Pastor’s notes, August 2021 A quick review of Christian growth (continued) .
Last month’s Pastor’s notes started this series that highlights the theme of Christian growth as seen through the Gospel of St. Mark. These are the Gospels we have in this church year.
We started with taking responsibility and not blaming others. That is the cost of having free will. No one makes you sin.
The next Sunday was a bit tricky. It dealt with God doing the impossible and making things grow. How does faith grow? The Gospel pointed that each person grows differently because we are all unique. We can share our faith (and that helps up grow) but we are not to require others to have our same experiences (even if the experience was wonderful).
The next Sunday was Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. How God takes a very small seed and turns it into the greatest of all SHRUBS. I always heard sermons about how it becomes a mighty tree, but Jesus says, “shrub.” What is the big deal? I suspect it is the following. Do you want great faith so you can be dramatically great? If so, your spiritual growth will suffer. You may not end up doing what God wants. In Jesus’ parable it says that birds of all sorts can make their nests in its branches.
Then it occurred to me; Christian growth usually results in us helping others (the other birds in our lives, i.e. neighbors, children, co-workers). Christian growth and commitment ends up lifting up the souls, lives and faith in others. And that won’t happen if our goal is to be world famous (a mighty tree). We are to grow into big shrubs that bless the world.
The Sunday after that was about faith. This is a very important issue with respect to our Christian growth. The way it is presented in Mark is through an episode where Jesus is involved with healing. Now all of us need some sort of healing; be it emotional, physical, spiritual, relational or other. In the Gospel a woman had internal bleeding for 12 years. No doctor could help. But she hears of Jesus and says to herself, “If I could touch the hem of his cloak, I will be healed.” She does, she is healed. Jesus tells her that she is healed and great was her faith. So, what are we to think? Usually, people think that it is their faith that heals them. In this story Jesus was on his way to heal a very ill little girl. She dies before Jesus gets there. Yet Jesus raises the girl from the dead.
But wait, if faith is what heals, then how can the girl be healed? She had no faith. She was DEAD. Do you see the problem? If you think your faith is the key, that you are healed or not healed based upon your faith, you might miss the bigger picture.
It is not your faith that makes miracle happen. It is God who makes miracles happen. God uses your faith. Just like the mustard seed from the week before; it is God working that is the key. Instead of people focusing on their faith, they should focus on God.
Keep growing my beloved.
Pastor Littke
Last month’s Pastor’s notes started this series that highlights the theme of Christian growth as seen through the Gospel of St. Mark. These are the Gospels we have in this church year.
We started with taking responsibility and not blaming others. That is the cost of having free will. No one makes you sin.
The next Sunday was a bit tricky. It dealt with God doing the impossible and making things grow. How does faith grow? The Gospel pointed that each person grows differently because we are all unique. We can share our faith (and that helps up grow) but we are not to require others to have our same experiences (even if the experience was wonderful).
The next Sunday was Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed. How God takes a very small seed and turns it into the greatest of all SHRUBS. I always heard sermons about how it becomes a mighty tree, but Jesus says, “shrub.” What is the big deal? I suspect it is the following. Do you want great faith so you can be dramatically great? If so, your spiritual growth will suffer. You may not end up doing what God wants. In Jesus’ parable it says that birds of all sorts can make their nests in its branches.
Then it occurred to me; Christian growth usually results in us helping others (the other birds in our lives, i.e. neighbors, children, co-workers). Christian growth and commitment ends up lifting up the souls, lives and faith in others. And that won’t happen if our goal is to be world famous (a mighty tree). We are to grow into big shrubs that bless the world.
The Sunday after that was about faith. This is a very important issue with respect to our Christian growth. The way it is presented in Mark is through an episode where Jesus is involved with healing. Now all of us need some sort of healing; be it emotional, physical, spiritual, relational or other. In the Gospel a woman had internal bleeding for 12 years. No doctor could help. But she hears of Jesus and says to herself, “If I could touch the hem of his cloak, I will be healed.” She does, she is healed. Jesus tells her that she is healed and great was her faith. So, what are we to think? Usually, people think that it is their faith that heals them. In this story Jesus was on his way to heal a very ill little girl. She dies before Jesus gets there. Yet Jesus raises the girl from the dead.
But wait, if faith is what heals, then how can the girl be healed? She had no faith. She was DEAD. Do you see the problem? If you think your faith is the key, that you are healed or not healed based upon your faith, you might miss the bigger picture.
It is not your faith that makes miracle happen. It is God who makes miracles happen. God uses your faith. Just like the mustard seed from the week before; it is God working that is the key. Instead of people focusing on their faith, they should focus on God.
Keep growing my beloved.
Pastor Littke