February « 2009 « St. Mark's Lutheran

Camels and Needles and Cosmic Bank Accounts

By Parson Brown, on 12:41 pm%

Text: Mark 10:17-31

Quick, go get your catechism, or you can use this link. Compare what is traditionally called the 2nd table of the commandments (#4 – #10) to the list that Jesus gives to this rich man. Don’t kill (5, check), no adultery (6, check), don’t steal (7, check), don’t lie (8, check), . . . → Read More: Camels and Needles and Cosmic Bank Accounts

Bible Study – Lectionary Readings

By Parson Brown, on 5:12 pm%

. . . → Read More: Bible Study – Lectionary Readings

Marriage, Divorce and the Church

By Parson Brown, on 1:35 pm%

Text: Mark 10:1-16

The catechism teaching on sacraments says they all have three things: 1) Instituted by Jesus, 2) For forgiveness of sins and 3) containing a physical element. The Roman tradition carried seven sacraments spanning birth to death: Baptism, Confirmation, Lord’s Supper, Marriage, Ordination, Confession, Last Rites. The Lutheran tradition, using those 3 points . . . → Read More: Marriage, Divorce and the Church

Sermon – The Mission of God – Mark 1:29-39

By Parson Brown, on 10:06 pm%

Full Text

Not a very Lutheran sermon, but I think it is spot on. (It was not very Lutheran becuase the overly simple condensation is Jesus was/did this, so we should do this. Lutherans tend to frown on Jesus the example which drifts to close to Jesus the law giver.) I liked it enough . . . → Read More: Sermon – The Mission of God – Mark 1:29-39

Chant

By Parson Brown, on 5:39 pm%

I’ve been being pressured to chant, so Matins/Vespers is up this week. This is a warning. I can achieve volume, but Randy Jackson would be sitting there saying, “Dog…pitchy…way too pitchy”.

But the agreement is if I chant the congregation comes along as well. No wimping out on the Te Deum.

If you have no . . . → Read More: Chant

Let me tell you a secret

By Parson Brown, on 5:31 pm%

Text: Mark 9:2-13

Listen, I tell you a secret, we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. That is Saint Paul talking about the day Christ returns. Some secrets are just too big to understand even when you’ve been shown them. After the transfiguration Jesus told Peter, James and John to . . . → Read More: Let me tell you a secret

One loaf or Many Loaves – what feeds everyone?

By Parson Brown, on 6:24 pm%

Reading: Mark 8:11-26

Verse 14 is cryptic. I’m going to quote Young’s Literal Translation. “…And they forgot to take loaves, and except one loaf they had nothing with them in the boat… (Mar 8:14 YLT)” YLT goes word by word as much as possible in translating. To heck with readability or even context, plural in . . . → Read More: One loaf or Many Loaves – what feeds everyone?

A couple of New Links

By Parson Brown, on 4:26 pm%

I’ve added a couple of new links in the Toolkit section

The site for the Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) Men’s Network, and it corresponding blog.

Our current men’s group meets once a month. I’d like to add a men’s Bible study say once a month as well. Anyone up for what I’ll call meat . . . → Read More: A couple of New Links

Fed with Bread in the Desert?

By Parson Brown, on 3:31 pm%

Reading: Mark 8:1-10

This is the second mass feeding strory. The less well know feeding of the 4000. And these are most likely gentiles. Jesus has compasion on the crowd. They have been with him for three days. They have come from a long way. They are in the desert. . . . → Read More: Fed with Bread in the Desert?

Sermon – Mark 1:21-28 – Sacred Spaces

By Parson Brown, on 1:45 pm%

Text of sermon

One of the comments on this sermon on Sunday was the “it could have found a nice home in the pulpit next door.” That could either be the Bapist Church or the African-American church. From this person I took that as a compliment. We Lutherans tend to be envious of . . . → Read More: Sermon – Mark 1:21-28 – Sacred Spaces

St. Mark's Lutheran