Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Candlemas Day - February 2
21They went to
Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were astounded at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their
synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried
out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy
us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be
silent, and come out of him!” 26And the
unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept
on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching — with authority! He
commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”28At once his fame began to spread
throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
Mark 1:21-28
The Possessed Man in the
Synagogue
TISSOT, James
French
1886-1894
Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray
wove paper
Brooklyn Museum
New York, NY
United States
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/13400
Background and
situation: In
Mark, Jesus has announced the kingdom (1:9) and begun the formation of
the New Community. Now, in his first direct public act, he goes
to Capernaum--perhaps the most important and well-connected community
in Galilee--and entered the synagogue. He goes
purposefully--"strides" could be one possible translation. He
enters dramatically into holy space on a holy day.
We are only at verse 21, still very early in Mark's gospel.
After leaving the wilderness, the first thing Jesus did was begin to assemble
the New Community. The next thing he does is engage the religious power.
Teaching with
authority: The
word is exousian--he teaches with power! Jesus has it, and the
scribes do not. Right off the bat, the scribes--the "lawyers"
of religious power--are put down, their authority suspect. (In 3:22, Mark
will associate the scribes directly with Temple power in Jerusalem.)
We are not told the actual content of Jesus' teaching, but
whatever it was, it "shocked" and "amazed" those who were
present. (The "they" is indefinite. It
probably means the people present at the synagogue that day.)
The first
demon in Mark's gospel pops up in church: Mark employs the
"sandwich technique" at several points in his gospel. He tells
a story within a story, you might say, and each story is a commentary on the
other.
That's what he does here. The episode begins and ends on
the question of authority and teaching, and, inbetween, we meet the
"uncleansed spirit."
A great many people think
they are thinking
when they are merely
rearranging their prejudices.
Justice
and power must be brought together,
so
that whatever is just may be powerful,
and
whatever is powerful may be just.
~
Blaise Pascal
Colorado Style Wedding
Congratulations, Will and Abby Vickstrom!
Peggy Flowers at Bible Study
Our Rotary Meeting
Frosty Wooldridge demonstrated the wingspan of the condo
that visited him as he was biking through the Andes.
SONDRA KELLOGG celebrated Jack Kellogg’s 100th birthday
On Friday, He. Was also recognized at Rotary.
Our Seniors’ Group
Lunch at Tuscany Tavern
Robin Alexander Sakamoto’s Rikka (another style of ikebana)
arrangement in Tokyo.
Too
many people overvalue what they are not
and undervalue what
they are.
January 28, 2024 Fourth Sunday after the
Epiphany Year B
Previous OPQs may be found at:
1Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we
know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds
up. 2Anyone who claims to know
something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; 3but anyone who loves God is known by him.
4Hence, as to the eating of food offered to
idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no
God but one.” 5Indeed, even
though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as in fact there are
many gods and many lords — 6yet
for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we
exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom
we exist.
7It is not everyone, however, who has this
knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still
think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience,
being weak, is defiled. 8“Food
will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no
better off if we do. 9But take
care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to
the weak. 10For if others see
you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not,
since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food
sacrificed to idols? 11So by your
knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. 12But when you thus sin against members of
your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against
Christ. 13Therefore, if food is a
cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of
them to fall.
1
Corinthians 8:1-13
Agnus
Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with
the permission of www.agnusday.org
February 2
It was the day of the year when all the candles that were used in the
church during the coming year were brought into church and a blessing was said
over them - so it was the Festival Day (or 'mass') of the Candles.
Candles were important in those days not only
because there were no electric lights. Some people thought they gave protection
against plague and illness and famine. For Christians, they were (and still
are) a reminder of something even more important. Before Jesus came to earth,
it was as if everyone was 'in the dark'. People often felt lost and lonely.
Afraid. As if they were on their own, with no one to help them. Then came Jesus
with his message that he is with his followers always ready to help and comfort
them. As if he is a guiding light to them in the darkness. Christians often
talk of Jesus as 'the light of the World' - and candles are lit during church
services to remind Christians of this.
If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
Winter will have another fight.
If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,
Winter won't come again.
If Candlemas Day is bright and clear --
There'll be two winters in the year
~ a Christian couplet
https://freegifimg.com/gif/123748-groundhog-free-hd-image
Candlemas Day - February 2
This Sunday’s readings
continue the theme of the self-authenticating Word. In Mark, Jesus teaches in
the synagogue “as one having authority.” Often, the
people’s reactions
recorded in the Gospels tell us a great deal about Jesus. People are not
astonished by sage advice or erudite commentary, as the scribes could give.
Confirmation of this power comes in the encounter with the demon. Jesus’
commands are bound to be obeyed, even by enemies, because they are the very
Word of God.
The first reading in Deuteronomy confirms that Jesus’ words are the Father’s,
put into his mouth by the Father. The preacher may make use of this to bring to
the congregation Paul’s admonition to guard the conscience of the weak. The
sort of knowledge that puffs up the knowledgeable is nothing next to the
authoritative Word of God. It is better to use our knowledge as a tool to edify
the church rather than adding value to ourselves, for what could we, by our
cleverness, possibly add to the Word of the Father who speaks things into
existence?
THE WORD:
For the poor Jews of Jesus’ time,
the scribes were the voices of authority, the final arbiters of the Law in
which God had revealed himself. Their interpretation of the Law was
considered absolute.
“Demons” are encountered several
times in Mark’s Gospel. Anything that the people of Jesus’ time could not
understand or explain, such as disease, mental illness or bizarre or criminal
behavior, were considered the physical manifestations of the evil one –
“demons” or “unclean spirits.”
Both demons and scribes are silenced
in today’s Gospel. Jesus’ casting out the unclean spirit from the man
possessed silences the voices of the demons that plague humanity. In his
compassionate outreach to the poor and sick, Jesus “silences” the scribes by
redefining the community’s understanding of authority: whereas the
“authority” of the scribes’ words is based solely on their perceived status and
learnedness, the authority of Jesus is born of compassion, peace and
justice. The casting out of the demons and his curing of the sick who
come to him are but manifestations of the power and grace of his words.
Note that the people of the Bible
viewed miracles differently than we do. While we, in our high technology,
scientific approach to the world, dismiss miracles as some kind of disruption
or “overriding” of the laws of nature, the contemporaries of Jesus saw miracles
as signs of God's immediate activity in his creation. While we
ask, How could this happen? they asked. Who is
responsible? Their answer was always the same: the God of all
creation. Those who witnessed Jesus' healings, then, saw them as God directly
touching their lives.
HOMILY POINTS:
True authority is propelled by
persuasion, not coercion; effective leadership is a matter of articulating a
shared goal rather than warning of the consequences of failure.
Authority comes not from power to
enforce but from the ability to inspire. Jesus’ “authority” inspires
rather than enforces, lifts up rather than controls; he sees his call to “lead”
as a trust, as a responsibility to serve others by revealing the God who calls
us to compassion and mercy for the sake of his kingdom of peace, instead of a
God of judgment and vengeance.
The “unclean spirit” that Jesus
casts out of the poor man in today’s Gospel serves as a symbol of the voice of
evil that sometimes speaks within us -- the voice of revenge, self-
centeredness, self-righteousness, greed, anger.
We can be “possessed” by “demons”
who discourage us and plague us with fear when we consider the unpopular
position that we know is right and just; or the “demon” of rationalization that
falsely justifies actions – or inactions – we know in our heart of hearts is
contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. The compassionate Jesus of the
today’s Gospel speaks to those "unclean spirits" as well, offering us
the grace and courage to cast them out of our minds and hearts forever.
https://connectionsmediaworks.com/sundaygospel.html#jan28
First Reading Deuteronomy 18:15-20
15The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. 16This is what you requested of the
LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the
voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will
die.” 17Then the
LORD replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. 18I will raise up for them a prophet
like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the
prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. 19Anyone who does not heed the words
that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. 20But any prophet who speaks in the
name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not
commanded the prophet to speak — that prophet shall die.”
Psalm 111:1-10
1 Praise
the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole
heart,
in the company of
the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the
works of the LORD,
studied by all who
delight in them.
3 Full of honor and
majesty is his work,
and his
righteousness endures forever.
4 He has gained
renown by his wonderful deeds;
the LORD is
gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food
for those who fear him;
he is ever mindful
of his covenant.
6 He has shown his
people the power of his works,
in giving them the
heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his
hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts
are trustworthy.
8 They are
established forever and ever,
to be performed
with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption
to his people;
he has commanded
his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is
his name.
10 The fear of the LORD is
the beginning of wisdom;
all those who
practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures
forever.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
1Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us
possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2Anyone who claims to know something
does not yet have the necessary knowledge; 3but anyone
who loves God is known by him.
4Hence, as to
the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really
exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5Indeed, even though there may be
so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as in fact there are many gods and many
lords — 6yet for us
there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist,
and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we
exist.
7It is not
everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed
to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an
idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8“Food will not bring us close to
God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9But take care that this liberty of
yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if others see you, who possess
knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their
conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to
idols? 11So by your
knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. 12But when you thus sin against
members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin
against Christ. 13Therefore,
if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not
cause one of them to fall.
Gospel Mark 1:21-28
21They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered
the synagogue and taught. 22They were
astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not
as the scribes. 23Just then
there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, “What have you to
do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are,
the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus
rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing
him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept
on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching — with authority! He
commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”28At once his fame began to spread
throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.