Sunday Homily, January 21, 2018, 3rd Ordinary Time
"Welcome in, Everybody," from Carol Ann & Doug, David & Caroline.
Readings:
Jonah 3, 1-5, 10, The word of the Lord came to Jonah (a fun story)
Psalm 25, Teach me your ways, O Lord
Corinthians 7, 29-31, The time is running out.
Mark 1, 14-20, Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Mother & Daughter, Connie & Jessica. Welcome home, Jessica.
In our first reading, the word of the Lord came to Jonah; he was to call the people of Nineveh to turn from their evil ways.
Our second reading from 1 Corinthians is reminding us what is really important;
be Christ in the world.
Hi, Leo.
Homily: Mike
The first words in our reading from the Mark gospel were a call given by Jesus of Nazareth to follow him to Jerusalem, ‘The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and welcome and live the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Jesus then calls Peter and Andrew and James and John, to leave their nets and follow him, to become fishers of men. It is important to realize that the inspired writers of all four gospels began each gospel with a summary of the important teachings that they had presented within their gospels.
Leo?? Anybody seen Leo around?
Today’s reading is about the enhancement that the early Church made to the sabbath synagogue service of Judaism to form the Christian Liturgy of the Word.
During the Babylonian captivity the sabbath synagogue service began to come into existence, for the Jews were in exile, the temple was a long way off, and it had been destroyed. This service of worship and instruction was implemented and Judaism did survive; its worship and its religious instruction that had been handed down to each following generation had become the glue that held the Jews together.
Welcome to the Choir, Emma. You sing beautifully.
At the time of Jesus of Nazareth, it was a service each sabbath with Psalms to be sung to worship God, a readings that was an expectation from the Law and Prophets for the coming of the Messiah, and a teaching on that same reading given by an elder or scribe, if possible.
With that in mind, listen how our early Church chose to enhance the sabbath synagogue service for the Church’s Liturgy of the Word and show, at the same time, the sacred relationship that would always exist between Judaism and Christianity:
Our Candle Man of The Week, Ben, at work.
In today’s reading, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught, and we are told that by the power and authority of the Holy Spirit he astounded those at the service for his teaching of the Good News was unlike those given by the scribes. The scribe could only give a teaching on the expectation of the passage; Jesus’ words gave a fulfillment of the expectation.
This fulfillment was followed by a spiritual instruction given on the fulfillment [like the one you are reading]. The inspired writers of a complementary parable Story about this enhancement, given in the Luke gospel, put the fulfillment of an expectation on the coming of the Messiah from Isaiah this way: Jesus stood up after the reading from Isaiah in the synagogue service saying, ‘This day these words are being fulfilled in your hearing.’
The Team, Leo, Georgie, Buddy, and Deacon Mike, waiting to share his homily.
Something to think about: Yesterday’s Sabbath Synagogue Service, at one location, began with Hymns and Blessings, and a reading from the Torah from a calendar of readings that stretches over one complete lunar year.
Mike, scoping out the landscape.