And so begins the season of ordinary time or Sundays in Pentecost which began with Trinity Sunday last week. It is a period of instruction and meditation that extends until Christ the King Sunday next November. We have moved from John back to the concise texts in Mark for our Gospel and to II Corinthians for our Epistles. Jesus has selected his Apostles and has started upon his ministry of teaching and healing. Just as we are entering a season of learning so the Apostles are being prepared for the ministry before them.
For our first day of classes we tackle no less a topic than sin.
Gen 3:10 The man answered, "I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid!"
Gen 3:11 "How did you know you were naked?" God asked.
The Genesis Myth purports to explain so-called original sin and blames the original temptation on 'The Snake' to explain what seems to be our instinctual antipathy to these creatures. What is important here is not how sin came into the world but the effect of this loss of innocence. Man felt naked before God and hid, as if that were possible, and not only did not confess his transgressions but blamed them on his wife. From the beginning sin brought guilt that separated man from his God and since this is the Old Testament punishment follows and it is dire.
Psalm 130 is a lamentation for the sinful nature of mankind:
Psa 130:3 If you kept record of our sins, no one could last long.
Psa 130:4 But you forgive us, and so we will worship you.
God's forgiveness restores our bond with the Creator.
The Epistle speaks of our physical being which is subject to transgression and our spiritual being which is eternal and resides with God.
And so to our Gospel where Jesus touches base with home bringing his followers with him. As word of this miracle worker who could heal the sick and cast out demons spread people flocked to him creating a circus-like atmosphere. A prophet being famous everywhere but in his home town Jesus' own family sought to rescue him from himself hence the response:
Mar 3:35 Anyone who obeys God is my brother or sister or mother."
Temple authorities attempted to discredit him.
Mar 3:28 I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are.
In contradiction the verse following introduces the concept of blasphemy or unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit which opens up an entirely different can of worms. If we reject our own souls, the spirit of god within us, are we eternally separated from the God? The church once thought so refusing to bury suicides on holy ground.
Jesus brought forgiveness of sin and as the presence of God on earth embodied that forgiveness. Our acceptance of the Holy Spirit's gift of belief in the Kingdom of God which cannot be seen grants us life eternal and oneness with God. Rejecting that gift separates us from God. We can only be made right with God if we accept the Holy Spirit's gift of forgiveness. We cannot be forgiven if we believe ourselves unforgivable. We have to forgive ourselves before we can believe in God's forgiveness.
We cannot escape our sinful natures but we can repent and with contrite hearts seek God's forgiveness and rejoice in the God of our salvation.
Forgive my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me. After Mat_6:12
For our first day of classes we tackle no less a topic than sin.
Gen 3:10 The man answered, "I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid!"
Gen 3:11 "How did you know you were naked?" God asked.
The Genesis Myth purports to explain so-called original sin and blames the original temptation on 'The Snake' to explain what seems to be our instinctual antipathy to these creatures. What is important here is not how sin came into the world but the effect of this loss of innocence. Man felt naked before God and hid, as if that were possible, and not only did not confess his transgressions but blamed them on his wife. From the beginning sin brought guilt that separated man from his God and since this is the Old Testament punishment follows and it is dire.
Psalm 130 is a lamentation for the sinful nature of mankind:
Psa 130:3 If you kept record of our sins, no one could last long.
Psa 130:4 But you forgive us, and so we will worship you.
God's forgiveness restores our bond with the Creator.
The Epistle speaks of our physical being which is subject to transgression and our spiritual being which is eternal and resides with God.
And so to our Gospel where Jesus touches base with home bringing his followers with him. As word of this miracle worker who could heal the sick and cast out demons spread people flocked to him creating a circus-like atmosphere. A prophet being famous everywhere but in his home town Jesus' own family sought to rescue him from himself hence the response:
Mar 3:35 Anyone who obeys God is my brother or sister or mother."
Temple authorities attempted to discredit him.
Mar 3:28 I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are.
In contradiction the verse following introduces the concept of blasphemy or unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit which opens up an entirely different can of worms. If we reject our own souls, the spirit of god within us, are we eternally separated from the God? The church once thought so refusing to bury suicides on holy ground.
Jesus brought forgiveness of sin and as the presence of God on earth embodied that forgiveness. Our acceptance of the Holy Spirit's gift of belief in the Kingdom of God which cannot be seen grants us life eternal and oneness with God. Rejecting that gift separates us from God. We can only be made right with God if we accept the Holy Spirit's gift of forgiveness. We cannot be forgiven if we believe ourselves unforgivable. We have to forgive ourselves before we can believe in God's forgiveness.
We cannot escape our sinful natures but we can repent and with contrite hearts seek God's forgiveness and rejoice in the God of our salvation.
Forgive my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me. After Mat_6:12
No comments:
Post a Comment