Today in the Mission Yearbook - ‘Songs in the Key of Resistance’

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Bible Readings for September 30, 2024

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Today in the Mission Yearbook - Synod Schooler who’s 101 is thrilled to be back where she belongs

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Bible Readings for September 29, 2024

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Today in the Mission Yearbook - Presbyterian Historical Society revisits Tucson Indian Training School records

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Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

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Bible Readings for September 28, 2024

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Minute for Mission: Native American Day

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Prayer Requests to be shared during Sunday’s service

On Sunday, September 29, Sligo Presbyterian Church will lift to God the following needs:

• Amy 
• Arnold Bowser
• Barbara Yarchuk
• Betty Milanovich
• Betty Phillips
• Betty Terwint
• Bill Wingard
• Bob Varner
• Bus Clark
• Butch, Betsy's brother
• Butch, Cass's brother
• Charles Truitt
• Chris Sibert
• Corbin
• Dan Kemp
• David Glatt
• Denny Myers
• Duane Quinn
• Eddy Connor
• Elaine Shadiow
• Erik
• Gabe
• Jane
• Jason
• Jeb Rapp
• Jerry Shook
• Jim Mahle
• Jim Mason
• Joann Klamer
• Joanne Over
• Joe Amato
• Jordan Myers
• Justi Smith
• Lana Todd
• Landon & Ezra
• Levi Jack
• Lori Myers
• Margie Henry
• Mary Lou McCormack
• Mason Martin
• Matt
• Michael Curran
• Nancy Wilson
• Nick Shoup
• Patty Divins
• Rick Shadiow
• Robb Summerville
• Robbie Burns
• Ron & Shelly Haines
• Ron Lerch
• Rose
• Rowan Pinson
• Ryan Cornecki & Family
• Tadd French
• Van Watkins
• Velma Stewart
• Wes Summerville
• Zach Schieberl

The Bulletin for the SPC Worship Service - Sunday, September 29, 2024

During the months of September, October and November, we'll discuss the following parables found in the Gospel of Mark:

• September 22 - New Wine and Old Clothes (Mark 2:21-22)
• September 29 - A Strong Man (Mark 3:23-27)
• October 6 - The Sower (Mark 4:1-20)
• October 13 - Lamps and Baskets (Mark 4:21-25)
• October 20 - A Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)
• October 27 - The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32)
• November 3 - Clean and Unclean (Mark 7:14-23)
• November 10 - The Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-11)
• November 17 - The Fig Tree (Mark 13:28-31)

During the service on Sunday, September 29, we'll use Mark 3:23-27 to better understand that parable of strong man. Below is the bulletin for the service. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Roaming through Romans - New Life (Romans 8:1-39)

During the next few months, the SPC Thursday Evening Bible Study will be looking at Paul's Letter to the Romans, the single work that may best offer his theology and ethic. You see, in this letter, he explained to the church in Rome his understanding of human nature, faith, righteousness, and God's intention for everybody. He also offered practical ways we can live as Christians within the world and the church. And as we'll see during the seventeen sessions, what he had to say to the Romans is just as applicable today as it was almost 2,000 years ago. We'll following the schedule below:

• Session 1 - The Reason for the Letter (Romans 1:1-17)
• Session 2 - Human Guilt (Romans 1:18 – 2:11)
• Session 3 - Including the Jews and Everyone Else (Romans 2:17 – 3:20)
• Session 4 - But There's Faith (Romans 3:21 – 4:25)
• Session 5 - Faith and Righteousness (Romans 5:1-21)
• Session 6 - The Living Dead (Romans 6:1-14)
• Session 7 - Sin, Slaves and Spouses (Romans 6:15 – 7:6)
• Session 8 - Sin Remains (Romans 7:7-25)
• Session 9 - New Life (Romans 8:1-39)
• Session 10 - Back to the Jews (Romans 9:1-29)
• Session 11 - But They Rejected Jesus (Romans 9:30 – 10:21)
• Session 12 - God's Ultimate Plan (Romans 11:1-36)
• Session 13 - Now What We Should Do (Romans 12:1-21)
• Session 14 - Obedience and Love (Romans 13:1-14)
• Session 15 - Concern for Brothers and Sisters (Romans 14:1 – 15:6)
• Session 16 - Tying It Up (Romans 15:7-33)
• Session 17 - Personal Greetings (Romans 16:1-27)

During our eighth session, we looked at Romans 8:1-39 and discussed the new life we have in Christ, we're still sinners. The recording of our discussion and the passage we discussed is below.

Romans 8:1-39 [New Revised Standard Version] 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bible Readings for September 27, 2024

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The Scripture for Sunday - A Strong Man (Mark 3:23-27)

During the months of September, October and November, we'll discuss the following parables found in the Gospel of Mark:

• September 22 - Shrunk and Old (Mark 2:21-22)
• September 29 - A Strong Man (Mark 3:23-27)
• October 6 - The Sower (Mark 4:1-20)
• October 13 - Lamps and Baskets (Mark 4:21-25)
• October 20 - A Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)
• October 27 - The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32)
• November 3 - Clean and Unclean (Mark 7:14-23)
• November 10 - The Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-11)
• November 17 - The Fig Tree (Mark 13:28-31)

During the service on Sunday, September 29, we'll use Mark 3:23-27 to better understand that parables of a strong man. Below is the passage in three different translations. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Mark 3:23-27 [Contemporary English Version]

23 Jesus told the people to gather around him. Then he spoke to them in riddles and said:

How can Satan force himself out? 24 A nation whose people fight each other won't last very long. 25 And a family that fights won't last long either. 26 So if Satan fights against himself, that will be the end of him.

27 How can anyone break into the house of a strong man and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can take everything.

Mark 3:23-27 [New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition]

23 And he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.

Mark 3:23-27 [Amplified Bible]

23 So He called them to Himself and spoke to them in [a]parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided [split into factions and rebelling] against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can go into a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first overpowers and ties up the strong man, and then he will ransack and rob his house.

Footnotes

[a] Mark 3:23 Parables ordinarily were used for clarification, but Jesus often used them to hide sacred truths from unbelievers (see 4:11, 12).

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for September 26, 2024

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Today in the Mission Yearbook - Try ‘shalomify’ next time you’re playing Scrabble

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God and His Rebellious Children: A Study of First and Second Kings (The Josianic Reformation - 2 Kings 22:1–23:30)

As we enter the narrative offered in the books of the Kings, the nation of Israel is at the peak of its power and influence. By the end of the story, the children of God have become a captive people, living far from the land promised to Abraham, conquered by Joshua and ruled by David. Join us as we explore Israel’s decline and fall and God’s relationship with his rebellious children. During this series, we’ll consider the following:

• Session 1 - Solomon Takes Charge (1 Kings 1:1–2:46)
• Session 2 - Solomon the King (1 Kings 3:1–5:18)
• Session 3 - The Temple (1 Kings 6:1–8:66)
• Session 4 - The Glory and the Demise (1 Kings 9:1–11:43)
• Session 5 - A Hostile Divorce (1 Kings 12:1–14:20)
• Session 6 - Kings of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 14:21–16:34)
• Session 7 -  Elijah and the Living God (1 Kings 17:1–19:21)
• Session 8 - The End of Ahab (1 Kings 20:1–22:40)
• Session 9 - Jehoshaphat, Ahaziah and Elisha (1 Kings 22:41–2 Kings 2:25)
• Session 10 - Elisha’s Life and Ministry (2 Kings 3:1–5:27)
• Session 11 - Elisha and the King (2 Kings 6:1–8:29)
• Session 12 - Jehu and Joash (2 Kings 9:1–12:21)
• Session 13 - The Dynasty of Jehu (2 Kings 13:1–15:7)
• Session 14 - The Fall of Israel (2 Kings 15:8–17:41)
• Session 15 - Hezekiah and Manasseh (2 Kings 18:1–21:26)
• Session 16 - The Josianic Reformation (2 Kings 22:1–23:30)
• Session 17 - The End (2 Kings 23:31–25:30)

During our sixteenth session, we discussed the reforms made by King Josiah (2 Kings 22:1–23:30). Below is a recording of our discussion and the passage we discussed.

2 Kings 22:1–23:30 [New Revised Standard Version]

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, “Go up to the high priest Hilkiah, and have him count the entire sum of the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people; let it be given into the hand of the workers who have the oversight of the house of the Lord; let them give it to the workers who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house, that is, to the carpenters, to the builders, to the masons; and let them use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the house. But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.” The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” When Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, he read it. Then Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workers who have oversight of the house of the Lord.” Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a book.” Shaphan then read it aloud to the king.

When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary, and the king’s servant Asaiah, saying, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our ancestors did not obey the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” So the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the prophetess Huldah the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; she resided in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, where they consulted her. She declared to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me, Thus says the Lord, I will indeed bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. Because they have abandoned me and have made offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. But as to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. Therefore, I will gather you to your ancestors, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring on this place.” They took the message back to the king.

Then the king directed that all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem should be gathered to him. The king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him went all the people of Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, keeping his commandments, his decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All the people joined in the covenant.

The king commanded the high priest Hilkiah, the priests of the second order, and the guardians of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. He deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who made offerings to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and all the host of the heavens. He brought out the image of Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the Wadi Kidron, burned it at the Wadi Kidron, beat it to dust and threw the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. He broke down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of the Lord, where the women did weaving for Asherah. He brought all the priests out of the towns of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beer-sheba; he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on the left at the gate of the city. The priests of the high places, however, did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but ate unleavened bread among their kindred. He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of Ben-hinnom, so that no one would make a son or a daughter pass through fire as an offering to Molech. He removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of the eunuch Nathan-melech, which was in the precincts; then he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. The altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down from there and broke in pieces, and threw the rubble into the Wadi Kidron. The king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Astarte the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. He broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the sacred poles, and covered the sites with human bones. Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin—he pulled down that altar along with the high place. He burned the high place, crushing it to dust; he also burned the sacred pole. As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount; and he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the festival; he turned and looked up at the tomb of the man of God who had predicted these things. Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” The people of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” He said, “Let him rest; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. Moreover, Josiah removed all the shrines of the high places that were in the towns of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger; he did to them just as he had done at Bethel. He slaughtered on the altars all the priests of the high places who were there, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. The king commanded all the people, “Keep the passover to the Lord your God as prescribed in this book of the covenant.” No such passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah; but in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem. Moreover Josiah put away the mediums, wizards, teraphim, idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he established the words of the law that were written in the book that the priest Hilkiah had found in the house of the Lord.

Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him. Still the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. The Lord said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel; and I will reject this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him; but when Pharaoh Neco met him at Megiddo, he killed him. His servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. The people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father.

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The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, September 22, 2024

During the months of September, October and November, we'll discuss the following parables found in the Gospel of Mark:

• September 22 - New Wine and Old Clothes (Mark 2:21-22)
• September 29 - A Strong Man (Mark 3:23-27)
• October 6 - The Sower (Mark 4:1-20)
• October 13 - Lamps and Baskets (Mark 4:21-25)
• October 20 - A Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)
• October 27 - The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32)
• November 3 - Clean and Unclean (Mark 7:14-23)
• November 10 - The Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-11)
• November 17 - The Fig Tree (Mark 13:28-31)

During the service on Sunday, September 22, we used Mark 2:21-22 to better understand that parables of the old clothes and wineskin. Below is a recording of the service, a recording of the sermon and a copy of the bulletin. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Sunday's Message: The Parables of Jesus - New Wine and Old Clothes (Mark 2:21-22)

During the months of September, October and November, we'll discuss the following parables found in the Gospel of Mark:

• September 22 - New Wine and Old Clothes (Mark 2:21-22)
• September 29 - A Strong Man (Mark 3:23-27)
• October 6 - The Sower (Mark 4:1-20)
• October 13 - Lamps and Baskets (Mark 4:21-25)
• October 20 - A Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)
• October 27 - The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32)
• November 3 - Clean and Unclean (Mark 7:14-23)
• November 10 - The Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-11)
• November 17 - The Fig Tree (Mark 13:28-31)

During the service on Sunday, September 22, we used Mark 2:21-22 to better understand that parables of the old clothes and wineskin. Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Now, this morning, we’re going to start a new sermon series that we’ll be in until the middle of November, one that’s entitled The Parables of Jesus: The Parables in the Gospel of Mark. And I’ll tell you, in a way, this is becoming a fall tradition, because we’ve done the same thing in 2022 and 2023.You see, a couple of years ago, we looked at the parables that were unique in the Gospel of Luke, you know, like the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. And then, last year, we focused on those stories found in Matthew, and I’m talking about parables dealing with women who were both foolish and wise as well as a manager who was both dishonest and shrewd. Now that’s what we’ve done. And this fall, we’re shifting our attention to Mark. 

But before we get into the stories themselves, I think it’s important for us to be on the same page about what a parable is. You see, in English, parable comes from the Greek word παραβολή which means “riddle” or “allegory.” In other words, a parable is a story that generally either explains something that’s pretty hard for folks to understand or that challenges us to do something that may be difficult or uncomfortable for us to do. It’s sort of like what Stephen Kendrick, the writer and producer of the movies Fireproof and War Room said:

Jesus communicated parables to the secular people around him and he used stories that were very relevant to their lives, and He was taking heaven’s truth and packaging it in an earthly context. 

Now that’s what he said, and I think he’s spot-on. And in this series, we’ll be looking at some of those stories that are found in Mark. 

And this morning we’re going to start with two extremely short parables about how Christians should handle the old and the familiar and the comfortable when we’re face to face with the new and the different and the strange. And I’ll tell you, I think this is something with which we can all identify. For example, just this last week, I ran across a meme that I posted on the Sligo Presbyterian Church Facebook page: Dozens hospitalized after new hymn is introduced in church. Now, I thought that was sort of funny, and so did Scott and Ellen. In fact, Scott, you wrote, “Ohhhh I wonder what's coming up Sunday?”, followed by three emojis. Now that was the meme. 

But, you know, whether you find it funny or not, I think it does point to an issue we confront in the church all the time, this tension between the old and the new. Of course, different congregations resolve it in different ways, with some tossing out everything that reflects the past even though there might be a few babies in with the bath water. While other churches simply dig in their heels and keep doing things the way they’ve always been done, you know, to recapture what used to be, even though they also know that those who remember the glory days are getting older and older and becoming fewer and fewer. And still others try to walk that delicate line between the past and the present by creating something that probably won’t send anyone either to the hospital or to another congregation but which, when you get right down to it, may not be all that satisfying to anyone, leaving us with the question: how should we handle the past as we move into the future?

And I’ll tell you, that’s what we’ll be talking about during the first message in this series. You see, we’re going to look at two parables from the second chapter of Mark that, I believe, just might help us figure this stuff out. And to it, we’ll focus on three questions: What did Jesus say? And then, what do the parables mean? And finally, what are we going to do about them? And even though I doubt that we’ll leave with a specific plan, maybe a concept but not necessarily a plan, hopefully, we should have a better understanding of what we might want to do.

Of course, to get there, we’ve got to start by looking at the parables themselves. Now to get an idea about what was happening in the second chapter of Mark, here’s the scene. Jesus was with his disciples, and they were being hassled by a bunch of folks called Pharisees, men who were all about the Law and doing things the way they’ve always been done. Anyway, these high and mighty defenders of tradition were saying that, while some very religious people were willing to go without food as a way to honor God, they couldn’t help but notice that Jesus and his disciple didn’t, something that these Pharisees didn’t like that one bit. But when he was confronted with their questions, “Jesus answered: The friends of a bridegroom don’t go without eating while he is still with them. But the time will come when he will be taken from them. Then they will go without eating.” [Mark 2:19-20, CEV] And then, after he’d gotten their attention, he offered these two little stories. He said, 

No one patches old clothes by sewing on a piece of new cloth. The new piece would shrink and tear a bigger hole.

No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put into new wineskins. [Mark 2:21-22, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said to those fine, upstanding men who were bent out of shape because he and his disciples weren’t doing what they thought they should have been doing.

And I’ll tell you, I think the point of these two stories was and is pretty clear, clear for them and clear for us. You see, first, I think Jesus was suggesting that, as he was doing his preaching and teaching and healing, he was bringing something fresh, something original, something new to the people, something radically different from what they’d had in the past, and because of that, the world was never going to be same again. You see, I believe Jesus understood that he was like the bridegroom who’d come to be with his guests, and he was like a vat of grape juice that was ready to ferment. Of course, this idea that the coming of Jesus was like light shining in the darkness, I’m telling you, I think that’s what Peter understood, when he wrote this in his first letter:

Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on. God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear.

You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while. Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns. [1 Peter 1:3-7, CEV]

You see, when he entered our time and space, Jesus brought something new. In other words, he was like new wine. And I think that’s the first thing we can take from these parables, but that’s not all.

You see, second, in these parables, I believe Jesus was also suggesting that this newness demands change, and I’m talking about, change on our part. In other words, we just can’t force the new life and the new hope that Christ brought, we can’t force this newness into structures and systems that just weren’t made for it. It would be like, what, using an unshrunk piece of denim to patch a hole in your old jeans. Good night, the first time you wash them, you’re going to have a hole bigger than you had before. Or maybe better, it would be like pouring grape juice or sweet cider into containers that aren’t able to expand, you know, like old, crusty, dried up wine skins. I mean, what’s going to happen when that juice starts to ferment and that cider starts to turn hard? The jar’s going to break and the skin’s going to burst and the floor’s going to get wet and sticky. Man, doing that kind thing would be stupid, wouldn’t it? New wine needs new wine skins, because they’re able to expand while maintaining their integrity. And based on what he said in these parables, for Jesus, this also applied to him. In other words, the newness he brought also demands change, a change in attitude, a change in structure, and a change in approach. As a matter of fact, I think it’s the same kind of change Paul understood when he wrote this to the Corinthians:

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. [Corinthians 5:17-20, CEV]

You see, no matter how you cut it, the newness brought by Christ demands change. And for me that’s the second thing we can take from the parables. But again, that’s not all.

Because third, I think these parables also remind us that the old has value. And I’ll tell you, although this point may not be as obvious as the first two, I believe it’s equally important. You see, even though it may be plain that Jesus is like the new wine, and as we all know, new wine demands new wine skins, in the first parable Jesus said that those old clothes should still be patched;  they’re worth preserving and shouldn’t be tossed away. And when he talked about what would happen if you put the grape juice in a dry, inflexible container, he said that not only would the wine be lost, the old wineskins would also be ruined. And that’s a bad thing, because they’re also worth saving. You see, for Jesus, in spite of fact that certain things were going to have to change, what was old still had value, a perspective that the writer of Deuteronomy certainly had in mind when he wrote this:

Don’t forget how the Lord your God has led you through the desert for the past 40 years. He wanted to find out if you were truly willing to obey him and depend on him, so he made you go hungry. Then he gave you manna, a kind of food that you and your ancestors had never even heard about. The Lord was teaching you that people need more than food to live – they need every word that the Lord has spoken.

Over the past 40 years, your clothing hasn’t worn out, and your feet haven’t swollen. So keep in mind that the Lord has been correcting you, just as parents correct their children. Obey the commands the Lord your God has given you and worship him with fear and trembling. [Deuteronomy 8:2-6, CEV]

And so, even though Jesus brought something new and that newness demanded change, the old still has value. You see, for me, that’s what the parable means.

Which now leaves us with a pretty important question, doesn’t it: what are we going to do about it? In other words, how are we going to take what Jesus said and apply it to ourselves? And even though I think it could probably be taken in several different directions, let me briefly share with y’all three ideas that might help us use what we know to shape how we live. For example, since we believe that Jesus brought something fresh and original and new into our world, we can certainly spend some time focusing on his message, this radical and revolutionary good news that has the potential to transform not just our lives but also our communities and our nation and even our world. And since we understand that this newness is probably going to demand that we change certain things, we can intentionally decide that we’re going to be open to both the possibilities and the opportunities. You see, since we’re here not just to enjoy the good news ourselves but to communicate it to others, it doesn’t make sense for us to dig in our heals; instead we need to open our minds so that we can take this wonderful story we’ve been given and share it to the world, using their language, not necessarily ours. Man, we need to open ourselves to the newness. And finally, since we also understand that the past is still important, need to take the very best from a story that’s been around for almost two thousand years and, with help and direction and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, shape it into an outreach that will resonate with folks who know a lot more about Stanley tumblers than wine skins and who are far more likely to place an order than to sew a patch. In other words, because of these two little stories, we can claim the message and shape our mission and celebrate our memories. You see, that’s exactly what we can do with these two wonderful stories. 

Now, I’m not going to stand up here and say that the meme I mentioned a little while ago accurately reflects reality. As a matter of fact, even though it might worry Scott a little bit, I’m pretty confident that a new hymn will not be sending anyone to the hospital. Although I must admit, some of the contemporary music I hear, well, it really does make me feel a little queasy, but then, I’m an old man. Still, that shouldn’t distract me and I’ll tell you, similar feelings shouldn’t distract us from the meaning of these two little parables. You see, thanks to what Jesus said, we can understand that he brought and continues to bring into our space something new and that the introduction of anything new really demands change while at the same time we have an excellent motivation to preserve the very best from the past. And this is something we can do when we focus our attention on the message that Jesus brought and when we open our minds to the mission and when we use our memories to inform our outreach. You see, this we can do, because we’ve heard the parables of the new wine and the old clothes. And next week, we’ll move onto our second parable from Mark, the story about a strong man.