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July 2005 Week 1 Matthew 12:1-14 Dear friends, may the blessings of our Lord be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the healing by Jesus of a man who had a deformed hand on the Sabbath. At this point in the ministry of Jesus, the Pharisees were watching his every move. They weighed everything he did, everything he said. They were watching him and his disciples, carefully charting everything in the hope that they would soon have enough evidence to arrest Jesus. The charge in this passage was that Jesus’ disciples as they walked through a grain field, plucked heads of grain and ate. They charged Jesus and his disciples with breaking the Sabbath law of no work or deeds on the Sabbath, because it was considered a holy day and a day of rest. Jesus responded by reminding them of what King David and his companions had done. This silenced the Pharisees for a moment, until they entered a local synagogue, where Jesus and his disciples had gone. There they saw a man with a deformed hand. They seized the opportunity and asked Jesus a question of whether or not it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Their desire was to catch Jesus performing this deed and add to their growing list of charges to bring against him. Instead, Jesus says to them, "Surely if one of your sheep falls into a pit, you would go and lift it out. How much more valuable a man is than a sheep". Jesus then continues, "Surely it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath". He then healed the man’s hand and it was fully restored. Again this is a reminder of our Lord’s compassion as he encountered those in need, in spite of the apparent consequences that may result. Our Lord’s compassion moved past the barriers of Jewish law. It also moves past our human laws that provide the barriers of healing. Jesus healed and provided restoration for this man. That was his sole objective. Today, we can be assured of this as well. You and I can come to him for all our needs. You and I can be assured our Lord will hear our petitions and answer them. It is in his great love and mercy for us, that he grants this precious gift. Thanks be to God. Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begins with the letter "A". Matthew 12:15-21 Dear friends, may the grace, which our Lord gives to you, be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the description of God’s chosen Servant. Matthew inserts this quote by Jesus of Isaiah 42, because it is his intent to his Jewish Christian community, and to other members of the community, that this Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah, the Chosen Servant of God. Matthew includes many Old Testament quotes by Jesus for this sole purpose. This quote with the passage for today is a confession of faith by Matthew. A statement declaring that indeed Jesus is God’s chosen Anointed. How does this relate to us today? Jesus is the promised Messiah. He comes to his people as a Servant, with the Spirit of God resting upon his shoulders. He comes as Savior of the world, on which the message of hope rests. These are comforting words to us his people. Like those who are addressed in this passage, Jesus searches out the needy, you and me. He offers to all, the gift of love and the love of his Father in heaven. In his love and compassion, he offers the words of forgiveness and hope. Through his act as a Servant, he became obedient to the Father, even to death on the cross. Through this gracious act, the offering of forgiveness comes to us. As forgiven children of God, we now are able to enter into a right relationship with the Father. In essence, we are reclaimed, reconciled to a God who loves us through his Son, Jesus. So this Jesus comes to us. He calls us by our name. He identifies us and draws us unto himself. To each of us, the bruised, he heals. To the discouraged, he brings a message of hope. To the disillusioned, he offers the gospel message of hope. To the sick, the healing and restoration, he offers wholeness. To the sinner, the comforting words of forgiveness and love. This is whom the prophet Isaiah had written. This is to whom; Jesus of Nazareth came as the fulfilled promised Messiah. This is Jesus of Nazareth, our Lord and Savior. Matthew shares these words with us in his gospel. May they bring comfort, reassurance to you this day. Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begins with the letter "B". Matthew 12:22-37 Dear friends, may God’s love be with you this day. Our devotional for today shares the story of Jesus healing a man who was demon possessed, blind and mute. There were many who believed in him because of his wondrous deeds. They asked, "could this be the Son of David?" which was a direct question concerning if he could be the promised Messiah. When the Pharisees saw that many of the crowd were following him, they said, it is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons that he is able to do these things. Jesus recognized the divided community and he responds accordingly, calling for faith and the divine relationship with God. This passage provides the opportunity to begin to understand the complexity of the peoples of the world. There are two significant groups, the people of God and those who follow Satan. The Christian community is the most universal in the world. It is made up of many different peoples. There is no distinction between the races, the age groups, the sexes or languages. Its message is for all people, for every generation. It offers the one remedy for sin, and that is Jesus’ death on the cross. Through this gift, there is no one who is outside the gift of God’s love through his Son, Jesus. At the same time, the Christian community is very narrow. It allows no other way for eternal life, but through the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It permits no divided allegiance. Jesus allows no one to serve two masters at the same time. Jesus declares, either you are for him or you are against him. There is no other god, than the living God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other Savior, than Jesus of Nazareth. There is no other revelation of God, than what is shared through the scriptures. There is no other code of ethics, than the law of God. There is no other way for salvation, except through our Lord Jesus, who declared, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no comes to the Father except through me". Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begins with the letter "C". Matthew 12:38-50 Dear
friends, may our Lord’s message of peace be with you this day. In our passage
for today, Jesus is asked to provide a ‘miraculous sign’. Jesus responds by
declaring, "I will show you". Jesus then described how Jonah laid
in the belly of a fish for three days. Then, he went to So what happened? Many in the generation did not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. They did not believe the accounts of the eyewitnesses of those who had seen him. Even through their religiosity, they refused to recognize the gift God had given them. Throughout the first century, their unbelief tried in vain to destroy the gospel message. They tried in vain, to discredit the resurrection. Paul shares with us in I Corinthians 1, for members of the Jewish community, the cross and resurrection was a ‘stumbling block’ to faith and for the Gentile community, it was considered ‘foolishness’. This ‘stumbling block and foolishness’, is the heart of the Christian message. This is our confession of faith. Our Lord Jesus did overcome death, the grave and Satan for us. This is his victory for us. So how can we explain the world’s refusal to acknowledge the risen Christ? To acknowledge our Lord’s resurrection, is to acknowledge him in our hearts. It is to know that now more than ever; Satan will be active in destroying any evidence of faith. We need to understand, that as soon as we make that confession of faith in our Lord Jesus, we open ourselves to Satan’s attacks. That is why we should remain in constant prayer, asking for the Spirit to instill in us faith and strength, not only for ourselves, but also for those around us. Let that be our prayer this day. Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “D”. Week 2 Matthew 13:1-17 Dear
friends, may hope be with you this day. Our passage for today is the familiar
parable of the Sower. In Matthew’s
passage, we find Jesus beside the lake teaching in parables. Here in chapter
13, begins a large segment of parables in which Jesus discloses the secrets
of the In this first parable in chapter
13, Jesus uses the common experience of a farmer planting seeds in the
fields. A common occurrence, the people who were listening to him, either had
sown seeds themselves or knew the process of sowing from observing it being
done. Here in the story, the farmer spreads the seeds indiscriminately. The
field is wide open. No patch of soil is left untouched. The farmer’s desire
is that there is every opportunity for a seed to sprout, grow and produce fruit.
Some of the seed fell upon the path, some on rocky soil, some amongst the
thorns and some of the seeds fell on good soil, rich and receptive to the
seed’s potential growth. As Jesus finished, he said, "He who has ears,
let him hear". As we read the parable and tomorrow’s explanation to his
disciples, let us pray that we may be open to its meaning and from it grow in
our understanding of the Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letters “E & F”. Matthew 13:18-23 Dear friends, may our Lord’s blessings be with you this day. Our passage for today is Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the Sower to his disciples. This passage follows the parable itself and it is a message about the reception of the word of God. In vs. 23 of the explanation, the one who receives the word, as the seed which fell on the good soil, is one who hears the word and understands it. I think this is the key to understanding the whole parable and also the whole of scriptures. Throughout the gospels, there were clear examples in which the hearers did not understand or accept the message that Jesus was offering. He uses this parable after the questions of what he had earlier said were brought to his attention. These were shared with us in the previous chapters. Because the people did not understand, Jesus shared with them, this simple parable. In the sequence of the parable itself, Jesus shared with his disciples
and the crowd, that the farmer spread the seed on the ground
indiscriminately. In the proclamation of the word, Jesus shares with the
people of This proclamation was received with joy by some the members of the
community. They were the ones who heard and understood the message that he
brought. Others heard it as well, but varying circumstances prevented them
from understanding and accepting the message. They were like the seeds that
fell outside the good soil. This parable also comes before us. We ask the
question, how receptive to the good news are we? Are we recognizing and accepting
this message or are there conditions attached? Let us pray that our hearts
and those in our community may be receptive to God’s word and so be open to
the Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “G”. Matthew 13:24-30 Dear friends, may the assurances
of our Lord’s grace be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the
parable of the wheat and the weeds. This parable of Jesus which only occurs
here in Matthew is a passage which describes the interwoven relationships of
the believers living in the spiritual The scenery in which Jesus and the crowds resided perhaps had this familiar sight. In the surrounding fields, were the wheat plants and the weeds, a plant called ‘darnel’, which was a common weed in the ancient world. The similarity between the plants, made it impossible to distinguish in its early stages of growth. Only as the plants matured, were the distinctions recognizable, especially when the heads of grain begin to appear. It is only natural for the
servants to want to go out into the fields and uproot the weeds. While
uprooting the weeds, may indeed provide extra nutrients for the wheat, there
lies the danger in uprooting the wheat as well. Whenever I read this parable,
scenes of working in the garden always come to mind. Where do the weeds grow?
Their roots seemingly are always interwoven with the tomatoes, or the poor
fragile carrots or beets. Unless one is extremely careful in the uprooting of
the weeds, the vegetable plants come right with them. I remember spraying
weeds in the fields and dad always warning not to get the spray on the corn
or beans, trying to rid the fields of the weeds, especially before they came
to seed. Jesus uses this common illustration to share with his hearers, that
the interwoven relationships of his followers and Satan’s, live together in
this world. He shares a couple of short parables and then privately meets
with his disciples to explain it. We will do the same with our readings on
the Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letters “H & I”. Matthew 13:31-35 Dear friends, may the message his love bring assurances to you this day. Our devotional for today is the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast. These two parables are placed side by side by Jesus and are used to give us an earthly glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. Let us today, look at the opening phrase, "the kingdom of heaven is like...." Do you have a picture in your mind what heaven is like, where there is peace and a life filled with hopefulness? The scriptures do provide for us a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. In the book of Revelation, John describes different scenes in which the faithful will participate in worshipping God. The concept of hope and peace do come to us in Revelation 21, where John describes a place where, "God is with his people. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away". Jesus also uses parables such as these two short statements to describe that promise. The first statement is about the smallest of seeds, which grows into a significant bush. Large in size, it becomes a place where the birds of the air can find refuge and nest. There they can find shelter and can be protected from the elements of weather. In the gift of Holy Baptism, the faith of a newly baptized begins as a small seed within the community of faith. Within the community, there is refuge for the weary and protection from evil. The newly baptized is surrounded by the community, through its prayers and spiritual support. The kingdom is also like yeast, which serves as a catalyst for our faith. It enables us through the power of the Holy Spirit to grow within God’s kingdom. So too, we grow in faith through the teachings of the church. Here, we ask, "Is this heaven"? ` In reality, within the kingdom, God’s faithful people find refuge and grow in his promises. May we indeed pray, "thy kingdom come". Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “J”.
Matthew 13:36-43 Dear friends, may God’s message of peace be with you this day. Our passage for today, finds the disciples alone with Jesus and they ask him to explain the parable of the wheat and weeds. The parable is full of contrasts. Wheat verses weeds. The Son of Man verses the evil one (which Jesus identifies as Satan) which are the sons of the kingdom verses the sons of the evil one. The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man verses the sower of the weeds is the evil one. The harvest at the end of age is both good verses evil. The servants or harvesters are the angels of God. The wheat is gathered and placed into the granary which is God’s kingdom and the weeds are thrown into the fiery furnace and burned. What is taking place in this parable? For his disciples, Jesus identifies the signs of the coming kingdom. He also identifies the characters and their specific roles. Before the last day comes, the faithful sons of the kingdom live within the world. They have been identified as the believers in Christ. They have received the promises of the good news of salvation. Yet in the world, also live the followers of the evil one. In the midst of the night, (the darkness of sin), the evil one plants the seeds of doubt, fear and unbelief into the lives of the people of the world. This becomes the great contrast within the world. Together, they live side by side. Jesus then teaches his disciples what will take place at the end of the age. In the parable, the time will come when our Lord will send his angels and they will harvest the fields. The first to be collected will be the weeds. The unbelievers and followers of the evil one will be harvested and bundled and through into the fiery furnace. There all evil and sin will be consumed by fire and destroyed. Everything that causes sin will be forever destroyed, including Satan himself. Revelation 20 describes this event. Then in a new order of creation, the righteous sons of the kingdom will be drawn into God’s new kingdom. This is described in Revelation 21 and 22. There, we will worship God for all eternity. The fruitfulness of our faith will be fully revealed to God’s glory, for the harvest of the wheat has been completed. Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “K”. Matthew
13:44-52 Dear friends, may
the hope which comes to us from our Lord Jesus be with you this day. Our
devotional for today is the parables of the Hidden Treasure and the How valuable is God’s kingdom for you? These three statements raise an intriguing question. How much are you willing to give of yourself for possession of the kingdom of heaven? The lesson of the parable of the treasure shares with us is that it is worth any sacrifice to enter the kingdom. Difficult you say? Oh yes. Impossible? No. What does that mean? It may mean that we may give up certain elements and ambitions in life. It may mean to accept a discipline and self-denial. It may mean to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. It is indeed worth giving up everything to accept and to do the will of our Father and so enter his kingdom. The parable of the pearl suggests a long careful search. In life’s journey, we are amongst a variety of pearls. There are many different choices in religious faiths for example. There are many different philosophies. However there is one perfect pearl. The gospel message of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ is that perfect pearl. Can we give up "all that we have worked for", to possess the faith that brings us into the kingdom of heaven? The parable of the Net reminds us of pending judgment. Let us pray, that God would so strengthen our faith and our relationship with him, so that we may be a part of that kingdom. Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “L”.
Matthew 13:53-58 Dear friends, may the blessings of
God be with you this day. Our devotional for today takes us to Jesus’
hometown of What would it mean for us, if Jesus’ claim was only that of a carpenter’s son? Would it make a difference to us? Surely if only a carpenter’s son, Jesus could not have fulfilled the Law of God for our sake. He could not have carried the cross for our salvation. The debt of sin would not have been paid. He could not be the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. In essence, there would be no forgiveness, no cleansing from sin, no promise of life or salvation. Thank God Jesus is more than just
the identification as the carpenter’s son. The gospels declare that he is the
Son of the Living God. As the Son of God, he fulfills all the promises given
in the books of the prophets. Forgiveness, life and salvation is given
through the Son of the Living God. In We acknowledge our faith in the
gifts of salvation. It is a full acknowledgment of Jesus of Nazareth. Yes,
the carpenter’s son and the son of the Virgin Mary, is our Lord and Savior.
Let us remember the words of proclamation our Lord gives to us as we learn
about the Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “M”. Week 3 Matthew14:1-12 Dear friends, may our Lord’s grace be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the tragic story of the beheading of John the Baptist. This is a tragic story. Any death is tragic, but perhaps more so and profound when death comes through the executioner’s hands. The news of Jesus’ popularity as a great prophet reaches the ears of King Herod. Herod’s fears are grounded in the possibility of this Jesus is John resurrected. John earlier had warned Herod of his adultery and through that warning, Herod imprisoned John. This passage tells the story as recounted by Herod’s fears. At the hands of a merciless king, John was executed. Now the conscience of Herod raises the question, can this be John come alive to haunt him? Martyrs are individuals who have given their life for the truth of the gospel and for their faith. John proclaimed the message of preparation and becoming right with God. He proclaimed the promised Messiah was soon coming to usher in God’s kingdom. He encountered Herod, proclaimed that truth and was imprisoned. Later in a drunken state, Herod executed him. In the early church, the apostles (except for John who died a natural death) and many other Christians were martyred for their faith and the bold proclamation of the Gospel message of salvation. The church in the fourth century
had established specific days to commemorate the saints who gave of
themselves and their lives for the sake of the gospel. It was a time of
remembrance of the great price they paid and gave for the church. As we
remember the saints, the martyrs of the church, we also remember all the
saints, the believers who have died and are now a part of God’s kingdom. It is
a day to remember those who lived amongst us, family, friends and neighbors,
who have faithfully and boldly proclaimed the witness of the gospel within
the Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “N” Matthew14:13-21 Dear friends, may God’s love be with you this day. Our devotional for today is Matthew’s recording of the feeding of the 5000. This passage is a story that is recorded in all four gospels and is very familiar to us, and needs no additional explanation to its content. Perhaps we can look at the text in our setting as we begin our work in the fields, which in turn provide the food we eat. This passage draws attention to the providential care that our Lord gives to his people. After a long day, the crowd is obviously hungry and in a place where the availability of food is no where to be found. The disciples come to Jesus and he directs them to bring the bread and fish to him. Then he blesses the food and the miracle takes place. The people’s needs are met. They are fed with the miracle of Jesus. How do we look at the providential care we receive from our God? Luther in his explanation to the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed says, "I believe that God has created me and all that exists. He has given me and still preserves my body and soul with all their powers. He provides me with food and clothing, home and family, daily work and all I need from day to day. God also protects me in time of danger and guards me from every evil. All this, he does out of fatherly and divine goodness and mercy, though I do not deserve it. Therefore, I surely ought to thank and praise, serve and obey him. This is most certainly true." In this passage, the simple gesture of the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 provides with us the care God gives to his people, whether small or great. The time has come. Spring has arrived. All the signs of God’s creation are around us. Soon the fields and the gardens will begin to produce the stocks that hold the fruit of the seed. It is God’s way of producing our food which nurtures our bodies. Then as the fruit begins to come forth and we wait for it to ripen, let us be remindful of Luther’s response to the providential care God has provided and give him our thanks and our praise. God bless. Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letters O & P”. Matthew 14:22-36 Dear friends, may the peace of God which come to us from our Lord Jesus be with you this day. Our devotional for today is the story of Jesus walking on the water and the stilling of the stormy sea. Mark and John also include this story, which shows as Jesus appears before them, his disciples are filled with fear and all three gospels record the miraculous stilling of the sea. Only in Matthew, do we find the call of Jesus for Peter, after his request, to come to him and join him on the water. In that sequence, there is an element of truth that Matthew wishes to share with his readers. In this passage, Jesus approaches his disciples. they are filled with fear and cry out to him. Jesus assures them that it is him. Peter speaks and says to Jesus, "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come out to you". Jesus responds, "Come!". Peter is on the water. He is walking toward Jesus and suddenly he sees the waves surrounding him and fear overcomes him and he begins to sink into the water. Fear became the obstacle in Peter’s faith and trust. His fear overcame him. He took his eyes off of Jesus and he began to sink into the water. He cries out, "Lord, save me!" The element of truth here in this passage state, the faith which looks to Jesus only and obeys his word, dares and can do anything. But the faith which begins to doubt "sinks" and runs the risk of failing, if the merciful hand of the Lord were not extended to save. Through the impulsive character of Peter, this story describes one’s own faith journey. In our journey, the wind storms vary. At times they appear as doubt. We like Peter, question the mercies of God. At times, some forgotten sins appear within our consciousness and we question, did God really forgive me and does he still love me? At times a serious sickness or tragic death occurs, misfortunes or failures appear and we begin to question, why? Jesus comes to us, to calls to us and extends out his hand, raises us up from our sinking into our muddled waters. "Come to me", he says. We like Peter, look up into his eyes, focusing our attention upon him and we are saved. We pray, help us Lord, to keep our attention focused upon you in our journey in life. Prayer Concern: Members of
Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “R”. Week 4 Matthew 15:1-20 Dear friends, may the Lord’s gift of hope be with you this day. Our devotional for today shares a passage about expectations of laws and rituals within the Jewish community. Because of a response by the Jewish leaders regarding the observance of these laws, Jesus issues a stern warning. He quotes Isaiah 29:13, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." Jesus uses Isaiah’s passage to describe our age old problem. We naturally attempt to substitute our own natural religion for the revelations of God. We attempt to always make our salvation an accomplishment of our own hands and virtues. We do not want to admit that we are powerless to save ourselves. In this passage, our Lord gives several illustrations in the misuse of God’s law. Here, a son mistreats his parents and neglects the Fourth Commandment. Yet to goes to the temple to absolve his sin by offering a gift. Jesus tells us that we cannot receive assurances when we neglect one law and try to absolve through another. He also tells us, we cannot say, "Lord, Lord", while our minds and our hearts and our actions deceive us. We cannot offer ourselves in service and let our life contradict everything that we may profess. So we ask ourselves, "How can we be faithful in our response to our confession of faith?" Perhaps we can look at it this way. Our Lord became flesh, made under the law and fulfills it for our sake. What God had expected of us, Jesus has completed. The law and all its demands were kept by our Lord for our sake. Under the burdens of the law, Jesus became obedient even to the cross. Through his work of salvation, fulfilling the law and dying for our sake, we became right before our Father in heaven. This gift is ours. It comes to us through an act of love and grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. All that Jesus asks of us, is to believe in him and accept his gracious gifts of promise. May we pray this day that our hearts may know his promises. Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “S”. Matthew 15:21-28 Dear friends, may the blessings of God be extended to you this day. Our devotional for today is the story of faith of a Canaanite woman. It is a story of the victory of faith in the face of adversity. Through her story, we can be strengthened in our faith, that when we face the moments of adversity, whatever they may be, we can be sustained by our faith and our trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. The setting brings us to a new
region of ministry for Jesus. He moves
to a region north of The greatest test in the face of adversity is for patience. A crisis comes upon us and the first response is a cry for help. In extreme emergencies we call 911. The response team comes immediately, even though it seems forever. Our cries to God come just as quickly and probably in our sub-consciousness simultaneously as we dial 911. In our human understanding of time, even moments seem to go on endlessly. The woman in our story was commended for her faith and her persistence in prayer. Her daughter was healed. May we be reminded in faith, of our prayer to God, is a petition for healing of body and spirit and to come to him unceasingly. Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “T”. Matthew
15:29-39 Dear friends, may
God’s gift of grace be with you this day. Our devotional for today is
Matthew’s story of the feeding of the 4000. This story in many respects is a
parallel story to the feeding of the 5000. Yet, there are some distinct
differences. The most obvious is the location of the event. Earlier at the
feeding of the 5000, it was in the region of the In fact, from the previous story of the Canaanite woman and into the next series of stories, Matthew incorporates Jesus’ ministry to the Gentile community, to show his Jewish-Christian readers that Jesus’ ministry was to all people. Just as Jesus in his ministry has broken down the barriers and welcomes the Gentile community into the faith community, so Matthew further attempts to break down the barriers that co-exist between the Jewish-Christian and Gentile-Christian communities in that first century. His sole desire is to declare that this Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Son. He is the promised Messiah and he has died and has been raised from the dead for all people. Matthew attempts then to draw the two communities together into one united faith community. All people, both Jew and Gentile Christians have one common bond, their faith in Jesus. The stories in Matthew’s gospel, like the feeding of the 4000, are classic. They break through the human made barriers of separation. Just as Jesus was instrumental in the feeding of the 4000, so is he instrumental in providing for the needs of all people. He does this by breaking down the barriers that separate us and God. Through him, all people, us included, are now reconciled to God. This story shows that we too can be reconciled as one community of faith in the one who has redeemed us and now sustains us in all of our needs. Thanks be to God. Prayer Concern: Members of Augustana’s family, whose last name begin with the letter “W”. |
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