Faith Daily | 2 February 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p 533

O Lord,

you have taught us

that all our doings without love are worth nothing:

send your Holy Spirit,

and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,

the true bond of peace and of all virtues,

without which whoever lives is counted dead before you.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Mark 6: 1-6

He left that place and came to his home town, and his disciples followed him. 2On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him. 4Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ 5And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching.

GOSPEL Reflection: Contributed by: Rev'd Jan

And they took offence at him…. On Sunday Rachel McFadyen preached a terrific sermon on this passage – the Luke version. She explained that whilst this account is told in the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke), Luke’s account omits those words… and they took offence at him. Rachel pointed out that the behaviour of Jesus and the people rests on this ‘crowd mood swing’, from being “astounded” and “amazed” (Luke). In fact, in Luke’s account, they try to kill Jesus, throw him over the cliff.

From the beginning, the person of Jesus was rejected. John’s Gospel’s opening words resonate….

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.

Well, we still do it. His own people – Christians. To accept Jesus is to fully accept all his teaching, and his divinity. Jesus himself said – you are either for me, or against me. There is no such thing as a ‘part time Christian’.

FINAL PRAYER:

A little bit of this…

a little bit of that.

I like what you say Jesus,

some of it is blooming brilliant.

The lilies of the field; the sparrows…

how precious we are to you.

But some is awkward;

you know, the bits about loving everyone

(as if that is possible).

And when you look at people and say…

‘sin no more’. (as if that is possible either).

You are pretty clear we can’t have it both ways.

Choosing when we want to follow your teaching;

choosing when we don’t.

A little bit of this… a little bit of that.

So I reckon the best thing you have promised

is to be with us always,

as in we are never alone.

And loving and forgiving us through

our failure to measure up.

After all, we are only human.

Thank God you know that.

Amen.