March 2, 2015

I AM SO BUSTED

Rev. Julia Webb-Bowden

Mark 8:31-38

Scripture Focus: …you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. Mark 8:33

Our reading for today is a very familiar passage from the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus is teaching the Disciples and preparing them for what lies ahead.  Jesus will suffer and die.  Peter, being ever Peter, speaks quickly and with passion.  To paraphrase, he tells Jesus to stop saying these things, ministry is going so well, and this will only bring people down! Jesus responds to Peter with a sternness that is startling; you will not stand in the way of God’s plan!  And to try to do so is not of God.  DANG!   

Jesus focuses his admonition to Peter – you are setting your mind on earthly things.  Think about your daily life.  How often do you find yourself tripped up by earthly things rather than focusing on the things of God?  As I type this devotion, I am chasing the clock as I am about seven days late in turning it in.  I find myself tripped up by the calendar and clock.  When these things happen, what should I do? What should we do?  I am guessing I am not the only person who struggles with where I set my mind.  Let us be gentle and rely upon the grace we have known and know in Jesus Christ. I tend to hear this passage as harsh judgment; perhaps if we hear this odd passage as an invitation “what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” If I can give up control and trust God to provide the way of life, I gain new life in Christ.

Prayer:

Lord, in a season marked by sacrifice, make our sacrifices holy.  May we be willing to give up our old lives focused on earthly things and may we receive full life in Christ.  Amen.