Good Morning Friends,
The statistic on my blog site says I have blogged 365 times. A whole year’s worth and it just took me a little under 5 years!
The last time I blogged Transfiguration Sunday was coming up and now it is Palm Sunday is coming up fast. Time flies when your renovating. That ‘s right, I am changing stuff up again! A friend of my brother is putting down laminate wood flooring on the second floor. No more gold and green shag carpet from 1976! Now I have a wonderful soak tub and wood flooring in my bedroom. There is an extra bedroom that has wood flooring too.
But let’s get on to the scripture of the day. We are working our way through the Gospel of Mark and we are up to the next half of Chapter 3. Jesus has just named his traveling companions and he is getting into trouble.
20-21 Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered—so many making demands on him that there wasn’t even time to eat. His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was getting carried away with himself.
22-27 The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power. Jesus confronted their slander with a story: “Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get rid of Satan? A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were fighting Satan, there soon wouldn’t be any Satan left. Do you think it’s possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man, and walk off with his possessions unless you tie him up first? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.
Those who are in power in the Jewish community are saying slanderous things about Jesus. Would they be tweeting today? Jesus speaks plainly when he says that their slander doesn’t make any sense; if he were using black magic, then why is he ridding people’s life of evil. He adds that speaking against his ministry is trash talking God too.
28-30 “Listen to this carefully. I’m warning you. There’s nothing done or said that can’t be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God’s Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.” He gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil.
31-32 Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him. He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, “Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you.”
33-35 Jesus responded, “Who do you think are my mother and brothers?” Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, “Right here, right in front of you—my mother and my brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
God is the center. The Divine Presence is the first relationship in Jesus life. We are invited to believe in Jesus, the Christ, and claim that same Divine Presence for our first relationship.
This past Sunday I spoke on John 3; the born again passage. The question I posed was, “If we are born of the spirit, then why would we worry about the color of skin of our brothers and sisters in Christ; or, any of the other details about their lives.
Here is my wisdom of the day. Don’t sweat the small stuff. People are always going to try to find fault in others. Focus on the Center, the Presence that brings grace and hope and peace into our lives. Love the people who are in your faith family and love people who are outside your faith family. That’s our job.
Peace
marysjourneyblog 