Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry
  • Home
  • Calendar
    • Events
  • Blog
  • About
    • About Wittenberg CoMo
    • Support Us
    • Contact Us
  • Recording Archives
    • Resources >
      • Christianity 101
      • Greek Tutorials
  • Position Papers
  • Sandbox

Mark 3:20-35 - Lectionary for Pentecost 3B

6/7/2018

0 Comments

 
6/7/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In Mark chapter 3 Jesus is portrayed as spending time preaching, teaching, and healing people. He has become so very busy that his family is worried about him. After all, when someone is involved in a work frenzy like that, after a while, all will fall apart. Disappointment and even offense will follow.

In the midst of this time, some of the scribes say that Jesus is working in the power of the devil. They say he is using demonic power to cast out demons. It is some kind of deception.

Jesus’ response is to call the scribes to himself. He doesn’t allow them to go on with their slander. He also doesn’t go to find the offenders. He calls them to him, and, for some reason, they come.

In the presence of some witnesses Jesus tells the scribes that they are confusing the power of God with the power of the devil. He is clear that there is no forgiveness for those who say God is the devil. All sorts of sins can be forgiven. However, for those who mistake God and Satan, there is no more forgiveness.

Occasionally people will come to me in fear. They have read this passage in Mark and are worried that they have sinned against the Holy Spirit. Yet they normally have no need to fear. Why is this? If they are afraid that they have offended God, they have not been saying He is Satan. Those who are utterly unconcerned have reason for concern. Those who are concerned apparently have repentance. They can expect the Lord’s forgiveness in their lives.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

0 Comments

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 - Lectionary for Pentecost 3B

6/6/2018

0 Comments

 
6/6/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our reading from 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 points us to two main points. First, Christianity is rooted in history. Christians believe, teach, and confess that which has always been believed. By its nature, Christianity is not innovative. It looks to the past and believes that God has never changed in His nature. “I believed, therefore I spoke.” “We believe, therefore we speak.” When someone is always seeking a new revelation, a new experience, a new burning of the Holy Spirit, we should consider it with a healthy skepticism.

More than once I have seen promotional materials for new church congregations getting started. Sometimes they will advertise “a new thing.” One church said openly that they planned to “do church like it’s never been done before.” Frankly, I have no use for such a group. If you are doing church like it’s never been done before, you are arrogantly saying that all of Christianity in the past has been doing things wrong. That isn’t the model we see in the Scripture. Christianity is revolutionary in breaking from the idea that we can earn our salvation or manipulate God by our obedience. That idea influences our conduct in the world. But in no way does it provoke revolutionary innovation.

The other big issue in our passage today is that of the seen and the unseen, the temporal and the eternal. The apostle Paul here considers all that we can see to be temporal. It may seem to last a long time, but it is not permanent. It will pass away. This doesn’t mean that we despise or abuse what we can see, but it does mean we don’t treat it as ultimately indispensable. Our physical condition, our material possessions, even our cultural or national relics will pass away. Some may take a very long time. We recall that there are, after all, a few buildings still in this world which are well over two thousand years old. They seem permanent. But there was time before they were created and there will likely be time after they are gone.

What does last forever? God’s Word, His people in the resurrection, His kingdom, His grace. God’s unseen mercies last forever.

We find ourselves easily moved by the temporal, but amazingly resistant to the eternal. May the Lord change our hearts and minds that we may also look to him with an eternal hope.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

0 Comments

Genesis 3:8-15 - Lectionary for Pentecost 3B

6/5/2018

0 Comments

 
6/5/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

In our Old Testament reading from Genesis 3:8-15 I would like to focus on the questioning and listening work of God. In verses 8-13 God, fully aware of all that has happened between the man, the woman, the serpent, and the tree, comes to visit his people and asks them what they are doing. Why did they hide? Why were they ashamed? Did they eat the fruit? What did they think they were going to accomplish by it? Through the course of the conversation, a very pleasant evening time in the garden was shown to be a terribly difficult time. The man and woman were confessing their sin against God, something they had never done before. It’s clear that the world will be in a fallen condition because of their disobedience. God speaks for the first time as one imposing a penalty, rather than as the one who brings blessing.

When God comes to his people through his word, we should not be surprised to find ourselves needing to repent. We live in a world cursed by sin. Our response, when confronted, should be to turn from the sin and seek God’s face. That will only ever happen as we are sorry for sin and as that, with God’s help, we may be restrained from entering into sin.

We see in our passage from Genesis that the Lord listens to the cries of his people. He doesn’t simply tell them to shape up. Rather, he tells them that he will provide a deliverer who will crush the head of the serpent. Here’s the good news of the Gospel. The people can’t save themselves by their obedience. They can only be rescued through God’s work on their behalf. This is the promise given.

As we see the results of a fallen world all around us, sickness, sorrow, sin, and shame, we can also look to Christ who has promised to adopt each and every one who believes on him. Here is the hope of the Christian.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

0 Comments

Psalm 130 - Lectionary for Pentecost 3B

6/4/2018

0 Comments

 
6/4/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

This post was previously shared in March of 2017.

One tradition found in Lutheran churches and some other places is the opening of a church service with a confession of sins and declaration of absolution from the pastor. Psalm 130 reminds me of this practice. The Psalmist comes before the Lord and asks him to hear, listen to the plea for mercy. Why does the Psalmist ask this? Is it because he is righteous? Is it because he is a perfect person? Does he have his life in order, his act cleaned up? Not in the least. He confesses that nobody could stand before God if God were to count our sins. So what is the Psalmist going to do? He’s going to stand before God and remember that the Lord is forgiving. He’s going to stand before God and hope in him, because he will have an answer of peace and love. So he will wait. He will wait for God as eagerly as a night watchman waits for the morning.

In the Lord there is abundant forgiveness. In the church service the congregation confesses sin and guilt. The pastor responds with words on behalf of Jesus. You are forgiven of all your sins. It is God’s will to declare your complete forgiveness, not of your own merit, but because of the merit of Christ.

Does this mean we, the forgiven people of the Lord, get up and live however we want? Well, if we are genuinely and heartily sorry for our sin and we really didn’t want to continue in it, then we are to live how we want, fleeing from sin to righteousness. Since our confession and dedication to the Lord is halfhearted at best, we don’t necessarily live the way we want. We take God’s Word seriously and seek to live as he desires. What about when we fail? We come before him once again, throwing ourselves on his mercy, asking for his forgiveness. And so it continues.


If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

0 Comments

    ​Help Fuel This Ministry by Clicking Here!

    All the work of Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry, including this blog, is supported by the generosity of people like you. Please consider joining our team of prayer and financial supporters. Read more here!
    Please Note: The opinions presented in blog posts are not necessarily those of Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry. Frequently we report on contrary views, often without comment. Please chime in on the discussion.

    About Throwing Inkwells

    When Martin Luther was dealing with struggles in his life he once saw what appeared to be an angelic being. Not trusting that he was going to be informed by someone other than the God revealed in Scripture, he took the appearance to be untrustworthy and hurled his inkwell at it. The chipped place in the plaster wall is still visible at the Wartburg Castle, though apparently the ink stain on the wall has been refreshed periodically by the caretaker.

    Blog Feeds

    RSS Feed

    Want to keep up with what's happening at Wittenberg Door? Subscribe to our mailing list!

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians
    1 John
    1 Kings
    1 Peter
    1 Samuel
    1 Thessalonians
    1 Timothy
    2019-02-feb
    2 Chronicles
    2 Corinthians
    2-john
    2-kings
    2 Peter
    2 Samuel
    2 Thessalonians
    2 Timothy
    3-john
    Academic-success
    Acts
    Advent 1
    Advent-1-a
    Advent-1b
    Advent-1c
    Advent 2
    Advent-2-a
    Advent-2b
    Advent-2c
    Advent 3
    Advent-3-a
    Advent-3b
    Advent-3c
    Advent 4
    Advent-4-a
    Advent-4b
    Advent-4c
    Alesso-2009
    Alexander 1999
    Allitt-2010
    Alon 1996
    Amos
    Aristotle
    Audet 1996
    Augustine
    Bakker 1993
    Bammel 1996
    Baptism Of Christ
    Baptism-of-the-lord-b
    Bauckham 2006
    Belonging
    Ben-Amos 1999
    Betz 1996
    Biesenthal 1893
    Boehme-2010
    Braaten 2007
    Bruce1988
    Bruce-1988
    Bryennios
    Butler 1960
    Canonicity
    Capon1998
    Capon-1998
    Carson-1991
    Carson-moo-2005
    Catholicism
    Christmas-1b
    Christmas-1c
    Christmas Dawn
    Christmas-day
    Christmas Eve
    Christmas Midnight
    Chronicles
    Circumcision And Naming Of Christ
    Colossians
    Confession Of Peter
    Confessions
    Connolly 1932
    Connolly 1933
    Connolly 1934
    Constanza-2013
    Culley 1986
    Daniel
    DeHalleux 1996
    Deuteronomy
    Didache
    Diversity
    Dix 1933
    Dix2005
    Dix-2005
    Doane 1994
    Draper
    Draper 1989
    Draper 1995
    Draper 1996
    Easter 2
    Easter-2a
    Easter2b
    Easter-2c
    Easter 3
    Easter-3a
    Easter-3b
    Easter-3c
    Easter 4
    Easter-4a
    Easter-4b
    Easter-4c
    Easter 5
    Easter-5a
    Easter-5b
    Easter 6
    Easter-6a
    Easter-6b
    Easter-6c
    Easter 7
    Easter-7a
    Easter-7b
    Easter-7c
    Easter-b
    Easter Day
    Easter-sunday-a
    Easter-sunday-c
    Ecclesiastes
    Eleutheria-2014
    Elman 1999
    Ephesians
    Epiphany
    Epiphany-1c
    Epiphany-2-a
    Epiphany-2c
    Epiphany-3-a
    Epiphany-3b
    Epiphany-3c
    Epiphany-4-a
    Epiphany-4b
    Epiphany-4c
    Epiphany-5-a
    Epiphany-5b
    Epiphany-5c
    Epiphany-6-a
    Epiphany-6c
    Epiphany-7-a
    Epiphany-c
    Epistle Of Barnabas
    Esther
    Eucharist
    Eve Of The Circumcision Of Christ
    Exodus
    Exodus-20
    Ezekiel
    Ezra
    Fagerberg1988
    Fagerberg-1988
    Farrell 1987
    Flew-2007
    Flusser 1996
    Forde-2007
    France-2007
    Galatians
    Genesis
    Gibbs 2006
    Glover 1958
    Gonzalez-2010
    Grosvener & Schaff 1885
    Grosvenor 1884
    Habakkuk
    Haggai
    Harnack 1884
    Hebrews
    Henderson 1992
    Henderson-1992
    History
    Hoffman 1986
    Holy Innocents
    Hosea
    Hutchens-2013
    Hymes 1994
    Infertility
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeffreys 1986
    Jeremiah
    Jerome
    Job
    Joel
    John
    Jonah
    Joshua
    Jude
    Judges
    Jungmann 1959
    Justin-martyr
    Kelber 1987
    Kelber 1995
    Kevil
    Kings
    Kleinig-2013
    Koch-2010
    Kolb2000
    Kolb-2000
    Kolbarand2008
    Kolb-arand-2008
    Kurekchomycz2009
    Lamentations
    Last Sunday Of The Church Year
    Last-sunday-of-the-church-year-a
    Last-sunday-of-the-church-year-b
    Last Sunday Of The Church Year C
    Lectionary
    Lent 1
    Lent-1-a
    Lent-1b
    Lent-1c
    Lent 2
    Lent-2-a
    Lent-2b
    Lent-2c
    Lent 3
    Lent-3-a
    Lent-3b
    Lent-3c
    Lent 4
    Lent-4-a
    Lent-4b
    Lent-4c
    Lent 5
    Lent-5-a
    Lent-5b
    Lent-5c
    Lessing2014
    Lessing-2014
    Leviticus
    Lincoln 1885
    Long-2009
    Lord 1986
    Lord 1987
    Luke
    Luther
    Maas-2014
    Malachi
    Mark
    Marty-2016
    Martyrs
    Mason 1998
    Matthew
    Matthias
    Mazza 1996
    Mcknight-2014
    Micah
    Milavec-2003
    Milavec-2012
    Mitch-2010
    Molina & Evers 1998
    Montenyohl 1993
    Morris-1992
    Motyer-1993
    Mueller 2006
    Music
    Nahum
    Nehemiah
    Newsletter
    Newtestament
    New Testament
    Niditch 1995
    Niederwimmer 1996
    Numbers
    Obadiah
    Oldtestament
    Old Testament
    Olsen 1986
    Ong 1987
    Ong 1988
    Ong 1995
    Orality
    Ordination
    Orphan-hosting
    Osborne-2002
    Osborne-2013
    Ozment1980
    Ozment-1980
    Palm-sunday-a
    Palm-sunday-c
    Parks 1986
    Passionb
    Pearce 1993
    Pentateuch
    Pentecost-10a
    Pentecost-10b
    Pentecost-10c
    Pentecost-11a
    Pentecost-11b
    Pentecost-11c
    Pentecost-12a
    Pentecost-12b
    Pentecost-12c
    Pentecost-13a
    Pentecost-13b
    Pentecost13c
    Pentecost-13c
    Pentecost-14a
    Pentecost-14b
    Pentecost-14c
    Pentecost-15
    Pentecost-15a
    Pentecost-15b
    Pentecost-15c
    Pentecost-16
    Pentecost-16a
    Pentecost-16b
    Pentecost 16C
    Pentecost-17a
    Pentecost-17b
    Pentecost 17C
    Pentecost-18a
    Pentecost-18b
    Pentecost 18 C
    Pentecost-19a
    Pentecost-19b
    Pentecost 19 C
    Pentecost-1a
    Pentecost-20a
    Pentecost-20b
    Pentecost 20 C
    Pentecost-21a
    Pentecost-21b
    Pentecost 21 C
    Pentecost-22a
    Pentecost-22b
    Pentecost 22 C
    Pentecost-23a
    Pentecost-23b
    Pentecost 23 C
    Pentecost-24a
    Pentecost-24b
    Pentecost-24-c
    Pentecost-25b
    Pentecost-25-c
    Pentecost-26b
    Pentecost-26-c
    Pentecost-2a
    Pentecost-2b
    Pentecost-2c
    Pentecost-3a
    Pentecost-3b
    Pentecost-3c
    Pentecost-4a
    Pentecost-4b
    Pentecost-4c
    Pentecost-5a
    Pentecost-5b
    Pentecost-5c
    Pentecost-6a
    Pentecost-6b
    Pentecost-6c
    Pentecost-7a
    Pentecost-7b
    Pentecost-7c
    Pentecost-8a
    Pentecost-8b
    Pentecost-8c
    Pentecost-9a
    Pentecost-9b
    Pentecost-9c
    Pentecost-b
    Pentecost-c
    Pentecost Sunday
    Peterson2010
    Peterson-2010
    Philemon
    Philippians
    Philosophy
    Pieper1924
    Pieper-1924
    Piper 1947
    Preaching
    Proper-19c
    Proper-20c
    Proper 21C
    Proper 22C
    Proper 23C
    Proper 24C
    Proper 25C
    Proper 26C
    Proper 27C
    Proper 28C
    Prophets
    Proverbs
    Psalm
    Quinquagesima
    Quintilian
    Receptivity
    Reformation
    Revelation
    Rhetoric
    Romans
    Rordorf 1996
    Rosenberg 1986
    Rosenberg 1987
    Rosenfeld-levene-2012
    Rueger-2016
    Russo 1994
    Ruth
    Sailhamer1992
    Sailhamer-1992
    Sale 1996
    Samuel
    Scaer2004
    Scaer-2004
    Schaff 1888
    Schaff 2014
    Schaff-2014
    Schollgen
    Seeliger 1996
    Septuagesima
    Sermon
    Sexagesima
    Smith-2009
    Sommerville-2006
    Songofsongs
    St. Andrew
    Stark 1997
    St. John
    St. Stephen
    St. Thomas
    Sunday Of The Passion
    Taylor 1888
    Teaching
    Telfer 1939
    Thielman-2010
    Titus
    Transfiguration
    Transfiguration-a
    Transfigurationb
    Transfiguration-c
    Trinity 1
    Trinity 10
    Trinity 11
    Trinity 12
    Trinity 13
    Trinity 14
    Trinity 15
    Trinity 16
    Trinity 17
    Trinity 18
    Trinity 19
    Trinity 2
    Trinity 20
    Trinity 21
    Trinity 22
    Trinity 23
    Trinity 3
    Trinity 4
    Trinity 5
    Trinity 6
    Trinity 7
    Trinity 8
    Trinity 9
    Trinity-a
    Trinity-b
    Trinity-c
    Trinity Sunday
    Tuckett
    Ty 19
    Van-de-sandt-2010
    Van-de-sandt-2011
    Veith1993
    Veith-1993
    Veith-sutton-2017
    Vikis-Freibergs 1997
    Voobus 1969
    Warfield 1886
    Wasson & Toelken 1998
    Weston-2009
    Wilson2011
    Wilson-2011
    Wilson20113470b5cf10
    Ysebaert-2002
    Zechariah
    Zephaniah

Proudly powered by Weebly