Monday, January 15, 2024

With you, I am well pleased

Sermon Title: “With you, I am well pleased”

UCCP Maasin City, Southern Leyte

10 January 2021

Texts: Isaiah 55: 1-13; Mark 1: 4-11

Isaiah 55:1-13

55Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no

money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and

without price. 2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and

eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.3Incline your ear, and

come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting

covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4See, I made him a witness to

the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5See, you shall call

nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to

you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has

glorified you.

6Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;7let

the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them

return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he

will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are

your ways my ways, says the Lord.

9For as the heavens are higher than the

earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your

thoughts. 10For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do

not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and

sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word

be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall

accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent

it. 12For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and

the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall

clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of

the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a

memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Mark 1:4-11

4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of

repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean

countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were

baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.6Now John was

clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate

locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than

I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of

his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the

Holy Spirit.”

9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by

John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw

the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.11And a

voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well

pleased.”

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I N T R O D U C T I ON

Good morning. Happy New Year everyone! I’m sure that all of us have

welcome the new year 2021 with thanksgiving in our hearts that even

we traversed the threats and consequences brought about by the

Covid-19 Pandemic, we slowly overcome our fears and strengthen our

faith that God will graciously save us from the perils that lurk within

and outside of our communities.

Once again, I would like to thank all the leaders and members of this

church, the UCCP Maasin City for the gracious opportunity to preach

God’s Word on several services during the Advent and Christmas

Season. I have come to the end of my 28-day holiday break tomorrow,

and on Tuesday, I will be travelling back to Quezon City to resume my

work at the national office. The Office of General Secretary prays for

you to preserve the dynamic unity of the local church, and everyone

will contribute towards the making of a church that is vibrant,

exuberant, and bearing witness to Jesus Christ as Lord of life and

creation. /

Ang Office of General Secretary padayon nga nag-ampo alang kaninyo

aron magpadayon ang aktibo nga panaghiusa niiining simbahan, ug ang

matag usa mag-amot sa ilang mga gasa ug bahandi alang sa paghimo sa

iglesia nga buhi, malipayon, ug nagasaksi sa kamatuoran ni Jesu-Krsto.

O N E

Today, we commemorate the baptism of our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ. This is an integral part of the God’s Epiphany in the person of

Jesus Christ, one of the persons in God’s trinitarian revelation or

pagpadayag sa Dios sa iyang kaugalingon ngadto sa katawhan, sa mga

Judio ug mga Gentil or dili-Judio. Together with the lectionary texts of

the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ is the reading from the book of

prophet Isaiah, chapter 55: 1-13.

The prophet envisioned something new for God’s people, a kind of life

that many of the returning Israelites to Jerusalem after their

disheartening experiences of discrimination in Babylon, however, there

were extraordinary individuals and families who improved their

economic life while working there and waiting for the dawning of God’s

time when they can be liberated and start their lives all over again.

The first few verses of chapter 55 are an open invitation to anyone who

is hungry or thirsty. This reminds us of the market place call to buy.

However, this call is a total contradiction because you can buy without

paying. What is offered is free. The Old Testament contains some of the

most amazing offers of God's love which are parallel to that in the New

Testament.

This vision of God’s offer of food, water, things that constitute the basic

necessities in order to live a decent life in the community may sound

utopian, but this is quite real in the experiences of many poor families

and communities during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ),

when the only way to get food for oneself and for one’s family is wait

for ayuda or food packs and a little cash.

I think this ethical reversal, that is, what is the right thing to do is to

give out food, water and basic necessities in life was based on the

actual experiences of Israelites in Babylon who have been economically

marginalized and those who have achieved economic stability and

sustainability. This means that, returning home to Jerusalem should

proceed with a new way of relating with disadvantaged families and

neighbors.

Overseas migrant workers, either sea or land based, have developed an

interpersonal and inter-family solidarity as a means of overcoming

difficulties in the workplace and become extraordinarily generous as

they contribute substantial amount of donations to their organization,

to the religious group to which they belong and extend soft loans to

their fellows who have been in financial woes. This is beyond usual

solidarity and concern for kapwa manggagawa.

But what about the behavior of migrant workers when they return

home? Traditionally, those who have worked overseas would bring

home expensive liquor, chocolates for the kids, and other kinds of gifts

as peace offering to family and friends. I guess this has changed in the

last decades when precious savings are not wasted on expensive gifts,

but offer a thanksgiving service perhaps and donate to charities and

alumni organizations and others, that would somehow express their

membership in organizations or religious group.

The overseas migrant workers have significantly contributed to the

economic development of their families, communities and the nation as

a whole. But overseas employment remained precarious, and the State

should reverse the policies on migration and development, and that is

not just giving the OFWs ayuda, but make a reversal of economic

policies that are inspired by the biblical and ethical principles that

would eradicate the gap in the economic life across socio-economic

classes in society.

T W O

Moreover, following the invitation to come to eat and drink without

payment, is the renewal of the covenant promise which had been made

with David. This renewal of promise or comprehensive agreement looks

as though a certain historical juncture of the Davidic line has ended in

exile. It is in fact being examined in the light of the new historical

circumstances and has been expanded beyond the elite Davidic line to

include the whole of Israel. The everlasting covenant is with the whole

people of God.

I am amazed at how the prophet provided the configuration of the new

covenant with God’s people and not just with the elite leaders or

monarchy of Israel and Judah. There were required actions and attitude

that God’s people are expected to exhibit as they start building the new

socio-economic systems. The guideposts for this is to ensure the

egalitarian social life for the many, justice is institutionalized and peace

is the result of the forsaking of the evil thoughts of the leaders and the

members of the community, e.g. their arrogance and greed that led to

their downfall as a nation.

Isn’t that we always underestimate the power of God to change the

course of history? We used to think that our thoughts are higher that

God’s thoughts. We thought God will always bless us and take side

with our interests, resulting in taking advantage of our fellow members,

or demeaning the church workers for flimsy reasons like their English

language ability is imperfect, or their sermons are below our

expectations, or their assertiveness to correct matters in the church

seem confrontational. Aren’t these thoughts unbecoming? We would

like to let them pack their things and go, for we say, “anyway, pastors

come and go”, instead of listening to each other, threshing out

differences in opinion and levelling-off perceptions. God’s thoughts are

higher than ours.

When we are prejudiced with our church workers or even with our

poor and struggling church members, we violate God’s command to

love God with all our heart, mind and soul and our neighbor as

ourselves. We cannot discern the frustration the church workers who

have to endure the anguish they experienced because they were not

respected. Worse, is to put the blame on the church workers for

frustrating the vested political and economic interest of the “powerful”

in the church.

God has God’s own way of making sure that God’s will for a just and

peaceful nation will not return to God like vanishing thin air. God will

make sure that those who usurp God’s power will not see the dawning

of a new dispensation. Our church from the local, conference and

general assembly levels need new ways of relating and our personal

vested interests must be subsumed to the holy will of God in Jesus

Christ.

The Covid-19 Pandemic with its cost to the lives of ordinary people and

the consequences in the life of our Christian communities, has

somehow level-off everyone—all persons can be infected by the virus

and can get seriously ill and pass on to the great beyond. Tanan nga tao

nahadlok matakdan sa virus, ug tanan nga paagi sa pag-amping sa

atong ikaayong panglawas atong ginahimo.

The prophet keeps reminding us that the Hebrew word nephesh or

'soul' refers to the whole being and not some separate part within the

human being. Through moral and ethical relationship with God, one

finds the fullness of life. In the reversal of the socio-economic systems

that God intended for God’s people, there is a need for a re-

understanding of historical experiences and how the quality of life that

God has given to human beings had been violated due to negligence of

taking care the vulnerable people in our society and those in the

nations around the world.

T H R E E

Finally, we touch down into Jesus Christ’s baptism at the Jordan River

by John the Baptist. In the Hollywood movies that we have seen, such

as “The Last Temptation of Jesus,” and few others, Jesus went to the

Jordan River, where his cousin John baptized women and men with the

repentant baptism. In the Gospel narratives we hear that John the

Baptist introduced Jesus to the crowd who were gathered at Jordan to

listen to his preaching about the imminent coming of the kingdom of

God. People came from the surrounding rural villages of Judea and

even from Jerusalem were subsistence farmers and marginalized

shepherds were baptized.

John the Baptist’s declaration that he will baptize them with water,

Jesus, on the other hand will baptize them with the Holy Spirit. I believe

this announcement was new, because predecessors of John did not

mention much about the Holy Spirit, aside from the strong wind that

animated the dry bones as prophet Ezekiel prophesied or in creation

story when God blew his breathe on the first woman and man.

Jesus’ ministry had been associated with the life of the those who were

called “sinners” such as the tax collectors, the poor peasants, and those

who came to for baptism at Jordan River were of their kind or social

background. Jesus asked John to baptize him, a sinner’s baptism,

although he did not sin. Jesus’ baptism revealed that indeed he is God’s

beloved child as the voice from heaven declares "You are my Son, the

Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

This Jesus from Galilee is the Son of God, the Messiah? Most of Jesus'

contemporaries rejected this claim. Certainly, the religious and political

establishment of the day ridiculed the claim and condemned Jesus to

death on a cross. A claimant to the throne of power should be

eliminated. Even his own disciples wondered what kind of messiah he

was turning out to be.

The disciples were in disbelief that the Messiah that God has sent to

the world will die a most horrid death. Peter's protest when Jesus

began telling him and the other disciples that suffering and death

awaited him (Mark 8). No one can accuse Jesus or God of acting in

conventional or expected ways! A messiah cannot die, was the long-

held perspective of the day.

We find here the mystery of God's ways in the world. At the same time,

we can discern that the conventional way of political and economic

control is to kill the challenger, more so make his claims unpopular and

make him a fool if not, a subversive or terrorist. Jesus’ and Mark's

Christian community believed a claim that nearly everyone else laughed

at. Paul said that the cross was foolishness and a stumbling block (1 Cor

1:23). It still is.

Yet, paradoxically, it is also the power of God for salvation. How can we

continue to live out our Christian faith today in a society that is

increasingly skeptical and apathetic toward the gospel? There is one

10 JANUARY 2021—SERMON--HERNANDO FRANK 9

way: to depend on the power of the gospel offered to us through the

life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

When the circumstances of life all around us raise unsettling questions

about the validity of our faith claims, let Jesus be our paradigm of

perseverance in the face of doubts and questions. As John the Baptist

testified, it is this Jesus who is able to baptize with the Holy Spirit. To

submit to the baptism of the Holy Spirit administered by Jesus means

that we find in him the resources that enable us to remain faithful

when the odds are against us. 1

God declares in the voice from heaven that Jesus is the one in whom

God is well pleased. That points to Jesus as the suffering servant, and it

was the one thing that Jesus needed to keep him focused on his

mission in the midst of the ridicule and opposition that he would face.

I believe that as Christians, we believe in the saving grace of God

through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Most of us have been baptized as

infants or as adults. We were nurtured in the understanding that

baptism, or the use of water as the sacred symbol of cleansing from sin

enables us to restore our relationship with God.

In infant baptism, it is the faith of the parents that ensures that the

child baptized into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is

nurtured and grasped by the child as he/she grows into maturity. It is

also an act of initiating the child into the community of faith, such as

inclusion into the communicant membership of the church through the

local church or parish. Baptism for adults is understood as a visible sign

of metanoia or repentance from sin to righteousness before God.

1 Dennis Bratcher. http://www.crivoice.org/lectionary/YearB/Bepiphany1nt.html

10 JANUARY 2021—SERMON--HERNANDO FRANK 10

As members of the body of Jesus Christ, we have been baptized into his

life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection. Our membership in the

church is not just a privilege, but entails responsibilities that enables

the entire constituency of the church to grow and mature in the

likeness of Jesus Christ. When we assume responsibilities and duties in

the church, we ought to be motivated by our faith in God and

empowered by the Holy Spirit, so that the unity of the church will

flourish and collective life of the church resembles the dawning of the

kingdom of God in our world.

P R A Y E R

Loving God, we thank God for reminding us of Jesus Christ’s baptism.

We learn that in his baptism, he was your beloved Son with whom you

are well pleased. We may not reach Jesus’ level of commitment and

dedication that his baptism commissioned him to live out, yet we ask

for discernment of how we can be compassionate in our relationships

in our families, our church and our communities. May we participate in

the reversal of values, in moral and ethical norms so that we may

enhance the growth of the kingdom of love, justice and peace that

Jesus Christ has inaugurated.

For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and

the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field

shall clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to

the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

(Isa. 55: 12-13). Blessings of love, joy and peace to you all. Amen.

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Reference: Anna Grant Henderson. http://otl.unitingchurch.org.au/index.php?page=saiah-55-1-

9

Context of Isaiah 55:1-9

So much of Isaiah 40-55 addresses Zion in personal terms and this is the case in

Isaiah 52 in which Jerusalem's freedom is announced and that as they were sold

for nothing so they will be redeemed for nothing. Pure grace. The response to this

action of God for Jerusalem is an outbreak of joy and the action of the exiles is to

leave Babylon and return to their homeland.

Following this is the last of the Servant Songs in Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12. This so called

'song' gives the extraordinary picture of the suffering of a person who will be

vicarious on behalf of others. We are not told the identity of the servant and

because it has become so identified with Christ we may not even consider that it

referred to a person from olden times. One wonders why it comes after such a

positive picture of redemption in Isaiah 52.

Isaiah 54 continues the positive picture of redemption taking the negative aspects

and turning them into positive images, for example, their widowhood is now

marriage with God as husband (Isaiah 54:5). The Lord's speech in Isaiah 54:7-8 is

quite beautiful and the promise made to Noah after the flood is reconfirmed.

Our lectionary reading is in the last chapter of this block of Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55)

and ends with the strong statement that when God's word goes out it will achieve

its purpose. A statement of hope. As Isaiah 40 began with the call for the exiles to

return to Jerusalem so the book ends with the statement that it will happen.

Insights/Message of Isaiah 55:9-12

Literary Insights:

In looking at the structure of this chapter we find a pattern in which there is

invitation (Isaiah 55:1-3a), and promise (Isaiah 55:3b-5).This pattern with some

expansions is repeated in the second half of the chapter which suggests the

chapter needs to be read as a whole. Verses, 8,9 and 10 all begin with the word

'for' which connects us back to vv.6-7; the imperative to 'seek' and the jussive to

'return' are supported by vv.8-10 because the qualities of God which are listed

make it a must. Another promise encloses this invitation (v.11) and the

connecting 'for' gives the rational for them to leave Babylon and return to

Jerusalem.

The imperatives in vv1-7 give a sense of urgency and the unconditional promises

are all seeking a response which is spelled out in vv.12-13. They are to leave and

return to Jerusalem. As the focus in the prologue was a call to return so what may

be classified as the epilogue (Isaiah 55) ends with the same focus.

In v.4 and 5 the there is a twofold 'Behold' in which the first looks back to the old

covenant with David and 'Behold' in 5a looks forward to a new covenant. The

'you' who is addressed in v.5 is not named and various suggestions have been

made for the recipients of the message. The most likely people are those in exile

who were the original hearers of the message. The theology expressed in it is

similar to that in other places in Isaiah 40-55, that is, nations will come to

Israel/Jerusalem because of what God is doing through Israel.

Message / Theology

It is an open invitation to anyone who is hungry or thirsty. It brings reminders of

the invitation in Proverbs 9:5 or even of the market place call to buy. However,

the last line of v.1 is a total contradiction because you can buy without paying.

What is offered is free. The Old Testament contains some of the most amazing

offers of God's love which are parallel to that in the New Testament.

Following the invitation to come to eat and drink is the renewal of the covenant

promise which had been made with David. This promise which looks as though it

has finished with the end of the Davidic line in exile, is in fact being expanded

beyond the elite Davidic line to include the whole of Israel. The everlasting

covenant is with the whole people of God. It is worth reminding ourselves that

'soul' in the Hebrew world refers to the whole being and not some separate part

within the human being. Through relationship with God one finds the fullness of

life.

However, they have to seek the Lord: we have to turn to God to find the life that

is offered. A reminder follows that God is indeed larger than we can ever imagine

(vv.7-8). This is quite consistent with the writer of Isaiah 40-55 who uses the

theological point of God as creator to remind us that we are not God, but the

creation of God. Verses 10-11 use the imagery of creation to tell us how God is

consistent and faithful as is the rain and snow. Verse 11 again takes us back to

10 JANUARY 2021—SERMON--HERNANDO FRANK 13

Isaiah 40:8 in which the word of God is powerful and will always accomplish its

purpose. It is this assurance that God will be with them and that God will

abundantly pardon, which is used as the basis for the message calling them to

return to Jerusalem. The whole of Isaiah 40-55 is a profound statement of the

power and majesty, compassion and forgiveness offered as a foundation for them

to trust in the call of the prophet.

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Reference: Dennis Bratcher. http://www.crivoice.org/lectionary/YearB/Bepiphany1nt.html

First Sunday after Epiphany

Baptism of the Lord

January 13, 2019

Readings for the Second Sunday of Christmas may be used as alternate readings

for this Sunday.

Psalm Reading OT Reading Epistle Reading Gospel Reading

Psalm 29 Genesis 1:1-5 Acts 19:1-7 Mark 1:4-11

Epiphany is always observed on January 6, which usually falls on a weekday. Since

many church traditions that follow the lectionary do not have weekday services,

they observe Epiphany on either the Sunday before or following January 6. The

Readings for Epiphany can replace the regular lectionary readings on either

Sunday to observe Epiphany.

Commentary on the Texts

Genesis 1:1-5

There is no Lectionary Commentary for this reading, but there is available a

Voice Bible Study on Genesis 1:1-2:3

Mark 1:4-11

The lectionary reading from Mark for this Sunday includes a paragraph that was

also part of an earlier lectionary (for commentary on Mark 1:4-8a see Year B,

10 JANUARY 2021—SERMON--HERNANDO FRANK 14

Advent 2). The focus of the comments given below is on verses 9-11, the story of

the baptism of Jesus.

The vague time reference, "in those days," or more literally, "it came to pass in

those days," is not common in Mark. Mark may have adopted this phrase from

the OT to introduce in a more dignified manner an auspicious event in history, the

story of Jesus.

That Jesus was baptized by John has a strong probability of historical authenticity-

-why would the early church want to invent such a story? When we compare

Mark's account with the the other gospels, we can see very quickly that the early

church attempted in various ways to deal with the theological dilemma posed by

the fact that Jesus, the sinless Son of God, comes to John for a baptism that

signified repentance. How is it that John, a mere human, baptizes the Son of God?

Matthew says, "John would have prevented him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by

you, and do you come to me?'" (3:14). In Luke John's imprisonment is recounted

before the baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:19-21). In the Gospel of John the story of

Jesus' baptism is omitted altogether in spite of the fact that the narrative setting

of John the Baptist is prominently presented (1:19-34; 3:22-30). Mark, however,

exhibits no sense of theological embarrassment as in Matthew, Luke and John.

How then does Mark understand the baptism of Jesus? Since John was

"proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Mark 1:4), how

is it that the sinless Jesus submits to John's baptism? Did this paradox not occur to

Mark as it did to the other gospel writers? Or did Mark have something else in

mind?

These verses introduce the person of Jesus for the first time in Mark's narrative.

There is a language shift from the preceding story of John the Baptist. In the

earlier story (vv. 4-8) Mark presented John and his ministry in earthly, human

terms--•his clothing, his diet, and his use of water for baptism. The people who

came to be baptized confessed their sins.

Now the account of the baptism of Jesus takes on cosmic proportions: the

heavens are torn apart, the Spirit descends like a dove, and a voice comes from

heaven. But significantly, Jesus is not transported into a safe heavenly realm. In

the temptation account in the very next narrative section he begins his battle with

10 JANUARY 2021—SERMON--HERNANDO FRANK 15

Satan, the personified head of the powers of evil. The eschatological age has

dawned. The final battle has begun. Mark implicitly tells his readers that the

baptism of Jesus is not the same as the baptism of all the other people.

Historically, the reason Jesus came to John for baptism was that he was attracted

to his message and ministry and may have even become his disciple. At least the

Gospel of John seems to imply that (3:26; 4:1). But Mark and the other evangelists

make it clear that the baptism of Jesus took on a significance that went far

beyond John's work. In the baptism of Jesus the final age of history was about to

dawn. The kingdom of God was being inaugurated.

Mark tells us that as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens

torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him (v. 10). When Mark says

that Jesus "saw," did he mean that this was a vision? Or, was it an objective

phenomenon observable by anyone? It is hard to say. There is no indication in

Mark that anyone else saw it. The question is raised perhaps because of the

modernist distinction between what is real and what is not. The philosophical

assumption of modernity tends to view a vision as a subjective experience with no

anchor in reality, whereas an objective phenomenon is real because it is verifiable

by others through the scientific method. That kind of distinction did not occur to

biblical authors.

Mark is describing something that cannot be easily classified as historical or

unhistorical, real or unreal, objective or subjective. Here is a theological

affirmation that God was inaugurating something new in history. This is not

merely a chronicling of historical facts. It is a faith affirmation that God was

beginning to act in the person of a historical person, Jesus of Nazareth, all of

which is described in pictorial, cosmic language involving the tearing apart of the

heavens, the descent of the Spirit as a dove, and a voice from heaven.

When biblical authors say that the heavens were torn apart, it is their way of

indicating that a theophany or a revelation of God was about to take place. In

Isaiah 64:1 the prophet expresses a prayer-wish to God and says, "O that you

would tear open the heavens and come down." Ezekiel describes his experience

of God in similar language when he says, "The heavens were opened, and I saw

visions of God" (1:1). When the Sanhedrin questioned Stephen just before his

martyrdom, he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at

the right hand of God!" (Acts 7:56).

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What is remarkable about Mark's wording of the heavens being opened is that

unlike the other Gospels, Mark uses the Greek verb schizō, which means "to tear

apart," instead of the normal verb that means to open. Something emphatic is

taking place here. What is even more remarkable is that the same verb is used

again in Mark 15:38, the only other occurrence of it in Mark, where at the death

of Jesus the veil of the temple is torn apart from top to bottom, indicating

another emphatic and even violent manifestation of God. Thus at the beginning

and at the end of the ministry of Jesus God acts in a decisive way in and through

Jesus.

" . . . and the Spirit descending like a dove on him" (v. 10c). The Greek preposition

literally means "into"--the Spirit came down into him. It was important for Mark

to point this out because later Jesus would be accused of being possessed by

Beelzebul, the prince of demons (3:22). The reader is thus prepared to see the

utter falsity of that accusation. Not only that, but Mark is also demonstrating the

validity of John's announcement that the one coming after him would baptize

with the Holy Spirit (v. 8b) because he himself is endowed with the Holy Spirit.

The voice from heaven says, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well

pleased." At least three Old Testament texts are echoed in this statement. "You

are my Son" clearly comes from Psalm 2, which is a royal psalm. The psalmist asks

a rhetorical question as to why the nations of the earth are conspiring against the

king of Israel, the Lord's anointed. Their plots are all in vain because the Lord

laughs and has them in derision. He will "terrify them in his fury, saying, 'I have

set my king on Zion, my holy hill.'" We hear next the words of Israel's king who

says, "I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, 'You are my son; today I

have begotten you.'"

In using this short statement from Psalm 2, the voice from heaven establishes

Jesus as the anointed of the Lord, the king of Israel. That too will be important in

the Markan narrative when Jesus is at trial and is asked by the high priest, "Are

you the Messiah (which means the Anointed One), the Son of the Blessed One?"

(Mark 14:61). When Jesus answers in the affirmative and adds, "You will see the

Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of

heaven," the high priest tears his clothes in a dramatic gesture of shock at what

appears to him to be a blasphemy. The reader knows that this is no blasphemy at

all, for at the beginning of his ministry Jesus had been affirmed as God's beloved

Son with a divine attestation from heaven.

It is not certain whether the next phrase in the heavenly voice, "the Beloved," has

a specific Old Testament reference. Some have suggested that there may be a

reference here to Genesis 22:2 where God tells Abraham to "take your son, your

only son Isaac, whom you love" and offer him as a sacrifice. If the Isaac reference

is in view, it would easily fit Mark's story of Jesus. Just as Abraham bound his

beloved son and prepared to offer him as a sacrifice, so also God declares Jesus to

be the beloved Son who would indeed offer himself as a ransom for many (Mark

10:45). Again, Mark wants his readers to know that Jesus is the beloved Son even

when the whole political and religious establishment of the day would reject him

and condemn him to death.

The adjective "beloved" occurs two more times in Mark. In the story of the

transfiguration the heavenly voice speaks a second time and announces, "This is

my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" (Mark 9:7). Exactly what it is that the

disciples must listen to is not spelled out by the voice, but what comes next

clarifies that ambiguity. Immediately after the transfiguration Jesus tells his

disciples about his impending suffering and death. Thus one more time the term

"beloved" is placed in the context of the death of Jesus.

The final occurrence of "beloved" in Mark is at 12:6 in the parable of the Wicked

Tenants. The vineyard owner had been sending servant after servant to collect his

share of the produce, but the tenants had mistreated them and even killed some

of them. Mark's wording of the next part of the parable is noteworthy (Mark 12:6-

9):

He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They

will respect my son.' But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir;

come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him, killed

him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

The term "beloved" is once more used in the context of rejection, humiliation and

death.

The final clause in the heavenly voice, "with you I am well pleased," clearly comes

from one of the servant songs of Isaiah where God says that his soul delights in

his servant Israel (Isa 42:1). Mark's story of Jesus seems to hark back to the

suffering servant of Isaiah 53 at several points, such as the ransom statement of

Jesus in Mark 10:45 and the words of Jesus at the Last Supper (Mark 14:24). The

heavenly voice at the baptism of Jesus clearly affirms Jesus as the beloved Son of

God and a suffering servant who would give his life for others.

It appears that Mark sees in the heavenly voice a merging of two declarations:

Jesus is declared to be the anointed messiah, the Son of God, and at the same

time he is the suffering servant in whom God has delighted. The rest of Mark's

gospel will largely play on these two themes. Jesus is the powerful Son of God

who has come to proclaim the kingdom of God, perform mighty miracles, heal the

sick and cast out evil spirits. Yet he will die in utter weakness, humiliation and

suffering. Mark prepares his Christian readers for such a scandalous outcome by

reminding them at the very beginning and throughout the gospel that the One

who would be so shamefully treated and executed has already been confirmed by

God as the beloved Son who brings delight to God.

Preaching Paths

This brief account of the baptism of Jesus may be developed in several ways for

preaching purposes. One possibility would be to accent Mark's perspective of the

event, namely that Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, the One without sin, comes

to John to receive a baptism that signifies repentance from sin. Even though he

had no sin to confess and of which to repent, he nevertheless seeks John out and

is baptized by him. Jesus does this partly because he wants to affirm and identify

with the ministry of John. In that sense Jesus identifies not only with John and his

ministry but also with all of humanity. The words of Isaiah 53:12 come to mind:

"[He] was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many."

Throughout his ministry Jesus sought out and associated with people whom the

religious elite considered undesirable outcasts and was criticized for such

conduct. Sometimes one must choose a course of action whose outward

appearance may be entirely different from the inner reality. Yet to be in accord

with the purposes of God one must risk the possibility of being misunderstood or

even maligned. Jesus embraced the ministry of John even though his own self-

understanding and the direction of his ministry would be different from that of

John. In Matthew's narrative, Jesus puts it this way in response to John's

objections: "It is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness" (3:15).

Situations and institutions in which Christians may be involved do not always

represent what is ideal. Idealists sometimes have difficulty to deal with the

realities of the social world in which we live. Involvement in anything less than an

ideal institution seems to them to be a compromise. Unfortunately we do not live

in an ideal network of relationships, social settings and institutions. The reason

Jesus associated with "sinners and tax collectors" was not that he approved their

conduct but because, as he put it, "Those who are well have no need of a

physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but

sinners" (Mark 2:17).

The call to righteousness and holy living may very well involve us in situations and

associations that seem less than holy or righteous. A Christian may work for a

corporation that on the whole is decent and proper. Yet some of the practices,

policies or persons of the company may not be one hundred percent consonant

with Christian ideals. What is one to do? Jesus accepts John's baptism even

though the ministry of Jesus himself will go in a different direction than John's. In

fact, it was this very thing that caused even John himself, when in prison, to have

some doubts about Jesus. He sent messengers to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one

who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" (Matt 11:3).

There is a message here not only for individuals living out the Christian life in the

world, but also for the church as the body of Christ being present in the world.

Should the church debunk everything in the world that is not part of the social

fabric of the church? Or should it accommodate itself to the values and priorities

of the secular world? The struggle is how to be in the world and yet not of the

world (John 17:14-15).

One may even take this a step further and speak of the differences that exist

among denominations. To be committed to the distinctive tenets of our own

tradition does not mean alienating ourselves from the larger body of Christians,

even if we might have disagreements with some theological traditions. While we

must be committed to our own identity and mission as a denomination, we are

also privileged to celebrate our oneness with the whole body of Christ, the church

catholic. This would be in keeping with the spirit of Jesus who accepted the

10 JANUARY 2021—SERMON--HERNANDO FRANK 20

baptism of John and yet his own mission and ministry went in a different direction

than John's.

Another path for preaching may be present in the account of the cosmic

phenomena occurring during the baptism of Jesus. Mark describes a divine

theophany at the level of human history. That is, God enters the stream of human

history. Even though it is only Jesus who "saw" these phenomena, Mark in effect

is affirming them as a faith declaration. The eyes of faith see God at work when

natural eyes see nothing. God is acting in this world even when it does not appear

to "objective" observers that anything is happening.

Dare we believe it? What if we are misguided? What if it is merely our own

wishful thinking, hallucination or delusion? That of course is the risk of faith, the

leap of faith. Jesus enters into his life of service with the firm conviction that he

has been set apart by God for such a vocation. Mark writes his gospel with the

conviction that in Jesus Christ God has begun his final act in history. Some may

scoff and say that they are misguided fools swept away with their own delusions.

A faith perspective dares to believe that the world is the arena where God works

even if no outside observer can verify such a thing by the scientific method.

Science has brought us many beneficial discoveries. This must not be an

opportunity to debunk science. At the same time, we must recognize that science

has its limits, as many scientists themselves acknowledge this. The life of faith

cannot be entirely brought under the scope of the scientific method, as post-

modernism points out. God the creator is greater than human attempts to

understand the workings of creation, as legitimate as such attempts may be.

A third possibility for preaching, and perhaps the one most central to the text, is

the voice from heaven that declares, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am

well pleased." Here we have two, possibly three, OT texts being applied to Jesus

and thus opening up a path for preaching. Using the words of Psalm 2, a royal

psalm, the voice declares that this Jesus is the Son of God, the expected royal

Messiah coming from the house of David. What a daring claim! This Jesus from

Galilee is the Son of God, the Messiah? Most of Jesus' contemporaries rejected

this claim. Certainly the religious and political establishment of the day ridiculed

the claim and condemned Jesus to death on a cross. Even his own disciples

wondered what kind of messiah he was turning out to be. Note Peter's protest

when Jesus began telling him and the other disciples that suffering and death

10 JANUARY 2021—SERMON--HERNANDO FRANK 21

awaited him (Mark 8). No one can accuse Jesus or God of acting in conventional

or expected ways! A messiah cannot die, was the long-held perspective of the

day. Yet this Messiah died a most horrid death.

We find here the mystery of God's ways in the world. Jesus and Mark's Christian

community believed a claim that nearly everyone else laughed at. Paul said that

the cross was foolishness and a stumbling block (1 Cor 1:23). It still is. Yet,

paradoxically, it is also the power of God for salvation. How can we continue to

live out our Christian faith today in a society that is increasingly skeptical and

apathetic toward the gospel? There is one way: to depend on the power of the

gospel offered to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. When the

circumstances of life all around us raise unsettling questions about the validity of

our faith claims, let Jesus be our paradigm of perseverance in the face of doubts

and questions. As John the Baptist testified, it is this Jesus who is able to baptize

with the Holy Spirit. To submit to the baptism of the Holy Spirit administered by

Jesus means that we find in him the resources that enable us to remain faithful

when the odds are against us.

God declares in the voice from heaven that Jesus is the one in whom God is well

pleased. That affirmation, coming from Isaiah, points to Jesus as the suffering

servant, and it was the one thing that Jesus needed to keep him focused on his

mission in the midst of the ridicule and opposition that he would face. Mark may

be offering his Christian readers who are also going through persecution a model

in Jesus for them to follow. If Jesus, the anointed Son of God, faced the cross, can

we who are his followers expect anything less? That may well be the message that

Mark wants to communicate to his readers then and now. That also means that

not only Jesus but all those who follow in his footsteps are called to be a suffering

servant.

-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright © 2018, Dennis Bratcher, All Rights Reserved

See Copyright and User Information Notice

------------------------ --------------------------------

The Transforming Power of the Holy Spirit

Sermon: The Transforming Power of the Holy Spirit

05 June 2022 Virtual Worship Service

UCCP Dubai Fellowship, 3:00 PM-Manila Time

By: Frank J. Hernando


Prayers of the People 10

Minister:  Creator God, your wonder is beyond our imagining. We thank you for the gift of this world we share, and for the common bonds that we share as your children. Bless us God, as we seek to find a way toward the peace you invite us to share. 

 

               Our world, our country and community has become unsafe places to live especially for the vulnerable ones. We pray that you help us overcome our fears and increase our courage to cooperate and forge our solidarity with communities to assert our right to live in justice and peace.

 

Guide us God as we walk that delicate line between being faithful to our own relationship with you, and yet remain understanding of those whose path is vastly different from our own. May your Holy Spirit empower us to widen our horizon and to challenge governments to engage more in dialogue and peace processes rather than strengthening armed forces and arms raising programs.

 

Remind us often that being faithful does not require that we close ourselves off from the faith of others.  Open our hearts, minds and spirits to people of every faith and culture. May the Mystery of your ways be the bridge that draws all of your people together in prayer for peace in our time. 

 

We pray for greater understanding between different cultures and religions in the world and that in the more and more people will be drawn to the sharing of the earth’s resources for common prosperity rather than to give way to greed and violence just to control people and their resources.

 

We pray for those who are in special need of your grace and healing today. For those who live in fear of violence; for refugees everywhere; for political prisoners and for those who imprison them; God, we ask for peace.   

 

We remember family members and friends and all those who are suffering of bodily ailments and diseases, we pray you reach out your healing touch to them to raise them up from their diseases whether physical, psychological or spiritual. 

 

For those who are grieving, or hungry, or in despair; for the lonely, and all who are ill or suffering, for any who struggle with addiction, and for all who live with chronic illness.  God, we trust in your power to be present with the suffering. We trust in your Spirit’s power to bring comfort, faith and strength where it is needed.

 

We pray, bring your radical, scandalous peace into our midst, and touch us all with your love, for we ask it in the name of the One who calls us ever forward, Jesus Christ our Savior and Peacemaker. Amen.

—-------------


Scripture Texts: Acts 2:1-21


2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.


5Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”


14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’


John 14:8-27 New International Version

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”


9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.


Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit


15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”


22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”


23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.


25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.


—---------000—---------



SERMON: The Transforming Power of the Holy Spirit


Introduction

Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat dyan sa Dubai and UAE. Ako ay nagagalak sa ma-imbitahan ninyo na guest pastor for the month of June. I wasn’t sure if I was just thinking to be with you for this month or it was the intuition of CM Eric Baldonado to nominate me as the next guest pastor for your community. At any rate, I am delighted to accept this opportunity and responsibility, given that the OGS and the COB have not found the successor for Rev. Fred Carmelo. We hope and pray that we could find the Pastor who can be deployed there in your communities of faith.


Today we celebrate Pentecost Day. The Revised Common Lectionary has marked the first Sunday of June as Pentecost Sunday. From the Scripture lessons that we read a while ago, we are transported to the time when the disciples gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem to worship the Risen Christ, that is on the 50th day after Jesus rose from the dead. It is a significant gathering because those believe that crucified and resurrected Jesus was the Messiah the Son of the LIving God. There are important matters of faith that we can glean from the Scripture texts we read today.


O N E

First, the apostles who were scattered immediately after the death of Jesus, have reassembled themselves, after Jesus resurrected appearances and ascension to the Father (God’s abode). Without that assured faith in Jesus Christ, the apostles would not have heeded the call to go and proclaim that Christ died not just for them, or for the Jewish nation, but for the world. 


While it is claimed that the Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit inaugurates the birth of the Church, the primary revelation of the event is the proclamation that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and that the fear of the possible repercussion of the apostles’ proclamation were overcome when the Holy Spirit descended upon them and transformed their fears into self-transcendence. Hindi na ang kanilang sariling pakiramdam, or subjectivity ang mangingibabaw sa kanilang buhay at vocasyon, kung di ang pananampalataya sa Dyos na makapangyarihan at sila’y handa magbuhis ng kanilang buhay para sa mission ng Dyos sa sanlibutan. 


T W O

Alistair Roberts tells of the Pentecost as the birth of the Church, he says, 

The Church created at Pentecost is a dramatic contrast to the project of Babel and all attempts to repeat it. Rather than gathering all together within an imposed imperial uniformity and polity, the Church of Pentecost is scattered abroad, where it freely traverses all human differences with its message and identity. Dispersed throughout the world and its peoples, the unity of the Church represents God’s achievement and prerogative against the hubris of empires. Present within all nations, yet belonging to none, God’s worldwide kingdom cannot be contained, controlled, circumscribed, replicated, or assimilated by any other power. (unqoute)


During the last six months that led to the preparation of the the UCCP 12th Quadrennial GA, we, in the National Secretariat were discussing about our identity as a Church. Given that the UCCP was organized by the already existing protestant churches which were products of North American Mission initiatives. The very foundation of the UCCP was the belief in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Of course, in its organizational development, the Church evolved with its CBL and slowly integrating the different traditions and faith imperatives. But in the process our church leaders tried to further strengthen the unity the Church. The prophetic witness of the Church has not waned even with the persecution and threats to our pastors and bishops and even the laity, but the Holy Spirit continue to sustain the life and mission of the Church.



Moreover, Alistair Robers continued, I quote, As the people of Pentecost, our political vocation is to manifest the reality of God’s worldwide kingdom, to be a place where the enmity between peoples is overcome and the many tongues of humanity freely unite in the worship of their Creator. Amidst the Babelic projects of the ages, the Church proclaims by its existence that the kingdom belongs to God, that there is no other true ruler over all the nations. As God’s sovereignty is thus displayed, the vaunting empires of this world will be kept in their place. (unquote)


T H R E E

Another aspect of the Pentecost is its connection to the celebration of the Sabbath or Shavout in Hebrew, which Mark Davies elaborated in his exegesis or textual-historical interpretation, I quote:

  

The word “Pentecost” is derived from the Greek word for 50, pente. There is a natural sense of the “day of Pentecost” being fulfilled, since the original establishment of the celebration encouraged the people to “count” seven weeks of seven days from Passover until the day after the seventh Sabbath, or the 50th day. 


Over time, Mark Davies continued, the celebration of Shavuot was associated with the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. I suspect that ‘religious’ perspective was a later development of what was, originally, a more seasonal harvest festival. What I really like is how the Leviticus passage moves directly from thankfulness to justice, by following the long discussion of what kind of harvest offering to bring, with the ethical demand not to harvest the fields to their fullest extent, but to leave the edges for the poor. As I understand it, the landless would often follow behind the harvesters in order to pick up what had been dropped or to glean what had been left. Leviticus 23:22 is one of several places where the landed folk were to leave dropped bundles on the ground, were not to harvest all the way to the edges, were not to beat olive trees or strip grape vines completely, because they were once poor and landless and God had given the land to them. They, therefore, were to consider their land, their trees, and their vineyards as a means of providing for the poor. (unquote)


We are reminded of the how the Early Christian Church were organized, Christian Communities in Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia and even in Jerusalem worship God on a weekly basis, they listen to the teachings of the Apostles, gave witness to the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and as an alternative community in the time of Roman imperial control, the Christians started an egalitarian economic life through the sharing of their resources, such as the selling of their properties and brought the money for sharing in their community of faith. These are the precedences of our tithing and offerings. 


These acts of kindness and compassion, I believe are the fruits of the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the Early Christians. Their belief and conversion to the values of the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed, enable them to give credence to this new faith that they found in Jesus Christ. The selfless giving of one’s resources and life itself for the cause of God’s kingdom has become an opportunity to serve God and God’s people especially those who are poor and marginalized.


CONCLUSION

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was anticipated by the disciples, when Jesus was still with them. John’s Gospel tells of the Paraclete, the Greek word for the Spirit of God. Indeed, it was a realization on the part of the Johannine Community that the Pentecost was the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to be with them, even if not physically, he will be with them. 


Sigurd Grindheim, explains, and I quote:


I get the impression that many Christians today think of the Holy Spirit as a battery charger. They think of him as a power that can empower them. When their life as a Christian is not the way they feel it should be, they need more power. Their batteries need to be recharged. They need another power charge from the Holy Spirit. That is not what the Holy Spirit is like. 


The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. And when Christ could no longer be among his disciples he gave them the greater blessing. He promised to dwell in them, by his Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit is no separate gift for Christians. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of Christ. “He will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13b-14) The presence of the Holy Spirit is a more immediate presence of Christ himself.


The Holy Spirit is known as the Spirit of truth. He is the Spirit that reminds us and teaches us the word of Jesus and that is the way through which we enjoy Jesus’ love. The word of Jesus, the revelation of Jesus, is first and foremost a revelation of the love that he has showed to us by dying for us. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10). We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

By dying and going to the Father, Jesus gave us the greater blessing. Since he has died for our sins, he is qualified to be our trial lawyer in the heavenly court. And since he has gone to the Father, he sends us his Spirit so that his word can be in us and his love can be in us. (unquote). Amen.

 





With you, I am well pleased

Sermon Title: “With you, I am well pleased” UCCP Maasin City, Southern Leyte 10 January 2021 Texts: Isaiah 55: 1-13; Mark 1: 4-11 Isaiah 55:...