Rev Chris Roth

Job 42: 1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34: 1-8, (19-22); Hebrew 7: 23-28; Mark 10: 46-52 Some of the books in the Bible are designated as “Wisdom literature”. The most obvious book with that designation is the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is a book that gives general guidance about living life. The advice that’s given draws from observation of cause and effect. For example, Proverbs 10:4 says,  “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”  Generally, that is true. If you work hard, you are more likely to be financially prosperous. The prophets will often talk about God’s protection for those who are obedient to the commands of God, and disaster for those who are disobedient to God’s Law. For example, in Deuteronomy 28 we read,  “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth” (28:1).   “However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do ...

  J ob 38: 1-7, (34-41);  Psalm 104: 1-9, 25, 37b;  Hebrew 5: 1-10;  Mark 10: 35-45 There are two psalms quoted in our Hebrews reading. The first is a quote from Psalm 2-  “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” (2:7).  This is a psalm about the king, and scholars believed it was used for the installation of a new king in the line of King David. This Psalm became attached to the expected Messiah. The other Psalm that is quoted is from Psalm 110. Psalm 110 is the most quoted part of the Old Testament in the New Testament. It too was considered a Psalm about the coming Messiah. In Psalm 110, it talks about the Messiah as a king and also as a priest. The letter to the Hebrews says that a high priest is “chosen from among mortals”. So, he is human. He is from the community. He is one of the people. … Priests in the Old Testament worked to create, maintain, and reestablish the divine order. Often this has to do with distinguishing between the holy and the ...

  Joel 2: 21-27; Psalm 126; 1 Timothy 2: 1-7; Matthew 6:25-33 Anxiety has to do with the persistent underlying presence of fear or panic. It’s the presence of worry, unrest, or a sense of danger. Statistics Canada reported that  “the proportion of Canadians aged 15 years and older with a generalized anxiety disorder doubled from 2012 to 2022 … . The largest 10-year increases were seen among young people, particularly young women aged 15 to 24 years, for whom the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder tripled. … [Regarding] social phobia … comparisons with 2002 suggest a fourfold increase in the prevalence of social phobia among young women. ” [1] Statistics Canada is talking about disorders, which generally means a kind of anxiety that significantly interferes with living your life. It is overwhelming and it is chronic. So, we can probably assume that the numbers of people dealing with anxiety without it getting to the point of being a disorder is probably quite a bit hig...

Genesis 28:10–17; Revelation 12:7–12; John 1:47–51 Today we celebrate the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. The topic of angels tends to divide people into extremes. On one end, some people tend to be obsessed with angels, so they read books about angels and try to communicate with them. If you walk through the New Age section in the bookstore you will find numerous books on angels and even tarot cards based on angels. … On the other extreme, some people place angels into the same category as unicorns, faeries, and leprechauns. To them the idea of angels being real is an offence to rationality and science. As we heard from our readings, angels are present throughout the Bible. They also appear in the experiences of the saints throughout history. If they are so present in the Bible and throughout the history of the church we should probably be cautious about denying their existence. But, we should also be cautious to not allow our imaginations to run wild. ...