Pastor's Corner: WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

  A Tale of Two Daughters, Part 1 A “Touching” Story of Hope and Healing Mark 5:21-34 Introduction : Jesus had led his disciples into a storm and showed His power over nature. They crossed the lake, it seems, to set one man free from the bonds of a demonic legion, and to send Him as a witness back to his own people. Now they came back across the lake, and in midst of the multitude, we see two more “divine appointments.”  As I considered the two stories that are interconnected in this section of Mark, I thought of the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities , “ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times .” That is what two lives in this context of Mark must have felt.  For one, a touch, and a woman who Jesus tenderly addresses as “daughter,” is healed— the best of times ! And then, a father gets the horrible news, his beloved daughter had died—Hope is shattered! The worst of times ?  Remember the context in Mark, Jesus has been revealing His authority. Ove...

  Saved and Sent (or, “Go and Tell!")    Mark 5:1-20 Introduction :  As I walk for exercise outside, I have noticed a growing number of my neighbors decorating for Halloween. Some of the decorations are light-hearted, pumpkins, corn stalks, and the like… others, are just plain gruesome! Why would you want a twelve-foot tall, blood dripping skeleton with glowing eyes in your front yard? We don’t enjoy that aspect of the season because the decorations and movies either make light of the spiritual warfare that believers encounter in this fallen world, or they present an unbiblical picture of evil. There is nothing funny about demons and the havoc they would wreak in the lives of humans. The good news for believers is that “ greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world! ” In our context in Mark, Jesus had just demonstrated His power over nature when he stilled the storm on the lake.   He has been teaching with authority and healing the sick. He will now...

  Who IS this Man?  (or, “The Lord of the Storm”) Mark 4:35-41  Introduction : We are still in hurricane season in the Atlantic, with another storm forming even now. Hurricane Ian that hit Florida a couple of weeks back made me think of a story reported when another storm hit the state 30 years ago. It was…  …August 24th, 1992. That was when Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. …when that great storm began to bear down on the cities and towns in its path; and the winds were whipping through the streets, and the trees were snapping, and the lights went out, and people huddled together in any place that appeared safe. After the storm had moved up the coast they interviewed a man who slept through the whole thing. The well-rested man said that when he woke up the worst of it was over. His wife greeted her husband a little sarcastically and it reminded me of Alice Cramdon talking to Ralph on the Honeymooners, “Well, Bob you just slept through the greatest natural di...

  Gardening, Growth, and the Kingdom of God Mark 4:26-34 Introduction : One of the pressing questions tied to the Messianic hope of the Jews was the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom. Even after the resurrection the disciples asked Jesus, “ Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? ” (Acts 1:6). An odd question? Shouldn’t they have asked about missions or about the Master’s plan for discipleship or something? Remember, for 40 days after the resurrection, Jesus was appearing to them and teaching them, about what? The Kingdom (cf. Acts 1:3,6)! God had promised David a son who would have an eternal kingdom, and who would also be called the Son of God. In John 1, Andrew found his brother Peter and said, “ We have found the Messiah ! ” (1:41). Later in that chapter, Nathanael expresses his idea of what that means when he says to Jesus: “ You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! ” (1:49). Messiah—Son of God—King.  Those titles were inseparable. That ...