GIVING AND RECEIVING

MARK 1:29-45

GIVING AND RECEIVING

           

“Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever…He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.” Mark 1: 30-31

Yeah, right.  Just what I want to do – jump out of my sick bed and start waiting on my son-in-law and his scraggly, road-crusty crony. 

On the surface this passage appears to be the typical Jewish Mother saga of martyr-ish behavior on the part of Simon’s mother-in-law.  You can just imagine her rushing to the kitchen to fix a big pot of chicken soup then ladling it up into huge bowls declaring “Eat! Eat!” as she laid the table to its groaning point.  And what caring mother would not do the same?  What passionate caregiver does not push past their physical limitations, putting their own discomforts on the back burner to give their all to what they perceive as a greater need?  This woman’s knees were understandably wobbly from being in bed but her heart was full of love and gratitude that overcame her prior ailment.

So who’s the beneficiary here – the giver or the receiver?  I say both.  And both Jesus and Simon’s mother-in-law are givers and receivers.  Jesus gave of his healing and she repaid in kind by being of service.  Both are practicing what is now taught as “the golden rule” – do unto others as you would have done unto you .Ah, this vicious cycle of giving and receiving.      Ain’t it wonderful??

Dear God, grant us the grace to be givers and receivers, and to do it again and again.

~ Lillian Alexander

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

MARK 1:14-28

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

" ‘The time has come,’ Jesus said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’ " Mark 1:15

Location is usually described in relation to something or somewhere else.  We live near the hospital, we go to school in a small town just outside Atlanta, or our office is only six subway stops away.  Maps provide a more concrete guide to a destination but it's an effort to actually refer to one - refolding them neatly is virtually impossible.  Today the accessibility of GPS technology is changing the way we navigate and provide directions.  We can remove the uncertainty of location by simply typing an address or landmark into one of our many smart devices.   

Even if this technology had been available to the citizens of Galilee when Jesus told them that the kingdom of God was near and that they must repent and believe the good news, I don't think a GPS would have helped them find their way to the kingdom anymore than it can direct us in our faith journeys today.  The good news is that Jesus, the best guide and tour director, showed (and continues to show) us the way. We don't have to wait for the kingdom to become a location with navigational co-ordinates.  Every time each of us demonstrates the love of Christ to another the kingdom comes nearer.

When asked where I live, I still will say "near Roanoke Memorial" and I want to be able to add – "but I'm trying to move closer to the kingdom of God".

Lord, help me to remember your Kingdom is present and near today and guide me to show others the way.

~Gini Agee

A PRAYER FOR ALL BELIEVERS

MARK 1:1-13

A PRAYER FOR ALL BELIEVERS

“ ‘My prayer is not for them [the disciples] alone.  I pray for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one.’ “ -- John 17:20-21a [NIV]

 

Jesus addressed this prayer to the Father just after He had prayed for His disciples and shortly before He was arrested on the eve of His crucifixion.  He expected them to carry the message of the gospel, and the prayer is for those who would believe as a result.  Further, the prayer is for others through the centuries who would believe as the gospel continued to be spread.  Thus it is even for you and me as 21^st century Christians. 

The gospel has been spread by the work of the Holy Spirit, of course, using human instruments.  Parents have conveyed the message to their children from one generation to the next.  And the church has taken the message to the world.  The gospel is not to be confined within the walls of the church but is to go out into the world as believers take the message to others.  This work is known as “evangelism,” not necessarily in “tent meetings” but often in various other ways as “repentance and forgiveness of sins [are] preached in [Christ’s] name to all nations.”  [Luke 24:47]

The prayer is also for the unity of all believers, an ideal which has been difficult to attain in the history of the church.  Still, we are to strive to “live in harmony with one another.” [I Peter 3:8]

Father, as the message of the gospel has been given to us, help us to carry the message to others.  In Christ’s name, Amen.  

~Louis Newton

ON JUDGING OTHERS

JOHN 17: 20-26

ON JUDGING OTHERS

“John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey.”   Mark 1:6 (NIV)

I just don't understand how Elizabeth and Zachariah could let that boy grow up so wild.  Of course, I'm not sure Zachariah had much to say about it!  And he's nothing up against that cousin of his, that Jesus...well, you don't expect much to come out of Nazareth, but, honestly...keeping company with foreigners and tax collectors and that woman from Magdala!

I can tell you that both of those boys are going to come to a bad end!

Yep!

Lord, keep us from judging others on the basis of what just may not be the criteria You have in mind.  Keep us open and receptive to all Your children, remembering that EVERY face we see may truly be Your image.  Amen.

~ Kay Koehler