most important

Jesus boils it all down for us here...

Mark 12

28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

32 The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. 33 And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”

34 Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

It all comes down to 4 words...

Love God, love others.

LGLO

#1

Psalm 1

 Blessed is the man (or woman)
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

hmmmmm....

All I got this morning...


Mark 10

29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house 

or brothers 

or sisters 

or mother 

or father 

or children 

or property, 

for my sake 

and for the Good News, 

30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, 

brothers, 

sisters, 

mothers, 

children, 

and property;

along with persecution. 

And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.

a word from Paul

In these precarious times, it may be good to remember these words of Paul to the followers of Jesus in Rome...



Romans 14

7 For we don’t live for ourselves 

or die for ourselves. 

8 If we live, 

it’s to honor the Lord. 

And if we die, 

it’s to honor the Lord. 

So whether we live or die, 

we belong to the Lord. 

9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose:

to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

nails it

Jesus pretty much nails it here...



Mark 8

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, (Jesus) said, 

“If any of you wants to be my follower, 

you must give up your self ambitions, 

take up your cross, 

and follow me. 

35 If you try to hang on to your life, 

you will lose it. 

But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, 

you will save it. 

36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world 

but lose your own soul? 

37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 

38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, 

the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person 

when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

twelve

Romans 12 

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”
    says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Psalm 146

Psalm 146

1 Praise the Lord!

Let all that I am praise the Lord.
2     I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
    I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
    there is no help for you there.
4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
    and all their plans die with them.
5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them.
    He keeps every promise forever.
7 He gives justice to the oppressed
    and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
8     The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
    The Lord loves the godly.
9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
    He cares for the orphans and widows,
    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

10 The Lord will reign forever.
    He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord!

laid out

Paul lays it out here for us...

Romans 10

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord 

and believe in your heart 

that God raised him from the dead, 

you will be saved. 

10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, 

and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 

11 As the Scriptures tell us, 

“Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 

12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. 

They have the same Lord, 

who gives generously to all who call on him. 

13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? 

And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? 

And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 

15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? 

That is why the Scriptures say, 

“How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

Paul lays out the means of our connection with God.

But he doesn't leave it there.

He basically says that we are all called to go & share the good news of how this connection can be had be everyone.

He doesn't specify where - it's just about going & "bringing the good news".

keep on...

Matthew 7

7 “Keep on asking, 

and you will receive what you ask for. 

Keep on seeking, 

and you will find. 

Keep on knocking, 

and the door will be opened to you. 

8 For everyone who asks, 

receives. 

Everyone who seeks, 

finds. 

And to everyone who knocks, 

the door will be opened.



I guess all I've got this morning, 

in the midst of this pandemic, 

are these words of Jesus, 

telling us to "keep on..."