Teaching on relationships

27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. 31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Matthew 5:27-32, NRSV)

How many of us are doing this?

Not the looking on another and lusting after them, but the other parts that Jesus says. Plucking out eyes, cutting off hands…

I haven’t seen anyone missing an eye or a hand and found out it was because they plucked them out or cut them off.

But if we are all honest we have looked upon another lustfully at some point. So why do we have both eyes and hands?

And what about the divorce of a couple. Only on grounds of marital infidelity. But is that always the case? And if you marry a divorced woman (which I would include man there also) you commit adultery.

Our lives are supposed to be pure. And it is impossible for us, but ask God to help you and talk with your partner about your feelings and thoughts and work together with God to make a holy union and a relationship which strives to follow His guidelines.

Teaching on Anger

21“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:21-26, NRSV)

Jesus steps it up a notch. If he were Emeril Lagasse he would have said “Bam!”

If you are angry with someone else or call them you fool, that is the same as murdering them!

Then there is a part about leaving your gift at the altar and going and making amends with your brother or sister before you bring that gift to the altar for God. Did you know that is why we share the peace before we come to communion? So if there is a need for amends in the congregation there is time to make that happen before you come before the altar of God. We are to cleanse our hearts and prepare to receive the living Christ in the meal of the altar and sometimes our own pettiness gets in the way.

So do not hate in your heart. But love as Christ loves.

Sermon on the Mount

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:1-20, NRSV)

Nothing from the Law and the Prophets will pass away until the law is accomplished. So whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. We are to be light for the darkness to give way to Christ’s love and salt to give seasoning to the world. And how do we do that?

We need to uphold all of the scriptures because that is what Jesus came to fulfill. And we do that by keeping the commandments…

And how many of us can keep the commandments?

Well none of us can.

But we blessed when we are poor in spirit, when we mourn, when we are meek, and when we hunger and thirst for righteousness.

We should be filled with mercy and peacemakers and to stand up for our faith.

But we can’t do these things to earn heaven. We do them because Christ is living inside of us. We are living as Christ would live to help others see how they might live.

That is what we are called to do, to emulate Christ and allow His life to shine through ours so that others may see in darkness and be seasoned with mercy.

 

Bless the Lord!

19The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
20Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word.
21Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will.
22Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
(Psalm 103:19-22, NRSV)

We have every reason in the world to bless the Lord for everything God has done for us.

So let your soul sing and give glory to the king.

Bless the Lord!

The Lord’s Steadfast Love

15As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field;
16for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
17But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,
18to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
(Psalm 103:15-18, NRSV)

Everything will pass away.

The Grass.

The Flowers.

The Fields.

All of us.

But the Love of God will never fade nor cease. It will never end.

That is a promise you can trust in.

The Lord of Mercy

6The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
7He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
8The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
10He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
(Psalm 103:6-14, NRSV)

The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

God made His ways known to Moses and a way for the people of Israel.

And through all of the stupid things we do ad His people, God is still slow to anger and even when God arrives at an angry state, He does not keep His anger forever.

God knows where we came from and where we are going and is trying to help us along the way.

Remember that and allow God to help you!

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

1Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
3who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
(Psalm 103:1-5, NRSV)

I always sing this psalm because it is a wonderful camp song.

But it is also a great reminder that we are loved by the creator of the universe.

So Bless the Lord! And let all that is in you bless His holy name!

Exorcisms and Healings

23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. 25And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. (Matthew 4:23-25, NRSV)

Why were people following Jesus or flocking to where he was?

Did they enjoy his teaching?

Or was it because of what he was doing?

Why do you worship Jesus?

Do you expect a simple carefree life and all your worries taken away?

Or do you follow his promises and share his love for all the world?

Why do we follow Jesus?

Calling the Fishermen

18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-22, NRSV)

Jesus was walking on the shore and saw Simon and Andrew and said Follow me. ορισο μου. Literally get behind me. Also the words Jesus uses for Peter when Peter tries to stop Jesus from going to Jerusalem after Jesus tells them he will be killed.

Know your place is to follow behind me. If you can’t see the back of Jesus’ head you might want to reevaluate your position.

Get behind me and go where I go.

Are you ready to get behind Jesus?

Temptation in the Wilderness

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. 12Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:1-17, NRSV)

I have a love for this passage of scripture that is found in the misrepresentation of the translation above.

In most of our modern translations the devil asked Jesus, “If you are the son of God…” well that is one translation for what the Greek says but there is another.

The Greek word is ιε. Which does mean if. However it also means something which make much more sense theologically. You see with if it could be construed that the devil is questioning whether Jesus is the Son of God or not. But the devil knows who Jesus is. ιε also means since. I believe the devil is saying, “since you are the son of God…”

Both Jesus and the devil quote scripture and know about what scripture has and does say about God and God’s chosen.

Do we question who Jesus is?

Do we question who we are in Jesus?

Since you are a child of God, go in faith and proclaim God’s love.