Today’s sermon, as Pastor Beth described it, was “fraught with F words”. And each scripture reading and the Gospel were portrayed as examples of “keeping it honest and real”.
The first reading from Genesis shows the fall of Adam and Eve, each finding fault with someone else, fearing being honest with themselves, with each other and with God. They were afraid to be really real. And as for the myth handed down for centuries that females are inevitably at fault…well Pastor Beth finally flattened that foolishness!
In the second reading from Corinthians, Paul is frustrated and without hope that Christ will come while he is still alive. He, too, fears he will not be fulfilled by meeting Jesus. But he focuses his faith and realizes that even though we live with uncertainty and challenges, we do not falter. Because God is faithful…forever.
Pastor Beth’s interpretation of the Gospel from Mark 3 included the words fool, family, forgiveness, fault within ourselves, not my fault, in-fusion, failure, favor, fraud, fragile, fear, un-familiar, faith, forever and finally. By all means, click on the link below to hear how she craftily forms these words into her fine finale!
Today’s take-away: We can reach out in love farther than we think we can. And that’s where Our Father finds us…just being really real.