Guest Meditations: Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till your returning.
—From the Baptismal hymn, “I Bind Unto Myself This Day”
Perhaps the popular’ view that Mark is the earliest gospel speaking to a persecuted congregation in Rome has been accepted too uncritically. Much in Mark could just as well address Christians who live much later and experience the dulling of commitment to the Church. There are indicators that could point tlater composition. The ending of Mark almost demands the reader’s thorough knowledge of the Christ’s appearance to the disciples and Church growth after that Easter morning of despair. The redundances caused by Mark’s use of Matthean and Lucan wording together, the ordering of material so that when Matthew is not used, Luke is followed, and the omission of material common to the other Synoptics may indicate that Mark is a digest. Such gospels (the Gospel of Peter is an example) appear in the second century, a time when the battle with the Synagogue was less vital (hence little polemic against “Jews”), when the Church’s understanding of self was relatively secure (hence little evidence of internal struggle in Mark’s Community), and when the hope of an imminent Parousia had faded. Wars and persecutions had come and gone as had the centrality of Jerusalem where a temple to Jupiter (“let the reader understand”) had been built by Hadrian who banned People of God from the city. Mark’s narrative dominated, action packed style might have been deliberately employed to rouse an indifferent Community. His rough Greek itself is jolting after the finer koine of the other gospels. —Pastor Bruce Schein
Introduction: In Deuteronomy God promises to raise up a prophet like Moses, who will speak for God; in Psalm 111 God shows the people the power of God’s works. For the church these are ways of pointing to the unique authority people sensed in Jesus’ actions and words. We encounter that authority in God’s word, around which we gather, the word that trumps any lesser spirit that would claim power over us, freeing us to follow Jesus.
Thomas Aquinas, teacher, died 1274: One of the most brilliant and creative theologians in the church’s history, Aquinas worked to bring together scripture and the philosophy of Aristotle. A member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), Aquinas was also a hymnwriter.
Deuteronomy 18:15-20: Today’s reading, part of a longer discussion of prophecy in Deuteronomy 18, stands within a still broader context: an updating of the law for the Israelite community as the people wait to enter the promised land. Here Moses assures the people that God will continue to guide them through prophets who will proclaim the divine word.
Please Pass the Psalter: Psalm 111: A hymn of praise written in the acrostic style. The half lines begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Paired with Psalm 112, with 112 being a wisdom psalm, Psalm 111 is the wise writer’s hymn of praise—teaching by example. Despite the teaching tone of this psalm, 111 is very much a hymn.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13: God’s people are set free by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Customary restrictions no longer apply. Notice, though, that those for whom Christ died find this freedom has limits. The gospel compels us to care about each other.
Mark Mark 1:21-28: The story has barely begun, and already the battle is joined. Jesus sides with humanity against very force that would bring death and disease. These forces recognize Jesus and now what His power means for them. This battle, however, is only the first fight. The war will go on much longer.