MAC KIRK

Mark 9/ James 3 What does a servant look like? Someone just like you or me that tries to do God's will, and in the power of the Spirit imitate Jesus, the Divine Son? Could we make theological statements ( Jesus said to them, " Who do you say that I am? "They replied, " You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the kergyma of which we find the ultimate meaning in our inter-personal relationships" And Jesus said, " What?" or would it be just better to go what our Lord , the writers of the Epistles say to us? ---that is the actual words of the Bible. That would be better, than guessing in words of ? Interesting the word servant is actually diakonos...dia- thorougly , konis-dust...in other words, raise up dust , they are moving to serve and minister. They had been talking about who would be the greatest while He had just told them about His Cross, death, and His resurrection. "Then He took a child and set him i

James 2 Henri J. M. Nouwen "When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." Sometimes too preaching can be empty if it is not without Christ and His Spirit, and I too can id with that one as the preacher now and then. Source: Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life " If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find him in the chalice." ST John Chrysostom James was writing to the Jews who had become Christians. 1:1 " to the twelve tribes of the Di

Reflections on faith and good deeds for others James I introduce this by quoting Charles Erdman, " One may be most scrupulous in observing all the prescribed forms of religion, he may give alms and pray and fast as the Pharisees did: he may attend church and sing hymns and observe sacraments; but his religion may still be an empty and vain delusion...." Before we think about some of things which please God, note that the gift of God is faith itself as James says, " every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights...Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." 1:17 This is James' way of saying what we already know, that our faith and birth in the new life is brought forth by God, and not our own efforts. Born of the Spirit is how John says it. 3:5 " except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."