Tuesday, December 13, 2022

 

Tuesday, December 13, 2022


Psalms 101; 102:1-11

Isaiah 13:1-13

Mark 9:33-50


Observance: Third Tuesday in Advent; Lucy, martyr and virgin (d. 304)


Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.


Today contains another one of those moments where Jesus’ teachings show Him to be much more than a two-dollar self-help guru. If we only read this passage lightly, we might miss what separates Him from human teachers.


Jesus teaches us to remove those things in our lives which are obstacles to holiness. He also warns us against placing obstacles in front of others. Certainly, this is something everyone can agree on.


But He then takes it further: if parts of your body cause you to sin, chop them off. And if someone places an obstacle in front of someone else, then the mobsters execution (attached to concrete and dropped in the ocean) would be getting off easy.


This is why Jesus’ teaching is elevated; why it could only come from the mouth of God. He is concerned for our souls, the core of our being. That which makes us who we are on the most fundamental level is what He is most concerned for us about. He would be cheating us if He only wanted us to “be all we can be”. He wants more from us; He wants the most of us.


Who is the greatest? The one who follows Him closest: who debases themselves for the sake of their friends. Who is the holiest? The one who cares nothing for this worldly life and everything for life in God. It is an admirable goal, and impossible under our own effort. This passage is connected to yesterday’s, and the same guidance from Jesus still applies: ‘this can only be gotten through prayer’. He would not have taught us to aspire to these things if He did not also give us the means to reach them. This is why He went to the cross, and rose from the dead. The impossible divide between human effort and God’s grace has been sealed over once and for all. Through prayer, we merely step through into God’s presence, and He gives us everything we need to reach the dizzying heights of glory where Jesus now sits.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more