Rev Chris Roth

Proverbs 31:10-31; Psalm 1; James 3:13 - 4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37 I would like to return to the letter of James this week. Again, he continues to talk about wisdom. He says,  “Who is wise and understanding among you?” (3:13).  I think most of us would like to be considered wise, though we know there are many others who are wiser than us. Many of us make political comments and give advice to others, so that is probably some kind of declaration that we think ourselves to be wise in some areas, at least. … What does James have to say to us?  “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom” (3:13). One modern view of wisdom sees the wise person as having a lot of information available to them. Maybe they know how to solve certain intellectual puzzles. But this wisdom doesn’t necessarily have to manifest in their relationships. A person can be considered a wise professor and be on their 6th marriage, with no real relationship with their childre...

  Proverbs 1:20-33; Psalm 19; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38 We have a common theme of wisdom and speaking in our readings today. A priest I know recently posted about the Proverbs from a book he is reading by Ellen Davis- a Theologian and Old Testament scholar. She said,  “What the book of Proverbs under writes is a worldview closer to this motto seen posted over the door of an automobile repair shop: ‘Wisdom is the ability to anticipate consequences’” (Ellen F. Davis “Opening Israel’s Scriptures”).  We see Wisdom laughing at those who didn’t head her warning. James is giving us wisdom today regarding the consequences of how we use our words. Consequences of using words. There is danger in speaking. It’s easy to misspeak, or say things we later regret. …  “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me” We wish this were true, but we know that some of us might rather the person punch us in the gut. Words can sting, and they can sting for years...

  Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23;  Psalm 125;  James 2:1-10, 11-13, 14-17;  Mark 7:24-37 Our Gospel reading today shows us why it is so important to read these passages in their context. It is important to look at what happens before and after our specific reading. … If we show up on a Sunday morning and we just hear this passage about Jesus rejecting a woman who is looking for help for her daughter, even calling her a “dog”, we might rightly be left shaking our head. It is brutal and shocking. Is this Jesus recognizable? This seems totally out of character with the Jesus who praised the faith of the gentile centurion (Matt 8:10), and used the heretical Samaritan as the hero of his parable (Lk 10), and spoke so welcoming to the Samaritan woman by the well (Jn 4). … If we look at the Gospel reading just as a historical document- thinking about this as something written by the Early Church- why would a church that is increasing in Gentile membership write a story that sh...