“The beginning of the good news^* of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”           -Mark 1:1

That verse is where we will begin the year 2012, and I’m excited to take a different approach to the scripture on Sunday morning.  We will be reading the gospel of Mark from January 1^st through Easter, not quite in its entirety, but in consecutive order, following the story from the beginning.  I really think that there is a need to become more familiar with the Bible story itself, not just a source of ‘lessons’, but as a narrative of God’s interactions with God’s people in history.  We as God’s people today need to know that story and our place in it.

You’ll notice that Mark begins at ‘the beginning’ but never really writes an end.  I believe this is deliberate, indicating that we are still part of the ongoing story of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

In coming months we’ll take a look together at some of the Old Testament stories as well, so that Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Esau, Moses and Miriam, become more than names from back in Sunday School, but we take time to learn their stories over again.  Each month there will be a list of Bible readings in the Steeple Echoes so that you can be following along at home and know what is coming next.  Here are the topics for January:

 

Jan 1    John the Baptist and beginning of Jesus’ ministry        Mark 1:1-20

Jan 8    People who meet Jesus (paralytic, tax collectors etc)   Mark 2:1-22

Jan 15 Parables about sowing and growing seeds                        Mark 4:1-34

Jan 22 Gerasene demoniac                                                               Mark 5:1-20

Jan 29 Jesus healing Jairus’ daughter and a woman                  Mark 5:21-43

God’s Peace,

Pastor John Twiton

The first two Sundays of Advent begin we hear from Isaiah:

“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.” —  Isaiah 40:1

“O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence.” — Isaiah 64:1

Both proclaim the arrival of God’s presence among the people, but while one passage speaks of comfort, the other sees a time of upheaval.  Perhaps we still feel both those things.  We are used to the soothing sounds of angel songs, and the babe in the manger, and yet, at least for me, there is this pervading sense that things need to change, and our only hope is in God’s power.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was a leader in the church resistance to Hitler, spoke of it this way:

“We have become so accustomed to the idea of divine love and of God’s coming at Christmas that we no longer feel the shiver of fear that God’s coming should arouse in us. We are indifferent to the message, taking only the pleasant and agreeable out of it and forgetting the serious aspect, that the God of the world draws near to the people of our little earth and lays claim to us. The coming of God is truly not only glad tidings, but first of all frightening news for everyone who has a conscience.

Only when we have felt the terror of the matter, can we recognize the incomparable kindness.   God comes into the very midst of evil and of death, and judges the evil in us and in the world. And by judging us, God cleanses and sanctifies us, comes to us with grace and love. God makes us happy as only children can be happy.  God wants to always be with us, wherever we may be – in our sin, in our suffering and death. We are no longer alone; God is with us. Therefore we adults can rejoice deeply within our hearts under the Christmas tree, perhaps much more than the children are able.  Jesus comes in judgment and grace.  (from the sermon “The Coming of Jesus into our Midst”)

May our hearts be ready to receive all that our Lord brings!

In Christ,

Pastor John Twiton

“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; ²but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. ³They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” — Psalm 1:1-3

 

I’ve always liked the image that this psalm uses:  “like trees planted by streams of water.”   It speaks of drawing deeply from a strength beyond ourselves, and being rooted so strongly that we can grow, adapt, persevere, and bear fruit.  The Psalmist’s appreciation for ‘the law’ does not refer to rules and regulations, but to all that God would teach us.

In a world where many stories compete for our attention and our loyalty, we need remember that powerful story of God’s abiding love for us that has sustained God’s people throughout the ages.  We need to draw deeply on the witness of those who have shared the wonder of God’s grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.  We need to share that story so that it becomes deeply ingrained in us, and in our children.

When we are rooted in that stream of God’s love and God’s story, then it can began so show in the things we do and say, or as the psalmist says we can ‘yield fruit in due season.’  However, when we forget, or root ourselves in one of the world’s many false versions of what is important in life, we can find ourselves drying up when troubles come, or uprooted and tossed about in anxiety and fear.

As we gather this month, let us give thanks for the bounty of the earth, but even more for the life-giving streams of God’s story, which will nourish our lives for the days to come.

 

In Christ,

Pastor John Twiton

 

 

 

 

“I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service”           I Timothy 1:10

 

It doesn’t seem possible that it has been 25 years since I began service in ordained ministry.  But then I look at my children heading out on their own, and I have to admit the years have passed.  I want to express my very sincere thanks to all of you who sent greetings and were so generous in celebrating the 25^th anniversary of my ordination at the ELC Community Festival in September.  I am humbled by your caring for me and my family, and feel privileged to serve in this place.

 

As I look back on the past years, I recognize that many things have changed in our world and within the church.  The challenges to ministry have always been great, they just differ over time.  But what doesn’t change is that all ministry is empowered by the same Spirit.  That is true not just for those who serve as ordained pastors, but it is just as true for every Christian.  We are all called into particular areas of service, and all strengthened by the same love of Jesus Christ.

 

Sometimes we might lose sight of the fact that while day to day the church might struggle, in the bigger picture we serve a God whose kingdom will always persevere.  We serve a Savior whose love is stronger than human hatred, whose forgiveness is more powerful than human sin, and who gives life which is greater than death.

It is a joy to be a part of that ministry, no matter what else is going on in the world.

In Christ,

Pastor John Twiton