delight in right sacrifices

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Isaiah 58:1-9 Psalm 51:3-6, 18-19 Matthew 9:14-15

Psalm 51:19 then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on thy altar.

We often think about sacrifice and fasting as painful and hard discipline that we must do to earn God's favor. I think what today's scriptures are telling us is that if we truly seek to keep God's ordinances, that is to loose the thongs of the yoke and to do righteousness and justice, we will be in a place where we can offer sacrifice and fasting with joy and peace. We will have a better understanding of what God wants from us and it will be with heartfelt thanksgiving that we offer our sacrifices. We will understand then that giving lip service doesn't convert our hearts to God, but only true participation will bring true conversion.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to open my heart to the oppressed and the suffering. Help me to look beyond the ceremonial to the truly relational.

Amen

what does it profit a man

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 1-4, 6 Luke 9:22-25

Luke 9:25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

I heard an advertisement for a university today that was promising that we could change the world through technology, that it would be a much better place and we would be much better people.
I then thought about what it was like in ancient times and then medieval times and then colonial times and even now. The problems that have plagued mankind are the same as they have always been. We still steal, murder, commit adultery, cheat, lie etc...
Technology has done nothing to fix these problems and it can't. But that is the devils lie, that is the fruit of knowledge. We think that we can fix the world without fixing ourselves. It can't be done.
God alone has the way to be fixed. We will never have that Utopian life until we come to Jesus.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to seek first your righteousness. Help me to not put my trust in other gods like technology or government. Help me to be an agent of change that leads back to you.

Amen

sanctify a fast

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel:

Joel 2:12-18 Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14, 17 2 Corinthians 5:20 - 6:2 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly;

Sanctify a fast? Do we even know what that means today? The modern church has become so "free" in her expression of faith that I think we have lost the seriousness of what we are there for. The fast is not just some kind of empty ritualistic discipline. It is an appeal to God to spare us from our well deserved punishment for our sins. Today I think we need this more than ever. Take a look at our country. We kill 4000 babies a day because they are inconvenient. We take advantage of people economically and in other ways. We cheat to get any advantage we can and pass the cost on to others rationalizing that we are entitled.
There is a lot to ask God to forgive us for and the absence of such a practice as the observance of Lent in the churches is a reflection of just how far we have strayed. Yes, we should fast, but not to loose weight or to honor some historical tradition, but to express our appeal to God to have mercy and to empower us to share that mercy with others.

Father, help me to be strong in the faith through my weakness in the ways of the world. Help me take seriously the offences that I have committed and honor my appeal for forgiveness and help me to forgive others.

Amen

prepare yourself for temptation

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Sirach 2:1-11 Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40 Mark 9:30-37

Sirach 2:1  My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation.

Even in the church we tend to celebrate greatness in worldly terms.  We are amazed at how big some ministries have become, and we think that God is doing a mighty work in this one or that one.  There are many stories in the Bible, however, where God doesn't amass a great number to do his will, but puts a person out there where he is helpless and it looks like the only way he can win is with God's help.

We must fight the temptation to measure things in human terms.  We must remain faithful and trust in the Lord and not in numbers or budgets or great works of men.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to trust in you and not in human strength and will, but in your mercy and grace and give me the hope and perseverance to stay on the path.

Amen

anything but prayer

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Sirach 1:1-10 Psalm 93:1-2, 5 Mark 9:14-29

Mark 9:29  And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."

Jesus gave the Apostles the authority to cast out demons.  Why couldn't they do this one?  Well, according to Jesus this one can only come out by prayer.  That means that once again we see that we have our limits.  Even when Jesus personally gives us power and authority we must not presume to be able to do anything.  We must always humbly understand that everything comes from God and without his blessing we can't do anything.

Prayer is asking.  Sometimes for us that is the toughest thing to do, to ask.  It is a sign of our weakness, but it is to our benefit to understand it.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always ask and to understand that whatever blessing I have are from you.

Amen

the LORD confused the language

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 11:1-9 Psalm 33:10-15 Mark 8:34 -- 9:1

Genesis 11:9  Therefore its name was called Ba'bel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

This is the opposite if what happens at Pentecost.  Then everybody heard the Apostles speaking in their own language, even though they all spoke different languages.  The difference is that God was the one who unites and not man.

We make all kinds of efforts to unite people around what we think is the truth, but God will unite us around what he has made the truth.  As we unite around truth we will unite with each other, but when we try to unite with each other hoping to find truth, then God will confound our plans.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always seek you and your righteousness first, and then all these things will be added by you.  Help me to not be proud and think that all should unite around me.

Amen

and seeing his disciples

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 9:1-13 Psalm 102:16-21, 29, 22-23 Mark 8:27-33

Mark 8:33  But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."

We often see this verse where Jesus rebukes Peter as a slam against the idea that Peter was the first Pope.  Well, whether you call him Pope or not her was certainly first among the apostles.  He is mentioned more than all the others, he was in Jesus' inner circle and Jesus gives him the command to shepherd his flock.  History shows he was kind of like the leader.  

But in this passage Jesus is dealing with temptation.  He calls Peter Satan because Peter's rebuke of Jesus was a temptation to not go through with the plan.  But Jesus, I believe, had another motive here as well. By allowing the others to see him rebuke Peter he helps Peter to remain on task in the future.  This rebuke will help him to remain humble and not think that he has a better way.  This may not have been so much a slam as preparation for the role that Peter was going to play in the early church.  He is going to have to stay on plan and remain humble.  The others will help him do that.  Peter can't be a leader if nobody will follow.  Humility and discipline are very important qualities of a good leader.  These things are best achieved with public scrutiny.  When we try to keep things secret we are putting ourselves at great risk of falling into temptation as Peter does later when he denies Jesus.

Father, help m by your Holy Spirit to always be open to the scrutiny of others so as to keep me humble and faithful to my calling.  Help me to not think that I can rise up and offer a better way, but help me to follow your way.

Amen

the pleasing odor

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22 Psalm 116:12-15, 18-19 Mark 8:22-26

Genesis 8:21  And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.

This is a very complex situation here.  God has just destroyed all living things except those on the Ark.  He wasn't happy with man and he wasn't happy about what he had to do.  But, the first thing Noah did after he got off of the Ark was to build an alter and offer his thanks to God with he animals that God had provided. 

This giving of thanks was a sweet odor to God.  Not thanks for destroying every living thing, but thanks for their own salvation and respect for God as creator of all things.  It is the realization of these things that seems to please God.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to at all time and in all circumstances see clearly to give you thanks for all you are and all you do.

Amen

every living thing

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10 Psalm 29: 1-4, 3, 9-10 Mark 8:14-21

Genesis 7:4  For in seven days I will send rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground."

This has to cause us to pause a bit.  God rightly is displeased with man and I guess one could understand why he would be sorry he put them on the earth and why he would want to destroy them.  But why destroy "every living thing"?  When he created it he said that it was good, and we have no reason to think that the earth and all living things have displeased God.

I think that there are two things here to take away.  First, God is the creator and he can do what he wants.  I mention this a lot, but I think our sense of entitlement is one of our biggest stumbling blocks.  We are like spoiled kids.  We think that we have some right to life and all the blessings that God gives.  But the truth is, we have no rights, that are not God given.  It is his prerogative to do what he wants with the creation the he makes.

Second, God did keep a remnant.  He didn't actually destroy every living thing.  He chose Noah and his family and Noah chose the animals that came along according to God's command.  God, again, can choose to do what he wants with his creation.  He chose to save it.  Not all of it, but the ones that he chose.

As Christians we are often faced with he question can a non-Christian be saved?  Well, can a Christian be saved?  God chooses who is saved and who is not.  That may seem unfair to us, but we are the creation, not the creator.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to follow you, believe in you, trust in you, and honor you.  Help me to realize that I am your creation and you are not my creation.

Amen

What right have you

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 4:1-15, 25 Psalm 50:1, 8, 16-17, 20-21 Mark 8:11-13

Psalm 50:16  But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?

This is a question that we face all the time, in families as parents, at work as employers, in our country as a government; must people earn the right to enjoy privileges or are these rights that they are entitled to?

Our readings today tend to suggest that we do to some extent earn the "right" to seek God's favor.  That doesn't mean that we necessarily are guaranteed the blessing, but we have the right to approach God.  In this passage God rebukes those for reciting his statutes and taking his covenant.  One could liken that to today where people come to church and act as though they are faithful, and even partake in the sacraments, but have not repented of their sin, nor have they honestly sought God's mercy.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to truly seek you mercy and grace and to truly strive to obey your words and honor your covenant.

Amen

knowing good and evil

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 3:1-8 Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7 Mark 7:31-37

Genesis 3:5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Knowledge is power, so they say. To know someone or something gives you a certain amount of influence and control over that person or thing. It gives you the ability to judge or discern.
The knowledge of good and evil isn't simply an awareness of good and evil, it is the ability, or presumed ability, to judge what is good and what is evil. This is what people try to do all the time.
In today's culture, as in all cultures historically, people have attempted to make themselves wiser than God. This comes from both the non-religious and religious communities.
True wisdom comes when we realize how little we know and how little power we really have. We al to often get puffed up over very little successes.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always know that you are God and I am not. Help me to seek your wisdom and not my own.

Amen

even the dogs

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 2:18-25 Psalm 128:1-5 Mark 7:24-30

Mark 7:28 But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

Jesus honors the humility of the woman's saying. She doesn't argue with him about her rights, she simply states the facts about her position. She understands who she is and who Jesus is.
In our modern culture it is commonplace to demand our rights. We think that we are entitled to something that someone else has. This sounds like breaking one of the commandments to me.
That doesn't mean that we shouldn't ask God for his mercy and that we shouldn't be persistent. She did and was. But she didn't presume some right that the God of the universe had not given her.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to know my place and to not be afraid to come to you with humility seeking your mercy and grace.

Amen

are you also without understanding

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17 Psalm 104:1-2, 27-30 Mark 7:14-23

Mark 7:18  And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him,

Even today this is still a problem for us.  We look at what we do on the outside and not what we are on the inside.  This can be seen clearly in church denominationalism,  We argue about what traditions we must honor and which ones we should not, but we are blind to our own motives of pride, fear, and jealousy.  We must first remove the plan from our own eye to see clearly what is going on elsewhere.

A simple example could be is driving a car I hit someone and kill them.  Was it purely and accident that could not be avoided?  Was I negligent, speeding perhaps? Was I drunk?  Was I spontaneously enraged because someone had the nerve to step in front of me?  Or was I intentionally trying to hit that person?  No matter the reason the person is dead, but the punishment will depend on why I hit them.  The motive.  It is what comes from inside that makes the difference, that defiles a man.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always check my motives and that they may be pure and with intent to glorify you.

Amen

given him dominion

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 1:20 - 2:4 Psalm 8:4-9 Mark 7:1-13

Psalm 8:6  Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet,

This is one that we have to fight continually today.  There are many that will not recognize that man is not equal with the animals.  God has set us apart and given us dominion over all other living things on this earth.  This brings with it great responsibility, but we can't manage that responsibility if we don't take our proper position as the stewards of God's creation.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always be respectful of your creation while at the same time giving honor to you through living as you have called me to do.

Amen

the fringe of his garment

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 1:1-19 Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 24, 35 Mark 6:53-56

Mark 6:56  And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

We tend to shun stuff that smacks of the supernatural in Christian circles these days.  We either doubt that they happen or we think they are works of the devil.  But, the people of Jesus' day thought that if they could even touch the hem of his garment they could be miraculously healed.  And they were!

Yes, that is the amazing thing, they were actually healed when they merely toughed his hem.  This happen in another famous Bible story when the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus.

We need to believe more in the supernatural, we need to believe that Jesus can actually heal our bodies as well as our minds.  If we don't believe this how can we believe that God made all creation out of nothing.  And how will we live eternally, supernaturally, with Jesus if we don't believe in the supernatural?

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to truly believe in the miracle power of you name and of your touch.  Let me say that through your grace my faith has made me well.

Amen

adulterous

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Hebrews 13:1-8 Psalm 27:1, 3, 5, 8-9 Mark 6:14-29

Hebrews 13:4  Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous.

This is one that in today's culture has slipped a bit.  We don't hold marriage in honor the way that God wants us to any more.  It has become a matter of convenience.  It is easy to get out of and many who enter into it have no understanding or intention of keeping an oath.  But that is what today's readings are about; keeping an oath.

We tend to want to leave ourselves open to things in case a better situation comes along.  We tend not to commit to anything where we feel we will be locked in.  But that is exactly what Christ calls us to do and even demands it of us.  We must be willing to commit with no reservation, no looking back, no escape clause.  We must be willing to do whatever he asks us to do.

That is what is before us, and this, in a culture that values the opposite.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to be willing to give you everything, to be totally committed to you and to not hold back what I value from you.

Amen

men should repent

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Hebrews 12:18-19, 21-24 Psalm 48:2-4, 9-11 Mark 6:7-13

Mark 6:12  So they went out and preached that men should repent.

This isn't the message we tend to hear today.  Today they are sent out to tell people that they are alright the way they are, that God accepts them the way they are.  Unfortunately this is a deadly lie.  God accepts only his son Jesus Christ.  We are accepted through him and we are with him when we act righteously, that is when we repent of our sin, not condone it.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to truly repent of my sin, to want to be with you with all my heart and to put you above all else.

Amen

in his own house

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15 Psalm 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18 Mark 6:1-6

Mark 6:4  And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house."

We always love to hear a preacher talk about sinners and how "they" need to repent and come to Jesus.  We love to hear politicians that claim we will have unity, as soon as the others believe like we do.  Basically the message is great as long as it is about the others and not about us.  But, when we find out that it is about us, well, then throw the bum out.  We don't want to hear someone telling us how bad and needy we are.

But it is in the realization of our own sin and needs that we can even begin to come to Christ.  It is when we decide to repent ourselves, and when we are willing to endure discipline that we can truly begin to know Jesus.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to embrace your instruction and accept your discipline in the knowledge that you are doing it in love and that I will be better off because of it.

Amen

Do not fear, only believe

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Hebrews 12:1-4 Psalm 22:26-28, 30-32 Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:36  But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."

Jesus ignored the basic human knowledge that the girl was dead.  This wasn't just a case of naysayers.  She was dead.  But, Jesus ignored the facts.  He said "Do not fear, only believe".  

We are very easily stopped in our tracks by the "facts".  Jesus says that the facts aren't the last word in the matter, but he is.  If what we need is God's grace, then we must always have hope.  Hope in righteousness never fails because God is greater than all.

Father help me by your Holy Spirit to never fail in my faith, but to believe in your loving mercy and grace no matter what facts would prevent me.

Amen

as in the days of old

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel:

Malachi 3:1-4 Psalm 24:7-10 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32

Malachi 3:4  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

It is tempting to want to start over with something new when things go wrong.  This time God has chosen to reconcile that which has gone a stray.  God doesn't create bad stuff.  What God has done is good.  We don't need to create something new.  We need to go back to what God has always wanted for us and from us.

Jesus is not a new God.  He is the same God with a new covenant.  But the goal is the same, that we be in harmony with God.  This is not new.  That means that we have it within us to be pleasing ot God.  The idea that we must do a new thing avoids the problem; us.  We hav egone a stray.  It isn't God's creation that has failed.  We need to come back to what God wants.  Then our offering will be pleasing.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to realize that your creation is not flawed, but I have strayed.  Help me so see clearly to come back to what you want me to be.

Amen