Sunday, January 28, 2018

4^th Sunday after Epiphany (4^th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

The lectionary passages for the Lord’s Day are:

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Psalm 111:1-10
Second Reading: I Corinthian 8:1-13
Gospel Reading: Mark 1:21-28

The liturgical color for the day is: Green

The Gospel of Mark wastes no time in warming up the ministry of Jesus.  Following right after his baptism and call to those first disciples, we are invited to witness a sabbath day in the life of Jesus.  The actions are there—synagogue attendance and teaching.  There also is the swift action of restoration to the one with the unclean spirit.  One view is that we get a glimpse into the life of Jesus early in the Gospel of Mark—Jesus is the one who will live out a clear identity and purpose.  In these verses we come to see that identity in terms of worship, teaching, and “dealing with the tough stuff.”

One frame for describing how Jesus ministers to the man with the unclean spirit is to say that Jesus is willing to “deal with the tough stuff.”  The disruption in the synagogue that day by the man with the unclean spirit lends itself to various interpretations considering the cultural differences we experience.  Be that as it may, the idea that Jesus confronts that which would otherwise be a disturbance with healing and restoration is characteristic of our Lord, and it serves as a mandate for our ministry to that which disrupts us.  What would it mean for us to meet the disruptions in the life of the church with healing and restoration?

It is the one with the unclean spirit who makes the foundational claim of the Gospel: “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”  Perhaps we need the current disruption in the life of the church so that we are disrupted enough to listen for, hear, and welcome that reality that “the Holy One of God” is among us.