Lent 2 (year B)- Mark 8:27-38

 The Gospel for this Sunday is from Mark 8: 27-38. In this passage, our Lord asks His disciples who they believe He is. In response to Jesus’ question, Simon Peter speaks out and makes his famous confession about Jesus. He boldly affirms that Jesus is the Messiah or Christ, God’s anointed Redeemer. Peter is correct about Jesus' identity, but our Lord immediately responds to Peter’s profession by redirecting the tone. He tries to lead His followers to understand His true mission. Jesus warns them against telling everyone who He is until His work is complete. Mark 8:31 says, “And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (ESV).

So in response to being confessed as the Messiah or Christ, Jesus predicts His rejection, suffering, and death. Such realities are not what Peter and the others wanted to hear. Nevertheless, suffering, death, and resurrection are basic to who Jesus is and what He does. As Jesus' followers, we must accept His words about these matters. Despite popular misconceptions about Christ and His Church in the first century or now, we must recognize the necessity and the centrality of His cross. 

After speaking about His cross, Jesus goes a step further. In Mark 8:34, He says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”  (ESV). In other words, Christ’s disciples must also follow His suffering example. They too must take up their crosses. Peter and the others did not want to hear or accept that part of the message. They learned it slowly. They had to go through Calvary, forty days of resurrection experiences, and the grace of Pentecost before the full meaning of the way of the cross finally sank in.

Our Lord is still telling us that the whole Christian life is meant to be one of self-denial, a taking up of the cross. The first disciples did not want to hear that, and very often, Christians still try to avoid this reality. Of course, there is joy in the Christian life, but there are also sacrifices and sorrows. There are Christian times of feasting, but there are also times of fasting. As followers of Christ, we have to keep learning the way of the cross throughout this life. Lent is a time for us to remember and relearn this basic point of Christ's message.

Lent 1 (year B)- Mark 1: 9-15

 What is Lent? Lent is the Anglo-Saxon name for a period of special preparation leading up to the commemoration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The length and the specific practices have varied according to place, time, and ecclesial jurisdiction. Among churches influenced by Western or Roman usage, the season lasts 46 days or 40 days not counting Sundays. Sunday or the Lord's Day has not been considered an ordinary day of Lent because even in somber seasons, Sunday is a commemoration of Christ's Resurrection

There are various references in the Bible to forty, including the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness, the forty days Elijah fasted as he journeyed to Sinai (I Kings 19:8), and especially the forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness (St. Mark 1:12-15). Christians have found Lent useful because there is a human tendency to forget about the biblical disciplines of prayer and fasting if there is not a time of emphasis such as Lent. 

On the First Sunday in Lent, it is appropriate for us to recall the biblical basis for this season of fasting, repentance, prayer, and special devotion. Lent is rooted in what Jesus did at the beginning of His public ministry. As the Gospel for the day from St. Mark 1: 9-15 shows, Jesus set aside a special time for prayer and fasting to consider His Father's will. This period included temptation, but by rejecting the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, the true nature of Christ's vocation became clear. Through His obedience, He was the perfect mediator between His heavenly Father and fallen humanity. In our limited human ways, we can all use the days of Lent to accept Christ's grace and to follow Christ's example. We can be more open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and draw closer to our heavenly Father and His calling in our lives.

Ash Wednesday, the Beginning of Lent

Over the centuries, Western Christians slowly moved from observing the Three Days from Good Friday to Easter Sunday to the 46 days of Lent that begins on Ash Wednesday (including the six Sundays). The purpose of Lent is to encourage spiritual preparations for observing Christ's death and resurrection. Themes include repentance, thinking of Christ's mission, self-sacrifice, and suffering, and meditation on ways that Christians follow and join with their Lord. Ash Wednesday seems to have started as a local observance in some parts of Western Europe and eventually to have become more universal. 

By the late Middle Ages, observances had been encoded in church and secular law with punishments for those who transgressed the rules. At the time of the sixteenth-century Reformation, Luther and his followers took a moderate approach to Lent. Some medieval practices were eliminated, but Lutherans preserved and re-focused the traditional season of Lent. They emphasized the centrality of Christ's Passion and the need for believers to respond by repentance and living faith.

If used carefully, a variety of Lenten devotional practices can be helpful reminders of themes from Scripture; if over-emphasized, specific practices may become stumbling blocks to faith in Christ. So as we begin Lent, let us seek to be more penitent and disciplined, but let us also stay focused on Christ's work of redemption and His saving grace.

Last Sunday after Epiphany - the Transfiguration (year B)- Mark 9: 2-9

The Gospel for this Sunday is from Mark 9: 2-9, and it recounts an important and mysterious event from Christ's ministry, the Transfiguration. This is one of the most distinctive and dramatic epiphanies or manifestations of Jesus' divinity. In the account, our Lord takes Peter, John, and James up onto a mountain where He has a shining appearance during prayer. Moses and Elijah appear and converse with Jesus, and a divine voice proclaims, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him" (Mark 9:7 ESV).

The observance of this event goes back to the fourth century in the Eastern Church;  it spread slowly in the Western Church. Shortly before the Reformation, the Western Church began to observe it as a universal feast on August 6. In liturgical reforms of the Reformation, the Feast of the Transfiguration was removed from some calendars. Among some Lutherans, however, the Transfiguration was observed on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany. This practice seems to be a new contribution to the Church calendar, begun in the sixteenth century by reformers Johannes Bugenhagen and Viet Dietrich. They viewed the Transfiguration as an epiphany or a manifestation of Christ's glorious identity, somewhat similar to the coming of the Magi and Christ's Baptism. This reformation liturgical tradition resurfaced in recent ecumenical lectionaries. Since the 1970s, a Transfiguration gospel has been used on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany (or the Last Sunday before Lent). 

Commemorating Christ's Transfiguration seems to be both a biblically based and reasonable way to conclude the Epiphany season. The Transfiguration can be viewed as a fitting climax for the first part of Christ's ministry,  It is also an appropriate reminder of our Lord's glory before we enter into Lenten reflections about His journey toward the cross. The Law and the Prophets witness to Christ, but He is far more glorious. Jesus Christ manifests the divine nature, Let us think of His glory and listen to Him!

The Solas- John 14:6, Romans 16:27; I Peter 1:25; Ephesians 2:8, Romans 3:28

Sometimes, we may imagine that summarizing Reformation principles in a list of three to five slogans containing Latin words for "only" (solus, solo, soli, or sola) is a custom from the sixteenth century. While Martin Luther and other Reformers did use the word "only" in some doctrinal discussions, the use of these specific slogans as a summary is much later. It seems that the first person to summarize the Reformation using sola expressions was Theodore Engelder (1865-1949), an American confessional Lutheran professor. In an article in 1916, he summarized the Reformation by three expressions or slogans: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. Many Protestants found these memorable expressions to be convenient summaries of their doctrinal emphases, and later, Reformed writers added two other expressions to their list: solus Christus and soli Deo gloria. 

These last two expressions are ancient and should be affirmed by any believing Christian. Solus Christus, or "only Christ" affirms that Jesus Christ is the only Savior, the unique Mediator between God and humanity. As John 14:6 teaches, Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." Our salvation depends on God incarnate in Jesus Christ.

Soli Deo gloria, "to God alone be glory," is a theme throughout Scripture. We see divine glory emphasized in Romans 16:27, "To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever." A notable application to Christian life is in I Corinthians 10:31, "whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Divine glory is the source and the goal of creation and redemption. This divine glory is incarnate in Jesus Christ, and it should be honored and reflected in the lives of believers.

While recognizing the truth of these two "solas," the original list of three short Latin expressions is a more characteristic summary of the Lutheran Reformation. So let us briefly look at the meanings of the original three solas.

Sola Scriptura, "only Scripture," means that the ultimate authority for Christian belief and practice is the Bible. This belief is supported by numerous Scripture verses, and it is frequently expressed in Christian history. One important Scripture citation is II Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Another key verse is I Peter 1:25, which says, "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

This principle does not mean that Lutherans are uninformed Biblicists. Luther and other reformers recognize the usefulness of secondary sources. Human language, history, reason, and church tradition have a place in Scripture interpretation, doctrinal discussion, and Christian living. There is also room for disagreement on some minor details of Biblical interpretation. However, Scripture is our supreme and infallible guide. It is generally clear and the basic norm for all Christian believers.

Sola gratia, "only grace," means that sinful human beings can only be saved by divine grace. Grace is the loving redemptive power of God at work through the Holy Spirit. God always has the initiative. Grace is taught and illustrated throughout Scripture; a key verse is Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."  This verse is affirmed by the Augsburg Confession, XX, par. 10, "Whoever, therefore, trusts that by works he merits grace, despises the merit and grace of Christ, and seeks a way to God without Christ, by human strength...."

Grace or graciousness is not merely God's help; it is the divine characteristic that saves sinful human beings. Grace is the merciful divine disposition and power reaching out to those who do not merit any consideration or mercy. It is divine love at work, forgiving, constantly converting, and strengthening sinners. It is a gift for those who are unprofitable servants (see Luke 17:10).

Sola fide, "only faith," means that faith is the one basic aspect of a sound relationship with almighty God. Faith has content centered on the saving work of Jesus Christ, but living faith inspired by the grace of God through the Holy Spirit is primarily an attitude of confidence or trust in God and His forgiveness and redemption. Human beings can only be accepted, set right, or justified before God by such faith. 

Numerous passages of Scripture affirm the necessity of faith. Notable verses include Christ's words in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The Apostle Paul asserts the centrality of faith in Romans 3:28, "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Similar affirmations are found in Romans 5:1 and Galatians 2:16.

Luther and other sixteenth-century reformers renewed Scriptural teaching about the nature of faith and justification, and this teaching lies at the heart of the Reformation. Faith as trust in the divine work in the person of Jesus Christ is central to the preaching and writing of all the Reformers, and numerous Evangelical confessions affirm sola fide. For example, Article IV of the Augsburg Confession states that Lutherans "teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins."

So the principle of justification by faith in Jesus Christ alone is at the heart of the Gospel. It distinguishes true Christianity from all human religious systems. It also gives all other Christian beliefs their true context. Sola fide is the sola to which the other solas should lead. Although Scripture stands on its own merit, and although divine grace comes before faith and continues throughout life, justifying faith is the basic and essential connection of the believer with Christ.

[Scripture citations are from the KJV.  Citations from the Augsburg Confession are from the online source- https://bookofconcord.org/ ]

Epiphany 5 (year B)- Mark 1: 29-39

 Today's Gospel, Mark 1:29-39, continues the series of readings from Mark about the early months of Christ's ministry. Jesus preaches and heals throughout Galilee. We see His message and spiritual power. In today's selection, we see three notable characteristics of His ministry: prayer, preaching, and healing.

Jesus prays publicly and privately and encourages others to pray as well. He preaches the message of the kingdom of heaven. He calls people to repentance and to faith in the good news of forgiveness. He also applies His preaching by bringing many people healing from physical, moral, and spiritual afflictions.

These three characteristics of Christ's ministry still apply to Christians in two respects. First, they apply to us as recipients of His continuing ministry in Word and Sacrament. We still benefit from His prayer, preaching, and healing. Secondly, these characteristics of Christ's ministry also apply to Christians as people who are called to share in Christ's ministry. We pray for others and call them to prayer. By word and action, we call others to repentance and to faith in the Gospel. And by using our finite gifts and opportunities, we share Christ's healing for bodies, minds, and souls.