God’s creation is a temptation.

But if we love God and follow God, God will work in and through us to show love to the world.

We all have things to over come and gifts to use. Let us all love God and allow God to work in and through us so the kingdom will come.

Love People. Love God.

Here are the lyrics for If you Wanted Me and a video for your enjoyment.

I’ll admit I’m glad we’re not disciples
Out on a lake paralyzed with fright
Cause I’m afraid I might have laughed at Peter
Until he stepped into that stormy night
If You wanted me to walk on water
Why’d You make the solid ground seem so right?

And I’ll admit I’m glad I’m not King David
Ruling over everything I see
Cause I think I’ve fallen for more than Bathsheba
Your creation’s a temptation for me
If You wanted me to love You only
Why’d you make the moonlight sparkle in her eyes?

I’ll admit I’m glad I’m not John the Baptist
In a jail cell waiting for my day to die
Cause at least down here I know what we’re chasing
And it’s hard to trust Your dreams are so much better than mine
But if You wanted me to die to myself
Why’d You make me fall so deeply in love with life?

If You wanted me to surrender
Why’d You make these hands able to hold on so tight?
So tight?

And if You wanted me to be like You
Why’d You make me like me?

Claims

3 This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. 4 The one who claims, “I know him,” while not keeping his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. 5 But the love of God is truly perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know we are in him. 6 The one who claims to remain in him ought to live in the same way as he lived. 7 Dear friends, I’m not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the message you heard. 8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines. 9 The one who claims to be in the light while hating a brother or sister is in the darkness even now. 10 The person loving a brother and sister stays in the light, and there is nothing in the light that causes a person to stumble. 11 But the person who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and lives in the darkness, and doesn’t know where to go because the darkness blinds the eyes. (1 John 2:3-11, CEB)

The one who claims to remain in him ought to live in the same way as he lived. Meaning look at this post from 2 days ago about judging. Jesus didn’t come to judge, so we have to live like him and not judge. And if you judge, then you are not living like him.

If we are saying that someone is sinning different than us, or living in a way that will not allow them to be with God, we are judging and hating our sibling. We need to love freely as God has loved us.

Love wins all. Hate and judgmental living only spurs more hate and fear. God is love and that love needs to be shown.

So love as you were loved.

Love People. Love God.