Monthly Archives: June 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on June 7, 2015
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A Kingdom Divided Against Itself — Rev. David J. Schreffler

June 7, 2015
Sunday

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.” Mark 3:24-27

“In Mark’s Gospel, Satan is always behind the opposition to Jesus regardless of who or what the vehicle may be. In this case, it is his own family and a delegation of scribes from Jerusalem.

Now Jesus makes clear, in the form of a parable, the scope of what he is doing in his freeing of the demon-possessed. Jesus is coming to plunder Satan’s household and bring about his end, not by division from within but by stealth and force from without. Jesus, who was stronger than John the Baptist (1:7), is stronger than the strong man Satan too. Jesus’ stealthy binding of the powers of evil ultimately undermines Satan so completely that even when he appears to have succeeded in destroying Jesus in the crucifixion, the very destruction of the Son issues not in defeat but in the mysterious victory of God.” June 10, 2012, Meda Stamper, from the “Working Preacher” website

We have to come to and accept the realization that the ways of evil and the devil are truly binding to a person, constricting them from the ways of Jesus — just as the ways of Jesus are truly binding to a person, constricting them from the ways of the devil. What the devil seeks to do is divide us, either as a congregation or as individuals, the devil hopes to divide our attentions — so that we are no longer completely focused on Christ. Every day we should pray that Christ fights the battle for us against the devil, so that our attention and our loyalties are not divided — that we are solely focused on the Christ-like life.

What ways do you use to stay focused on Christ each and every day? Luther threw an ink bottle (supposedly) at the Devil, striking the wall (and maybe the Devil). How do you fend off evil thoughts and the “smooth talk” of the Devil?

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on June 6, 2015
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Good Fruit / Bad Fruit — Rev. David J. Schreffler

June 6, 2015

“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil.” Matthew 12:33ff

“Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ” Luke 13:6-9

We have a saying in our society that goes something like this: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” We usually use this saying when we are talking about the son or daughter of someone we know – and usually when they are following in the footsteps of their parent, in a not-so-good way. In other words, a tree that is bad produces fruit that is bad. The parable of the fig tree is one of the more powerful parables about the Grace of G*d. G*d does not want trees that are bad — and so looks to do all that G*d can to help make the tree good. The tree, speaking of humans of course, makes its own decisions about being fruitful or not, and bearing fruit — the choice to be good or bad fruit — is within our decision-making. But the implication about the parable is that G*d does not give up on us. G*d will continue to give us fertilizer through G*d’s Word, to water us with the spirit, and to provide sunshine through the Son, but it is our choice if we will allow all of this to transform us. The parable allows for either ending — we have no idea if the tree is cut down, and since it is not cut down immediately, we must assume that there are endless opportunities to turn things around, and produce good fruit.

The tree is known by its fruit. What kind of fruit will you be today?

Pastor Dave