The Gospel of IDD

Transfigured                 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.   And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”  Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. Mark 9:2-7              I have shushed my son a lot over the course of his life.   We ...

“A people whom the Lord has blessed”             Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; but you shall be called priests of the  Lord , you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory.   Because their shame was double, and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot, therefore they shall possess a double portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs. For I the  Lord  love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the  Lord  has blessed. Isaiah 61:5-9            ...

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…”             The spirit of the Lord  God  is upon me, because the  Lord  has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the  Lord ’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the  Lord , to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Isaiah 61:1-4             Isaia...

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…”             When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,   and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,   to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-21             Jesus provoked intense reactions.   Sometimes it w...

Baptized into Christ             Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.   For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Romans 6:3-5             My son’s baptism was an event.   He was 1 and the wiggliest guy you had ever seen.   Normally our church would call up everyone who was getting baptized, have them stand in a line together at the front of the church and then quietly wait as the pastor worked his way down the line, reading sacred verses specifically chosen for that individual and sharing encouragement for this monumental step that...

Turning the Hearts of Parents and Children             Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the  Lord  comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse. Malachi 4:5-6             Malachi is the final book of the Old Testament; God’s final words to the Israelites before he goes silent for centuries.   He promises that he will send Elijah back to them when the last days are approaching.   That was why the nation was so excited when John the Baptist showed up wearing Elijah’s traditional camel hair clothing and living out in the wilderness.             Isaiah’s prophecy of John’s role states that he will prepare the way for the coming Messiah,...

John the Baptist Preaches                 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”    In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”    Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what s...

John the Baptist             The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:   ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And 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. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He 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. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with...

Blessed are the Peacemakers “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9             Blessed are those who see conflict, enter into it and bring peace for they take after their Heavenly Father.               My son does this all the time and I don’t know what to do with it.   He will see an argument, usually involving his sisters fighting or peers picking on each other and he will literally step into the middle and have them focus their attacks on him.   He’ll take a couple of verbal or physical blows then the conflict will dissipate, everyone will move on and he will go back to whatever he was doing.             He’s a big kid and he has some self defense training, but he’s been doing this since he was little.   Is this a trait that goes across the spec...