God of the Living

The Gospel reading for the Daily Prayer of the Church is taken from Mark where we read:

Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. And they came and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?’ But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, ‘Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.’ And they brought one. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children; and the second married her and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had married her.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.’ (Mk. 12:13-27).

The Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, try to trap Jesus with questions about the resurrection with the question of a woman who had successive marriages.  They ask Jesus who she will be married to after the resurrection.  They are trying to ridicule the idea of the resurrection.  Jesus responds by telling them that the resurrection is really something that they cannot even imagine.  God is beyond their conception.  Rather, Jesus tells them and us that our God is the God of the living.  All of history has been pointing to Jesus and his reconciliation of God and humanity, and from that, all of creation will be remade, a new heaven and a new earth.

Let us pray:  O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on us; let the whole world see and know that things which were being cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Adult Christian Education every Sunday at 11:00 a.m.: Contemporary Moral Issues.  This Sunday we will discuss medical issues. 

Sunday, 25 August at 9:00 a.m. the Feast of St. Augustine will be celebrated with Eucharist Rite II and a pot luck lunch after.  This is the 129^th anniversary of our church community.  We will also have our “Blessing of the Backpacks” for all of those returning to school.

Sunday, 8 September we will: (1) begin Sunday School for the children, and (2) bless all of those participating in EFM which is being facilitated by Tammie Taylor.

Retreat on 19-22 September 2013 at Holy Cross Monastery led by the Rev. Dr. Tom Bain, “Standing at the Center with God and Ourselves.”  Here is a link:

http://www.holycrossmonks.org/images/2013%20HFC%20brochure.pdf

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially Jim Reagan and all of those who are starting college and will be away from home for the first time.

Your servant in Christ,

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550