carry your cross

Good morning brothers and sisters,
I wanted to remind you of a great worship opportunity tomorrow evening. We'll join our neighbors from other denominations to celebrate our unity in Christ and pray for greater unity in the church. The service will take place at St. Mark's and St. John's Episcopal Church on the corner of Culver and Rosewood. Worship begins at 7pm and will feature leaders from several different communities of faith. I hope you can be there.

Our reading this morning reminds us that being a Christian isn't casual; it's a commitment that shapes the rest of our life. Jesus faced death for our sake and he warns us that to follow him we have to accept that risk as well. In giving up ourselves we find true freedom in Christ.

God bless your journey today,
Sam

Luke 9:18-27

¹⁸Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” ¹⁹They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” ²⁰He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” ²¹He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, ²²saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

²³Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. ²⁵What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? ²⁶Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

discipleship

Good morning friends,
Today Ramadan begins. During Ramadan Muslims fast from dawn to dusk to refocus their lives on God. Reflection, prayer and serving the poor are important components of Ramadan. This Ramadan, the Yemen Peace Project, an organization my brother helped found, is encouraging people to skip a meal per week during Ramadan and donate what we would have spent on food to humanitarian relief in Yemen. There's more information here, and I'm happy to answer any questions I can. I hope you'll join me in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Yemen.

Today's reading begins an important section in Romans. The first 8 chapters have discussed God's grace in Christ at length. Chapters 9-11 deal with a question close to Paul's heart, why have most Jewish people not accepted Christ and what does that mean? In this first section Paul talks about how being part of God isn't just about your family line or community. That's an important word for us too. Being a member of a church isn't what faith is about. We are called to live our faith and nurture our connection to God through active discipleship. Soren Kierkegaard puts it well: "Sitting in church doesn't make one a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes one a car." Let's use this Ramadan to recommit ourselves to faith and justice.

God bless,
Sam

Romans 9:1-13

1I am speaking the truth in Christ — I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit — 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. 4They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; 5to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

6It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, 7and not all of Abraham’s children are his true descendants; but “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” 8This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants. 9For this is what the promise said, “About this time I will return and Sarah shall have a son.” 10Nor is that all; something similar happened to Rebecca when she had conceived children by one husband, our ancestor Isaac. 11Even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose of election might continue, 12not by works but by his call) she was told, “The elder shall serve the younger.” 13As it is written, “I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.”

privacy and greed

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Jesus talks today about fasting and devotion to God, as well as the dangers of possessions. Like with prayer and giving to those in need, fasting is meant to be between us and God. We don't fast so we can earn credit from other people for our self-control or dedication, but so we can grow closer to God through focusing on God. Of course, there are also times to share a fast with others; much of the fasting in the Bible is community fasting, and that's still appropriate today.

Jesus warns us not to store up treasure on earth, but to invest in God's kingdom instead. He goes from there to talk about the eye. This isn't a criticism of people with vision problems. According to the New Interpreters' Study Bible, people at that time though light went out from the eye to guide our behavior. In this case having a "bad eye" (here translated, unhealthy) probably meant being greedy. If we focus on letting God be our guide and master, our whole body and life will be full of light, but if we led possessions control us, we will be full of darkness.

Blessings,
Sam

Matthew 6:16-24

16“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.


19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.