The Lutheran Podcast

Here we are again: are we coming to the end of COVID or another beginning? 

This isn't fun, and I'm done with it. But here we are again in a space of not knowing and wrestling with the anxiety, fear, and anger that go with it. 

People are struggling. Now what?

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The next few weeks we'll be dealing with John 6, which is called the Bread of Life series by pastors. In John 6, Jesus feeds five thousand people and drama ensues.

Jesus wrestles with what he's really called to do - are the signs and miracles the point, or is it something else? If it isn't the signs that are important, what really is?

The disciples wrestle with their exhaustion, their fear and disbelief, and face the real possibility that following Jesus won't lead them anywhere worth going when the crowds finally abandon him. Their test of faith leads to a climax in John 6:66-7.

The crowds are wrestling with their own hunger, physical and spiritual, and struggle mightily with the answer they hear.

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Where were you twelve years ago?

Today we hear the story of two daughters who each were in much different positions twelve years ago. One is a daughter of an important temple official, who is twelve years old and dies by the end of the story. The other is a woman who has dealt with hemorrhaging for twelve long years, whose faith makes her well.

At the center of all of this appears to be Jesus, but what if it's not actually about Jesus at all, even though we experience the signs of God's kingdom through him? 

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Jesus leaves the wilderness and comes to the city to declare, "Time's up! The kingdom of God has come near, so repent and believe the good news!". 

But the good news about what? What's so good about this news, anyway, in a world beset by greed, anger, violence, death, and all the things that scare us? The good news is that when we recognize the voice of our Creator calling out to us, all those things fall away and we experience something new. 

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Can anything good come out of this place?
Can anything good come out of me?

Jesus answers by inviting us into the heart and mind of God so we can see in us what God sees.

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A different Gospel for this day because this text grew on me this week. All Saints is a day when we commemorate the joyous hope of the resurrection, remember those we love and have lost, and ponder the mystery that God is present at all times and places.

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Jesus held a coin struck with the face of the Emperor and an impossible questions from the good church folks, who knew that whatever he answered would get him in trouble: either with the the crowds who resented spending a dime in taxes to their Roman oppressors, or with the Roman authority who made it very clear that they expected people to pay them whether they wanted to or not. 

Paul found himself in the mountains for what may have been an attempt to relax, but unable to do so, preached so powerfully that people began to believe in Jesus before the locals tossed him out.

Like the coin in Jesus' hand, there are lots of competing forces that brought it into being, but our task as people who follow Jesus is to identify whose minting truly defines us.

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We hear a story of Ezekiel, who found himself brought to a valley of dry bones by the Spirit of the Lord and asked the question, "mortal, can these bones live?".

We hear of the death of Lazarus, and witness Jesus meeting Martha and then Mary in the road to abide with them in their grief. 

Throughout Scripture, joy and sorrow messily mingle, yet we see that God doesn't hurry either of them. God is the One Who Abides. 

In this moment of forced abiding, we stand in a space between the world as it was and the world as it will be, or could be. How do we dwell in this space and learn from what it has to teach about both joy and sorrow?

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Phil, Sergey, & Pastor Eric gathered for worship this morning. This is for those who aren’t able to attend worship in person. 

What do we do when everything is crazy and we don't know which way to turn? 

We give thanks that even when everything has changed around us, God is with us.

Scriptures:
Psalm 23
John Chapter 9 (all of it)

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Phil, Sergey, & Pastor Eric gathered for worship Sunday morning. This is for those who aren’t able to attend worship in person. Please sing along, pray along, and worship along with us!

Scriptures:
Psalm 23
John Chapter 9 (all of it)

Music:
Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross


Join us in giving thanks to God in worship, trusting in God’s mercy and love.

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