Fostering Relationships

Considering the title of Jesus as Messiah/Christ in Matthew 16

Considering how the scripture presents us with categories for people but also challenges those boundary lines as it urges us to consider God’s love and salvation for all

Considering the scroll of Job, especially in our experience of emotions and questions in the midst of suffering

Considering the generosity of God in Isaiah 55:1-5 and its connection to our imaginations

The first few minutes of the episode were not recorded. The sermon focuses on the parable of the treasure in Matthew 13. Here is a summary of what was missed in the opening of the recording. Matthew’s account is organized with five discourses. Matthew 13 is the third of these five discourses and is a collection of parables, thus it functions as a literary unit. The third discourse is broken into two larger sections. The first is the parable of the sower and its explanation. It is organized as a “sandwich” with the parable of the sower and its explanation forming the start and finish (the “bread”) and Jesus explanation of parables being sandwiched between. The second large unit of the discourse is a “club sandwich”.

Parable of Wheat and Darnel

—Two Short Parables

Parable of Wheat and Darnel (explained)

—Two Short Parables

Parable of the Net (Parallel to Wheat and Darnel)

Considering Romans 8:18-27 and how we rule like Jesus by sharing in his sufferings. (*This was a second recording of the sermon as I forgot to record Sunday morning during the service.)

Rev Mark Schuler considers Matthew 11:25-30

Considering Jeremiah 26-28 and importance of discerning prophetic voices today

Considering Romans 6 and Paul’s use of enslavement imagery for our relationship to sin and Gods rescue and transfer of us to the lordship of Jesus.

Rev Mark Schuler reflects on Matthew 9:35-10:8