March 31, 2022 – “They Said Nothing to Anyone?”

“And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Mark 16:2-8

“They Said Nothing to Anyone?”

The earliest manuscripts we have for the Gospel of Mark end at Mark 16:8. I like this ending because it leaves us with a conundrum. If the women did return from the tomb in terror and amazement, and said nothing to anyone, then we have an interesting dilemma – because obviously someone told someone else. Perhaps this Gospel ends this way because, since we can only deduce that obviously someone told someone else, then we, as the reader are compelled to do the same.

The longer ending of Mark is difficult to read and seems to be in a different style of writing. Here are a few verses:

“Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good newsto the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:14-18

I like the part about picking up snakes – perhaps this is where some of the snake-handling churches get their commission. But no matter the case, we are left with a decision – do we go home and keep this good news to ourselves, afraid of what others might think and say? Do we live our lives reflecting the Gospel message of the good news of the resurrection, or do we live thinking it is just a fairytale? Do we go forth proclaiming the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ to all who need to hear it—or are we ashamed because others will make fun of us?

We are part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The Evangelical means “Good News”—the good news of Jesus Christ. We have a choice—live it and love it—or leave it.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, you have commissioned us with sharing the good news. I am choosing to embrace this good news and live it out in my live every day. Give me the strength to do just that. Amen.

Pastor Dave

March 30, 2022 – “What is Faith?”

“And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.” Mark 15:25-32

“What is Faith?”

As Jesus hangs on the cross, the people cry out to him “…come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Coming down from the cross may have been quite a sight, and may have brought some to faith, but Jesus refused to give signs or commanded people not to tell anyone, because he did not want people to believe in him only for the miracle cures, the other healings, or great miracles. His resurrection gives a more compelling reason to believe, yet many still choose not to believe because it requires something that is more difficult to grasp – this thing called faith.

 What is faith? We can have faith, lose faith, think faith is elusive. Faith is not tangible, and it can be rather fleeting. We do not need to see to believe, for we will never be able to gather enough tangible evidence to convince people that Christ was the Messiah and that the resurrection actually happened.  All that we need to do is to show them the church – its existence is enough to bolster our faith and should be proof enough.

Here is what I believe: If there was nothing to this cross and the resurrection, then churches of Christ would have died off centuries ago—just like Christ. But it has not died—and has continued to live in the faith of the believers and followers of Christ for two thousand years.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, our faith will wax and wane throughout our lives, and yet you will remain always waiting for us to come back to you. Help me today to know that it is not the signs of your presence that builds my faith, it is my faith in you that gives others the signs that you are alive and present in this world. Amen.

Pastor Dave