10th Sunday - B; Evil to be Conquered (2024)

Synopsis of OT X (June 9) homily on Gen 3. 9:15; II Cor4:13--5:1; Mk 3:20-35

Introduction: The readings for today, the TenthSunday [B] in Ordinary Time, give the name “sin” to our offenses against God.When we sin -- violate God’s Commandments -- we distance ourselves from Him;when we refuse, or fear, to admit our sins, we deny ourselves God’s freelyoffered pardon and forgiveness.

Scripture lessons: In describing Adam and Eve’s firstsin, disobedience, our first reading, taken from Genesis, explains thebeginning of evil in the world with its destructive results. The lovingrelationship joining man to God is destroyed, and the relationship of mutuallove between Adam and Eve is weakened. Their default to a “blame game” allowedeach to avoid taking personal responsibility for their joint choice. In thesecond reading, Paul declares to the Corinthians that the many adversities ofhis missionary work were God’s plan for his spiritual growth; his sufferings,offered with Jesus for the Salvation of the world, would result a gloriousreward for him and for all believers who did the same. Today’s Gospel passagereveals how Jesus himself was misunderstood by his own relatives and wascriticized, slandered and rejected by the Sanhedrin-led scribes and Pharisees.His sufferings for us give us courage and his offer of healing, strength andforgiveness, so that we can do as he did when we face unfair treatment andcriticism in our lives.

Life messages: 1) Today’s Scriptures challenge us to facerejection with prophetic courage and optimism. Very often our friends,families, or childhood companions fail to listen tous and refuse toaccept the words of grace, love and encouragement that we offer to them becausethey are too familiar with us. But we have to face such rejection withprophetic courage because by our Baptism we are called to be prophets likeJesus, sharing his prophetic mission.As prophets, our task is to speakthe truth and oppose the evils in our society without condoning or encouragingsinful behavior even in our dear ones.

2) We need to have the courage of our convictions: Modern“liberal-minded” people may find genuine Christians’ belief in and practice ofChrist’s ideas and ideals crazy too. Hence, what is needed in a Christian isthe courage of his or her convictions based on the authority of Jesus as Godand the truth of his doctrines.

3) We need to live as members of God’s family:Let us remember that by Baptism we become the children of God, brothersand sisters of Jesus and members of the Heavenly family of the Triune God.Hence, let us observe our obligations of treating others with love and respectand of sharing our love with them in corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Weare also His disciples, and so are obliged to be hearers as well as doers ofthe word of God.Let us keep our souls daily cleansed and filled with theSpirit of God, leaving no space for the evil spirit to enter our souls.

OT X (B) June 10, 2018- Gen 3. 9:15; II Cor 4:13--5:1; Mk3:20-35 (L/18)

Introduction: The readings for today, theTenth Sunday [B] in Ordinary Time, give the name “sin” to our offenses againstGod. When we sin -- violate His Commandments -- we distance ourselves from Him;when we refuse, or fear, to admit our sins, we deny ourselves God’s freelyoffered pardon and forgiveness. In describing Adam and Eve’s first sin,disobedience, our first reading, taken from Genesis, explains the beginning ofevil in the world with its destructive results. The loving relationship joiningman to God is destroyed, and the relationship of mutual love between Adam andEve is weakened. Their default to a “blame game” allowed each to avoid takingpersonal responsibility for their joint choice. In the second reading, Pauldeclares to the Corinthians that the many adversities of his missionary workwere God’s plan for his spiritual growth; his sufferings, offered with Jesusfor the Salvation of the world, would result a glorious reward for him and forall believers who did the same. Today’s Gospel passage reveals how Jesushimself was misunderstood by his own relatives and was criticized, slanderedand rejected by the Sanhedrin-led scribes and Pharisees. His sufferings for usgive us courage and his offer of healing, strength and forgiveness, so that wecan do as he did when we face unfair treatment and criticism in our lives.

Anecdotes: 1) “What’s in a name? and “WhateverBecame of Sin?” Among William Shakespeare’s prolific contributionsto English literature, there are literally thousands of memorable lines thatcontinue to be quoted because of their eloquence and timeless significance. Oneof these is the famous line, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,by any other name would smell as sweet” (Romeo and Juliet, act 2,sc.2, l.43). I would paraphrase it, what’s in a name? That which we callsin, by any other name would still be sin! There appears to be a tendencyin contemporary society to disregard or minimize sin or to call it by anothername. Similarly, there is a tendency to ignore evil. The sense of shameregarding sin was renamed and the so-called “guilt complex” have become publicenemy number one. In today’s readings, Yahweh God in Genesis, St. Paul, andJesus call sin a sin. (Patricia Sanchez)

2) “Whatever Became of Sin? “In his study of thesubject, entitled, “Whatever Became of Sin? psychiatristKarl Menninger stated that although sin was once a strong word, which describedan ominous aspect of every human being’s life, life-plan and life-style, theword, along with the notion of sin has all but disappeared. The reality of sin,however, has not disappeared; it has simply been renamed. Sin may masqueradeunder several aliases, but it remains, nonetheless, what it is. For example,the sins of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, the sins of Vietnam, Bosnia and Rwandahave been hidden behind an acclaimed patriotism or other ideologies. Soldiers,who have systematically gang-raped and slaughtered helpless women have claimedjustification for their actions due to the exigencies of war and their “moralobligation” to obey their superiors. Other heinous sins have been dismissed byexcusing their perpetrators on ground of temporary insanity, or a troubledyouth, or emotional instability. Some sins have been paraded under the guise offreedom of choice, ignorance, and aggressive or self-destructive behavior.Menninger suggested that one of the reasons that sin is not recognized andnamed for what it is may be due to the fact that the major responsibility foridentifying and dealing with misbehavior has been taken over by the State. Muchof what is really sin is now called crime, and actions which areblatantly immoral, are now labeled illegal. Murder, robbery,treason, adultery and lying have become defined as criminal acts withprescribed punishments. Because of this shift in responsibility, theconsequences of sin have become depersonalized and the reality of sin as abreach in the relationship with God and with others has been overlooked. Thereadings for today’s liturgy invite the gathered assembly to take a hard lookat sin, to call it by name and to take back our responsibility for it.Similarly, we are challenged to look evil in the eye and, without blinking, ownit for the reality that it is.

3) Don’t allow rejection to derail your dreams:Brilliant British theologian G.K. Chesterton could not read until he was eightyears old. A teacher said if his head were opened they would probably find alump of fat where there was supposed to be a brain. That teacher was wrong.Einstein’s parents were informed by a teacher that he would never amount toanything. Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was rejectedby seven publishers. Richard Bach got twenty rejection slips before JonathanLivingston Seagull was published. Dr. Seuss, one of the most popularchildren’s authors of all time, got more than two dozen rejection slips before TheCat in the Hat made it to print. Ruth Graham felt an uncontrollable urge torun out of the meeting the first time she heard Billy Graham preach. She wasnot convinced of his preaching ability. She was put off by his preaching style.Billy had to improve his preaching before Ruth would become his wife. Today’sGospel tells us how Jesus encountered rejection with prophetic courage.

4) Preachers rejected: Ezekiel and Jesus. Ezekielwas called to be both priest and prophet to God’s people during the mostdevastating time in their history. Six short years after he beganpreaching to Israel in the year 593 B.C., the holy city of Jerusalem wascaptured and destroyed, and just about every last person in Israel was carriedoff in chains to exile in Babylon. What is worse, Ezekiel saw it comingand told people. He told them it was God's way of punishing themfor being so thick-skulled and hard-hearted (3.7). Predictably,they refused to listen. This was the good news according toEzekiel! This was the hand God asked this preacher to play! The chosenpeople didn't believe him, of course, even when theBabylonians started setting fire to their homes and hacking down the carvedpillars in their beautiful temple. They stubbornly denied the truthabout themselves the whole time they were being dragged off, kicking andscreaming to Babylon. And it was not until there, years later, with noTemple in which to offer sacrifice and no other sacred rituals permitted tothem, that they began meeting in Ezekiel's house (8.1), where thisbug-eyed prophet also learned how to become their priest. Softenedup by the experience of desolation they could no longer deny, they began,for the first time, to listen to this old friend who had never givenup on them and who reminded them of the God Who had no intention ofgiving up on them either. Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus, the realMessiah, was rejected by his relatives and slandered by the Sanhedrinobservers.

The first reading: Gen 3:9-15, explained: The Genesisaccount explains the causes of human shame and sin, asserts the sovereignty ofthe one God over all creation, and expresses the superiority of the worship ofthat God over rival religions. “Each of the three punishments given tothe snake, the woman, the man, has a double aspect, one affecting theindividual and the other affecting a basic relationship. The snake previouslystood upright, enjoyed a reputation for being shrewder than other creatures,and could converse with human beings as in vv.1–5. It must now move onits belly, is more cursed than any creature, and inspires revulsion in humanbeings (v.15).I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring andhers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at His heel. InChristian tradition, the snake was identified with the devil (Wis 2:24;Jn 8:44;Rev 12:9;20:2), whose eventualdefeat seemed implied in the verse. Because “the Son of God was revealed todestroy the works of the devil” (1Jn 3:8), thepassage was understood as the first promise of a redeemer for fallen humankind,the Protoevagelium. Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. A.D. 130–200), in hisAgainstHeresies5.21.1, followed by several other Fathers of the Church,interpreted the verse as referring to Christ, and citedGal 3:19and4:4to support thereference. Another interpretive translation isipsa, “she,” and isreflected in Jerome’s Vulgate. “She” was thought to refer to Mary, the motherof the messiah. In Christian art, Mary is sometimes depicted with herfoot on the head of the serpent.” (USCCB commentary). Historically, this haselements of an early explanation of the very common human fear of snakes.Theologically, it reminds us of the early rivalry between worshipers of Yahwehand worshipers of Baal. The cult of Baal included sacred prostitution as afertility rite, of which the serpent was an apt symbol. So, the shame that thecouple feels over having been deceived by the representative of Baal is acaution to Yahweh's faithful: “Don't mess with the religion of Baal or you willbe shamed.”

The second reading (II Cor 4. 13-5) explained: Inspite of the unfair criticism leveled against him and his gospel ministry bysome Corinthian Christians, Paul is optimistic about his future and that of hiscritics, waiting for “eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”When Paul left for other mission venues, the Corinthian community was soflourishing that it got rather wild, and Paul wrote his first letter to them tocorrect some abuses. He promised another visit but changed his plans. Thisearned him serious criticism and ridicule from some Corinthians, so his secondletter to them is somewhat defensive. He asserts his authority as an apostle(always in issue, given his late conversion), and seizes their criticism of hisinconsistency to write a magnificent salute to the fidelity of God. Likethe Psalmist, Paul clearly proclaims his Faith, affirming Life within himselfdespite death (2Cor4:10–11) andthe Life-giving effect of his experience upon the Church (2Cor 4:12,14–15). Paulimagines God presenting him and them to Jesus at the Parousia and the judgment.In a series of contrasts Paul explains the extent of his Faith in Life. Life isnot only already present and revealing itself (2Cor 4:8–11,16) but will outlasthis experience of affliction and dying: this Life is eternal (2Cor 4:17–18). Paul is stillspeaking of himself personally, but he assumes his Faith and attitude will beshared by all Christians. The renewal already taking place, even inPaul’s dying, is a share in the Life of Jesus, but this is recognized only byFaith (2Cor 4:13,18;2Cor 5:7). (USCCBcommentary).

Gospel exegesis: The context: Thewell-loved carpenter turned crazy preacher? Putting evil in its place andnaming sin for what it is, Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel, that sin andevil must be confronted whether it is in ourselves, our relatives, our friendsor our enemies. The first part of today’s Gospel tells us howJesus’ relatives and fellow-villagers wrongly judged him as out of his mind andconsequently tried to take him by force back to Nazareth to do his safe andsecure job as a good carpenter. That is why Jesus remarked, “A man's enemieswill be the members of his own household.” (Matthew 10:36). There were fourreasons why Jesus’ people thought he was mad and attempted to dissuade him fromhis preaching and healing mission. First, Jesus had abandoned his safe andsecure job as a much-needed village carpenter with steady income to become awandering preacher with no residence or steady income. Second, Jesus had chosena band of fishermen with no political or social influence, a hatedtax-collector and a fanatic zealot as his disciples. Third, Jesus had begun tocriticize the power lobby - the scribes and Pharisees - in the Jewish religiousheadquarters, Jerusalem, labeling them hypocrites. Jesus’ relatives mightreally have been afraid that Jesus would be arrested, and they would bepersecuted with him for criticizing those in power. Fourth, Jesus hadsilently claimed to be the long-awaited Messiah and had worked miracles tosupport his claim.

The Sanhedrin slander refuted: The second part oftoday’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ crushing reply to the slander propagated bythe observers sent from the Sanhedrin, that Jesus expelleddevils usingthe assistance of the leader of devils. Jesus refutes the false allegation raisedagainst him by the Sanhedrin scribes with three counter-arguments and awarning: 1) A house divided against itself will perish, and a country engagedin civil war will be ruined. Hence, Satan will not fight against Satan by helpingJesus to expel his coworkers. 2) If Jesus is collaborating with Satan toexorcise minor demons, then the Jewish exorcists are doing the same. 3) Jesusclaims that he is using the power of his Heavenly Father to evict devils justas a strong man guards a house and its possessions from the thief. 4) Finally,Jesus gives a crushing blow to his accusers, warning them that by tellingblatant lies they are blaspheming against the Holy Spirit and, hence, theirsins are unforgivable.

"Who are my mother and my brothers?" Thecontext: As Jesus became a strong critic of the Jewish religiousauthorities, his mother and cousins came to take him to Nazareth by force,perhaps because they feared that Jesus would be arrested and put to death. Today’s Gospel episode seems to suggest that Jesus ignored the requestof his mother and close relatives who had traveled a long distance to talk tohim. But everyone in the audience knew that Jesus loved his mother and hadtaken care of her for thirty years. Besides, Jesus’ plain answer, “Whoeverdoes the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother” was actually acompliment to his mother who had always listened to the word of God and obeyedit. Jesus was declaring, “Blessed are those who hear and keep the word of Godas she is faithfully doing" (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium,58). Jesus was also using the occasion to teach the congregation anew lesson about their relationship with God. Being a disciple of Jesus, or aChristian, is first and foremost a relationship – a relationship of love andunity with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and with all who belong to Godas His children. Jesus has changed the order of relationships and showsus here that true kinship is not just a matter of flesh and blood. God’sgracious gift to us is His adoption of us as His sons and daughters. Thisgift enables us to recognize all those who belong to Christ as our brothers andsisters. Our adoption as sons and daughters of God transforms all ourrelationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God and His kingdom.“Everyone who does the will of the Father, that is to say, who obeysHim, is a brother or sister of Christ, because he is like Him who fulfilled thewill of His Father. But he who not only obeys but converts others, begetsChrist in them, and thus becomes like the Mother of Christ" ("Commentaryon St. Matthew", 12:49-50.)

Did Jesus have brothers and sisters? Catholic Churchteaches that Jesus did not have blood brothers and sisters. The problem arisesbecause we read in Mark about the crowd asking, "Isn't this thecarpenter, the son of Mary, a brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?Aren't his sisters our neighbors here?" (Mk 6:3). A similar referenceoccurs earlier in Mk 3:31 — "His mother and brothers arrived...."At first hearing, the words seem to state that Jesus did indeed have bloodbrothers and sisters. But the Greek word adelphos, was used to describebrothers not born of the same parents, like a half-brother or step-brother. Theword also described other relationships like cousins, nephews, etc. Forexample, in Genesis 13:8 and 14:14-16, the word adelphos was used todescribe the relationship between Abraham and his nephew Lot and the relationbetween Laban and his nephew Jacob. In the Gospel, Mary of Clopas is called"the sister" of Mary, the Mother of Jesus where sister means only acousin. In Hebrew and Aramaic languages, no special word existed forcousin, nephew, half-brother, or step-brother. So, they used the word brotherin all these cases. The Greek translation of the Hebrew texts used the word adelphos.In addition, other Gospel passages clarify these relationships betweenJames, Joses, Judas, and Simon. James the Less and Joses were the sons ofMary the wife of Clopas (Mk 15:40, Jn 19:25), and James the Less was alsoidentified as "the son of Alphaeus" (Lk 6:15), a synonym of“Clopas." James the Greater and John were the sons of Zebedee with amother other than our Blessed Mother Mary (Mt 20:20ff). After the birth of ourLord, although the Gospels do not give us many details of Jesus’ childhood, nomention is made of Mary and Joseph ever having other children. Never does itrefer to the "sons of Mary" or "a son of Mary," but only theson of Mary. By this time, St. Joseph has died. Since Jesus, the first-born,had no "blood brother," when He was hanging on the cross, Heentrusted Mary to the care of St. John, the Beloved Disciple. Interestingly,the Orthodox Churches solve this problem over brothers and sisters byspeculating that St. Joseph was an elderly widower who had other childrenbefore he married Mary. The earliest explanation of who the brothers andsisters were, found in the second-century document known asTheProtoevagelium of James, is that they were stepbrothers through Joseph.According to this document, Joseph was an elderly widower who agreed to becomethe guardian of Mary, a consecrated virgin. Being elderly and already havingchildren, he was not seeking to raise a new family and so was an appropriateguardian for a virgin. This theory is consistent with Joseph’s apparent deathbefore the ministry of Jesus. It is the standard explanation in EasternChristendom of who the brethren of Christ are. Shortly before the year 400, St.Jerome began to popularize the view that the brethren of Christ were cousins,and this view became common in the West. Nevertheless, the Catholic Church hasfaithfully taught that Mary gave birth only to Jesus, whom she hadconceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Life messages: 1) Today’s Scriptures challenge us to facerejection with prophetic courage and optimism. Very often our friends,families, or childhood companions fail to listen tous and refuse toaccept the words of grace, love and encouragement that we offer to them becausethey are too familiar with us. Hence, they are unable to see us as God'sappointed instruments, the agents of God's healing and saving grace.Butwe have to face such rejection with prophetic courage because by our Baptism weare called to be prophets like Jesus, sharing his prophetic mission.Asprophets, our task is to speak the truth and oppose the evils in our societywithout condoning or encouraging sinful behavior even in our dear ones. Let usalso acknowledge, appreciate and encourage the prophets of our time who standfor truth and justice in our society with the wisdom of God in their heads, thepower of the Holy Spirit in their words and the courage of God in their actions.

2) We need to have the courage of our convictions: Modern“liberal-minded” people may find genuine Christians’ belief in and practice ofChrist’s ideas and ideals crazy too. Hence, what is needed in a Christian isthe courage of his or her convictions based on the authority of Jesus as Godand the truth of his doctrines. Many saints, following Christ's example, havebeen taken for madmen--but they were mad with love, mad with love for JesusChrist.

2) We need to fill our minds with the Holy Spirit:Jesus teaches that we can be influenced by the evil spirit if we listento him and follow him. Hence, we have to keep our souls daily cleansed andfilled with the Spirit of God, leaving no space for the evil spirit to enterour souls.

3) We need to live as members of God’s family:Let us remember that by Baptism we become the children of God, brothersand sisters of Jesus and members of the Heavenly family of the Triune God.Hence, let us observe our obligations of treating others with love and respectand of sharing our love with them in corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Weare also His disciples, and so are obliged to be hearers as well as doers ofthe word of God.

Joke of the Week: Rejection at the Pearly Gate,too: A cab driver reaches the Pearly Gates and announces his presence toSt. Peter, who looks him up in his Big Book. Upon reading the entry for thecabby, St. Peter invites him to grab a silk robe and a golden staff and toproceed into Heaven. A preacher is next in line behind the cabby and has beenwatching these proceedings with interest. He announces himself to St. Peter.Upon scanning the preacher's entry in the Big Book, St. Peter furrows his browand says, "Okay, we'll let you in, but take that cotton robe and woodenstaff." The preacher is astonished and replies, "But I am a man ofthe cloth. You gave that cab driver a gold staff and a silk robe. Surely, Irate higher than a cabby." St. Peter responded matter-of-factly:"Here we are interested in results. When you preached, people slept. Whenthe cabby drove his taxi, people prayed."

Websites of the week: 1) http://www.textweek.com/mkjnacts/mark3.htm

4 Additional anecdotes: 1) Rejection hurts:Arnold Palmer played his last Master’s Tournament in 2002. Palmer, who won theMaster’s in 1958, 1960, 1962, and 1964, had seen his game slip away with ageand his stardom fade with the rise of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Areporter asked Palmer, “Why did you do it? Why did you quit?” To which Palmerreplied, “I didn’t want to get the letter that former champions Ford, Brewer,and Casper have already received asking them to step down.” Whether it’s thatgirl in elementary school who looked at you in disdain when you offered her aValentine card, or the boss that suggests you are not included in the company’snew plans, rejection hurts. It causes pain. Yet, Jesus faced rejectionheroically and said it’s going to happen and we will be wise to live with it,for “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely sayall kinds of evil against you because of Me.” There is some rejectionthat’s worth the cost.

2) “The World’s Strongest Man” Macho men always wantto brag about how strong they are. Some boys on a school playground werebragging. Johnny said, “My dad has a list of all the men he can beat up—and allyour dads are on his list!” Later that afternoon a knock came on Johnny’s houseand his dad answered the door. A big angry man said, “Are you Johnny’s dad?” Hesaid, “I am.” “Well Johnny told my son said you have a list of men you thinkyou can beat up, and my name is on it.” Johnny’s dad said, “That’s right.” Thebig guy started rolling up his sleeves and said, “Well, I don’t think you canbeat me up. What are you going to do about it?” Johnny’s dad said, “I’ll markyou off my list.”

Guys are always bragging about who’s the strongest. Since1977 there has been a televised event called “The World’s Strongest Man.” Mostof the winners have come from Finland, Iceland, and Eastern Europe. These guysare required to perform amazing feats of strength like pulling a Boeing 747with their teeth. These aren’t body-builders; they are bulked up dudes. One ofthe competitors from Iceland, who is nicknamed Thor, stands 6’9” and weighs 435pounds. No six-pack abs on these guys, they go for the full keg! So, who do youthink was the strongest man in the Bible? Are you thinking of the book ofJudges and the guy with long hair who could kill a lion with his bare hands?Samson was pretty strong, but after he got a haircut in the devil’s barbershop,he lost his strength. In our passage today, Jesus is going to talk about astrong man; then He’s going to mention a stronger man. Jesus claims that Godhis Father is “The World’s Strongest Man” who would protect us from the evilone. (Rev. David Duke).

3) A house divided against itself cannot stand."On June 16, 1858 more than 1,000 delegates met in the Springfield, Illinois,for the Republican State Convention, and they chose Abraham Lincoln as theircandidate for the U.S. Senate, running against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas.That evening Lincoln delivered this address to his Republican colleagues andthe main focus of his remarks were on the issue of slavery: “Mr. President andGentlemen of the Convention. If we could first know where we are, and whitherwe are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it. We arenow far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated, with the avowedobject, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Underthe operation of that policy, that agitation has not only, NOT ceased, but hasconstantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shallhave been reached, and passed. ‘A house divided against itself cannotstand." "A house divided against itself cannot stand.’" That's apowerful sentence! Did Abraham Lincoln come up with that phrase all by himself?No. Well, where did he get it? That’s right … he was quoting Jesus and thequote is from today’s Gospel where Jesus gives a crushing blow to the Scribeswho accused Jesus of collaborating with Beelzebub for his exorcisms.

4) ‘United We Stand Divided We Fall’:I readabout a Church that had grown to the point of needing a new building. After thebuilding was completed, a disagreement arose about which side of the auditoriumthey should put the piano. Words were exchanged, tempers flared, and the Churchultimately split. The side that “won” kept the building, but they no longerneeded the extra seating and could not afford to pay the mortgage … so they hadto sell it. (Tim Seevers, in The Pleasant Viewer June 2000). And I alsohave read about another Church down in Texas where folks go so mad at eachother that the Church split and then they fought over the property. Each groupfiled lawsuits against the other group. During a hearing, it was discoveredthat the conflict had begun years before at a church dinner (pause) when anelder was served a smaller piece of ham than the child seated next to him. (JimBelcher, 10/12/09 Sermoncentral.com article).

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Sermons

A photocopied sign was posted inside a church office. It wasone of those humorous full-page slogans that people in different officesduplicate and pass among themselves. Most of us have seen this particularmessage, I suppose, but posted in a church office, the words took on a newmeaning. There it was, taped to the cinder blocks behind a secretary's desk.The sign read, "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but ithelps."

At one level, why not put a sign like that in a church? Manychurches are busy, hectic, confusing places. There are worship services toplan, educational programs to run, choirs to rehearse, fellowship dinners toorganize, and outreach efforts to facilitate. There is a lot going on, andthings can get frantic. The running joke in one church I know is that the staffkeeps saying, "Next week it's going to get quiet," but the quiet weeknever comes. The work load can become a little bit crazy.

On a deeper level, there is a great deal of truth to thatsign. There is something strange about the church. We are not just another clubor civic organization. The church's view of reality is increasingly out ofphase from a lot of prevailing views. In the church, we do and say things thatdo not always make sense to people outside of this house....

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The full text of the following sermon is availableatwww.Sermons.com.

Members: Please see Mark 3 or Proper 5 for the sermon titled"Family Ties and Good-byes"

Jesus experienced family ties and good-byes. So do we.

According to Mark 3:20-35, Jesus was about to be confrontedby his frustrated and conflicted family as crowds gathered around him to hearhis stories, behold his miracles, and observe with great interest the conflictshe had with religious leaders from Jerusalem. Conflict. But there were alsogood, tender, and beautiful joys in Jesus' family. Look at the tenderness atthe time of his birth.

Good-byes and ties. All families have stress, as well ashappiness, times of anger as well as times of joy, times of agony and times ofecstasy, times of good-bye as well as times when ties bind us together in bondsthat seem unbreakable. We can all identify with both the ties and good-byes inJesus' story, though the reasons for our joys and stresses may be quitedifferent than those in his life.

Our family joys often include good times when we arechildren -- vacations, play times with parents, special birthdays, andholidays. When marriage comes, it is often accompanied by smiles, tears of joy,blessings, affirmations, and congratulations. Family joys often include a babybeing born. Babies usually bring big, broad smiles, a sense of mystery andwonder beyond words at the birth process and a sense of fulfillment. The baby'sskin is so soft, we want to continually touch it. Cuddling, holding, and kissingthe bundle of joy is a wonderful part of parenting. It feels right and good toprotect a defenseless newborn. We want to care for this little miracle and planfor his or her future. Bonds and ties are formed in families of all kinds,colors, and cultures.

Yet, not everything that happens to us as children is good.In some cases, tragically bad things happen to us as we grow up infamilies...

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Constant Controversy

Have you ever been misunderstood? Have you ever beenmisrepresented? Has anyone ever taken your words and motives and twisted themaround and used them against you? If you live long enough in this world you aregoing to face that kind of a personal attack.

I can remember an instance in another church when a certaingroup in that church took my preaching tapes and listened to them to find wordsand phrases they disagreed with. These disagreeable sayings were brought up ina business meeting and used to attack me personally. It hurt at the time, butit was a good lesson to me. It served to remind me that God's servants will beattacked. It also reminded me to think about my words before I say them becauseI might be called on to give an account of them.

The earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus was surrounded byconstant controversy. Nearly everyone He met misunderstood Him and what He cameto this world to do. Nearly everyone was guilty of misrepresenting His wordsand His works. The things He did and said in love were used to attack Him inhate!

Alan Carr, The Servant Under Attack

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A Change in Control

Last night a friend of mine was talking about his father: hespoke of how, for many years, his father binged out, how his father was adrunkard - a man who when sober was kind and gentle - and when drunk - well hewas something else again. He had no control over himself. And this kind andgentle man brought pain and suffering upon others, or at least the force withinhim did so - the family had to move - to change homes and communities - almostevery year - landlords were cheated, employers disappointed, childrenneglected, friends abandoned - or embarrassed or betrayed.

And this continued on until one day, after taking hischildren to Sunday School for a period of time, after witnessing the faith ofothers and what it did for them, he accepted Jesus into his life. He asked Godto take control, to guide his actions and save him from his sins and from thepower of sin. And then things changed; debts still had to be paid, amends stillhad to be made, mistakes still occurred. But the inner man -the man that Godmade - was set free to grow and mature. No more booze, a lot more prayer. Andthe love and kindness of the man that could be glimpsed before - in the momentsof sobriety - became apparent to all - for days, weeks, and finally years onend. The children who were still living at home stopped fearing what wouldhappen next - they began to look forward to being with their father - theybegan to develop their own faith in God - a faith that still guides them tothis day. This man, this father, this husband, experience a change in control -he went from being in the control of the devil to being in the control of God,and the result was the renewal of his inner nature, and in the end, when hisearthly tent was destroyed, the result was a building from God - a house notmade with hands - eternal in the heavens..

Richard J. Fairchild, Even Though....

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Questioning the Source of the Power

The scribes and Pharisees cannot deny what Jesus is doing;too many people have experienced it, too many people have been helped. So theirstrategy is to turn the people against Jesus by saying that He is ministeringby the power of an evil spirit.

It's sort of like Environmental groups in Canada receivingfunding from people who want them to disrupt energy projects which conflictwith their own financial interests. Or someone funding a Women's shelter withdrug and prostitution money they make in their biker gang.

You get the picture; suddenly the Environmentalist isn't thenoble crusader anymore; the shelter benefits from the addiction and abuse itstands against.

But it's not just a smear campaign that the Teachers of theLaw are engaging in; they actually believe it. They are convinced that Jesus isin league with the devil because they can't see how it lines up with how Godhas worked in Israel in the past and how they understood the Law.

Grant Gunnink, The Unforgivable Sin

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Humor: Differences of Opinions

Dr. Eugene Bricetells a delightful but disturbing story about a minister who returned to visita church he had once served. He ran into Bill, who had been an elder and leaderin the church, but who wasn't around anymore. The pastor asked, "Bill, whathappened? You used to be there every time the doors opened."

"Well, Pastor," said Bill, "a difference of opinion arose in thechurch. Some of us couldn't accept the final decision and we established achurch of our own." "Is that where you worship now?" asked thepastor.
"No," answered Bill, "we found that there, too, the people werenot faithful and a small group of us began meeting in a rented hall atnight." "Has that proven satisfactory?" asked the minister.

"No, I can'tsay that it has," Bill responded. "Satan was active even in thatfellowship, so my wife and I withdrew and began to worship on Sunday at home byourselves."

"Then at lastyou have found inner peace?" asked the pastor.

"No, I'mafraid we haven't," said Bill. "Even my wife began to develop ideas Iwas not comfortable with, so now she worships in the northeast corner of theliving room, and I am in the southwest."

King Duncan,quoting Eugene Brice, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com

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Kristin Borsgard Wee, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third): Do YouLove Me?, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.

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Training to Hear the Voice of God

There is a positive message to be learned from these wordsof Jesus. The lesson is that we must keep ourselves alert to the way God isworking in the world. Remember that those who were seeking to discredit Jesuswere religious people. Their problem was that they just didn't expect God to beacting as Jesus said he was acting, so they missed the movement of God in theirmidst, and in fact, they called it evil. Today God may be speaking to us incauses that are unpopular, or in political events that cause us to feelthreatened and insecure. The cries for justice and fairness in the world maycome from quarters that we are not accustomed to listen to. We need to exercisediligence so that we don't miss the voice of God today just because it happensto be spoken by unfamiliar lips.

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Think What God Can Do with Our Sins

M. H. Schubert shares the story about a group of fishermenin the Scottish highlands. They gathered for tea and discussed the day's catch.As a waitress set down a cup of tea, a hand accidently knocked it against thewall. It left an ugly stain. One of the guests got up, went to the wall, andbegan sketching around the stain with a crayon. What emerged was a stag withmagnificent antlers. The man was Sir Edwin Landseer, England's foremost painterof animals. If an artist can transform an unsightly stain into a beautifulmasterpiece, think what God can do with our sins. He absolves them and, intheir place, refashions us toward full maturity.

James Weekley, Tilted Haloes, CSS Publishing Company

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When Perceptions Shift

In Mark 3, those who try to turn the work of God into thework of the devil show by so doing that they are so far gone, so deeplyenmeshed in a spiritually inverted reality, that there is no reaching them.Some of you will recall the dwarves as depicted by C.S. Lewis in the last bookof the Narnia series. The dwarves had been brought by Aslan the Lion into theglories of the New Narnia, which stood for heaven or the kingdom of God. Thesestubborn dwarves sat smack in the middle of a sunlit meadow full of wildflowersand were being fed fruit and vegetables more exquisitely flavorful and freshthan anyone had ever before imagined was possible.Yet their minds were darkened, their hearts were cold....