Between Sundays for Week of October 14, 2024
Some gospel passages tell a story and end with the words “go and do likewise.” Mark 10:17-31 is not one of those stories. Common interpretations of this text that have developed over centuries in the church have had the effect of flattening and softening the message in order to turn away from what is truly the hardest part of what Jesus says to a rich man who asks him: “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
For those who follow Jesus, regardless of whether we are wealthy or poor, our economic life matters. Our relationship to money matters. Whether we rely on the balance of our bank account to guard us from uncertainty, or we rely on our generosity as a protective device that will earn us God’s favor, or something in between, following Jesus isn’t something that just impacts our minds, or our hearts, or our spirits. It also has a bearing on our resources and how we use them, how we share them, and how we hold on to them. There’s not a formula we have to meet, or a threshold we have to match, but following Jesus means taking into our account our attitudes toward money. To think that we can follow Jesus without also considering our own relationship to money is a mistake.
What Jesus says to the rich man in Mark’s gospel is that his self-reliance on his wealth will not save him. And what he says in response to Peter’s shocked comment that the disciples have left everything to follow him is that their self-imposed poverty also has not saved them.
God alone saves. And through our baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus, we too have inherited eternal life.
Mark 10:17-31 does not command us to go and do likewise. Instead it offers an invitation to be curious and ask questions of ourselves: What is my relationship to money? What do I think money will do for me? How does my life as a disciple of Jesus impact my views on wealth?
Whether we emerge from our self-examination shocked, appalled, grieved, or amazed — all responses to Jesus’ words in this week’s gospel — Jesus continues to look on us with l
P.S. Watch past services on the Share in Worship page of BLC’s website!
P.P.S. Recovery and rebuilding after the devastation of recent hurricanes requires partnership. Learn about Lutheran Disaster Response and support those affected.
Faith Connection at Home
In the Faith Five structure, this week is about Step 4: Pray for one another’s highs and lows.
Praying is simply talking to God. Give thanks for the good and ask for guidance for the problems or challenges. Take turns in your family leading the prayer or write a family prayer together. Another approach is to ask everyone to pray for the highs and lows for the person on their right. End your time of prayer with a familiar prayer like the Lord’s Prayer or a prayer familiar to your family. Include the names of those on BLC’s prayer list or other people you may have encountered during your day. Don’t feel like you will get prayer wrong; go together to God, offering the realities of your lives. The more often we pray, the more natural and authentic prayer feels.
Patty Chaffee
Family Faith Formation Coordinator
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Ponderings
Indigenous People’s Day is celebrated on Monday, October 14. The ELCA’s Truth & Healing Movement is an opportunity for this church to increase our understanding of our colonizing impacts on Indigenous people in the past and present. As a church, we believe that the truth, and our knowing and embracing it, is the first step toward healing for all of us.
Visit the Truth and Healing Movement page to learn more, get involved and share the Truth and Healing movement with others.
