Gathering in worship on the next-to-last Sunday of our liturgical year we offered a prayer that our scripture is given to us to help us become wiser in our life as followers of God in the person of Jesus Christ. Our Hebrew scripture and response were taken from first Samuel and recount Hannah’s conception of Samuel and her giving thanks for her son. Her story is one of steadfast resolve and offering thanks when her prayers are answered, regardless of how the answer arrives. Our Epistle was a passage from Hebrews continues the story of how Christ paid everything for our salvation on the day he offered himself, and that when we follow Jesus, we have the assurance that our work focuses on change and hope, not only survival. Our response to our salvation is to gather together and to live a life which sees and hears stories about God to learn more about God. Our Gospel from Mark relates Jesus reminding the disciples that the temple will not be what saves them, rather an active relationship which evolves as needed through greater understanding. The sermon today captured a couple ideas from Mark – that the ways of the past will not be the thing that saves us. We must look for God and Jesus in new people and ways to become more aware of God present in and with us. Like the young boy who led our procession on the spur of the moment, we are called to new opportunities and new places to witness to God’s grace. Who will lead us to our new beginning?
I invite your likes and comments,
Les+
Readings: 1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-8
Listen at: https://audiomack.com/fatherles-2/song/pentecost-26-sermon
