Personal Study

Bible in a Year: Day 6

The Reading

  • Luke 8:1-25
  • Genesis 12:1-20
  • Psalms 6:1-10

Standout Passages

“No one lights a lamp and covers it with a bowl or puts it under a bed. Instead, it is put on the lamp stand, so that people will see the light as they come in.” Luke 8:16

I will bless those who bless you,
But I will curse those who curse you.
And through you I will bless all the nations. Genesis 12:3

I am worn out with grief;
every night my bed is damp from my weaping;
My pillow is soaked with tears. Psalms 6:6

 Reading Reflections

I think I ended up oddly focused in on grief, blessing and light today based on the way Holy Week has left me wrung out and needing rest. Holy week has been long this year, and trying as I devoted myself more throughly than ever in the past, while still working to keep up with my Graphic Designer work.

At least I’m no longer in school and free to do such as I please (unlike the slaves that Abraham took amongst his wealth away from him homeland). Is it just me, or are some of the stories of the old testament a bit… Abrupt?

And the early psalms… A bit, violence and vengeance filled?

Sermon for 31 March 2013

Readings

  • Acts 10:34-43
  • 1 Corinthians 15:19-26
  • Luke 24:1-12

Notable Verses

“But God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,” Acts 10:40

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:26

The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Luke 24:5

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened. Luke 24:12

Kitsu’s Thoughts

“He is not here, but has risen” are the words on the front of bulletin, and they have been much repeated today. I’ll admit, I’ve been looking forward to the race with Peter to the tomb, to the end of darkness and the glory of the resurrection.

Finally. We are here.

And today is a new day. And the start of a new life. I ended up finally giving in to the urges of many people in my life and joining the choir. As Jesus is raised from the dead, as of today I’ll be raising my voice (despite its shortcomings) in glory.

Sermon for 2 September 2012

A Preface

I would like to open this, the first of my posts, with a few quick details for those reading this. First off, this is from a Lutheran Perspective. And not just any Lutheran, but the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America brand of Lutheran. I figure it’s only fair to warn people that I’m from the “Progressive” branch of this faith so that you don’t go into things expecting something I’m completely not.

Secondly, I would like to note that (while I’m not linking directly to it) I am using the Good News Translation of the Bible (sometimes called “Today’s English Version”) for all texts. As soon as I can manage, I’ll update the links so that they link to this version.

Readings

  • First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, Deuteronomy 4:6-9
  • Second Reading: James 1:17-27
  • Psalms 15:1-5
  • Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, Mark 7:14-15, Mark 7:21-23

Kitsu’s Thinking

I can’t help but think that today was an incredible Lutheran set of passages. There are layers of cautions about putting scripture before tradition, and worshiping the Lord rather than the traditions to which we have become accustomed.

The Pastor’s sermon had an emphasis on the place of tradition within the church, and the idea that tradition, in both life and religion, should serve a purpose. That is to say, avoid tradition for tradition’s sake, keep those that still hold true to the heart of the matter instead of simply binding yourself to a tradition without thought to why that tradition is or is not significant.

Now, stepping away from the sermon itself a bit, There are a few lines of the scripture that jumped out at me today. The first is James 1:26. It reads “Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself.” and the second is Mark 7:21-22 which reads “For from the inside, from your heart, come the evil ideas which lead you to do immoral things, to rob, kill, commit adultery, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealousy, slander, pride, and folly“. It seems like a great deal of the emphansis in the passages read is also towards the fact that we are the source of our own downfalls… That we are the greatest danger to ourselves…

The state of this planet seems to support that! To me, it says that we should all work harder to be better people, to take better care of one another. To be better to the very root of our souls. On the cover of today’s bulletin are the words “Be the doers of the world” (James 1:22).

Better advice for life cannot be had.