Gospel Highlight

Matthew 5:17-20 – [Jesus said] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 

That last verse scares the daylights out of me. “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” And immediately my mind goes, “Okay, I’m sunk. I’ll never make it into heaven.” Because the whole universe knows that my righteousness is worth basically nothing. Does it exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees? I’m lucky if it exceeds that of the cranky neighbor down the street!

And I think Jesus means to scare us! Oh, not permanently, of course. But He means to make us think. How is it possible for us to have that kind of righteousness? Can we try harder to live a good life? Anyone who’s tried that knows it isn’t going to work. The evil thoughts and desires just come crowding in even stronger. It’s a hopeless job.

Well, if that won’t work, what will? Now, that’s a good question! And the Bible answers it for us again and again. Paul, for instance, talks about all the so-called “righteousness” he used to depend on until Jesus called him to faith. He says, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith;—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Philippians 3:7-10a).

Only Jesus has that kind of righteousness. And He has promised to give it to us;—to take our sins and exchange them for His righteousness, because we trust in Him. Jesus took our sins all the way to the cross. There He put them to death, along with the judgment that stood against us. We know this is true because God raised Jesus from the dead. Now Jesus calls us and everybody to trust in Him. He will give us His own holiness and goodness, and the best of all, everlasting life. Will we enter the kingdom of heaven? Yes;—completely and purely because of Jesus Christ.

This Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

JESUS CONNECTIONS
Learning God's Top 10 continues with
Commandments  7 & 8 

From January 18 – February 15, Jesus Connections is learning about the 10 Commandments—God’s loving guide for how we live, love, and care for one another. This coming week, children will learn and memorize the Seventh and Eighth Commandments: You shall not steal—learning to protect our neighbor’s possessions and income—and You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor—defending others, speaking well of them, and explaining things kindly. Through age-appropriate lessons and meaningful activities, kids will see how God calls us to act with honesty, kindness, and care in our everyday lives.

Living with Honesty and Care

FMI on upcoming Jesus Connections events and learning, 
reach out to Teacher Stephanie

Fellowship for Sunday, Feb. 8
Love is a Circle

God’s love is like a circle, a circle big and round.

And when you see a circle, no ending can be found.

And so the love of Jesus goes on eternally.

Forever and forever, I know that God loves me.

Let’s bring something circle-shaped to celebrate that!

Men's Fellowship Breakfast

Men of St. Mark! - If your week runs on coffee, bacon, and brotherly encouragement, we’ve got good news.

Join us for men’s breakfast featuring:

  • Food that tastes better than it is good for you
  • Coffee strong enough to forgive your sins (Not even Close!)
  • Conversation ranging from Scripture to sports to “remember when…”
  • Fellowship without singing solos or being volunteered for anything (probably)

Come hungry and leave fed. No RSVP required - but pants are!

Lord, provide healing, peace, strength, comfort, and understanding…   

Aaron Byers - Diagnosed with Metastatic Melanoma. Prayers for continued treatment.

Helen Cantrell - Health issues, pray for comfort as she continues treatment.

Tana Doerr - Thankful for coming home again!  It's been a long road, but God is good!

Mathew Eisinger - Prayers for Pastor Jake & Alyssa’s son, Mathew Eisinger, as he deploys with the Army to Poland Sept. 16th, for 9 months. May the lord keep him safe on his deployment & return safely home.

Sara Kalaveras – Her surgery went well, and she is home. May God give her strength and patience during her recovery.

Sharon (Julie F.’s sister-in-law) - Has been diagnosed with a serious heart condition. Pray for wisdom and guidance for the doctors as they determine the best treatment, and for peace, strength, and relief from stress for her and her loved ones during this time.

Kathy Parker (Diana Dubois's sister-in-law) - Peace and Strength during a difficult time in her life.

St. Mark Lutheran Preschool - Staff and Leaders as they discern and make challenging decisions for the greater good of the school and the proclamation of Jesus to the Littles of our community.

Wyatt & Jake Bradford - We pray for God’s protection, guidance, and peace as Wyatt Bradford serves in the Navy in Okinawa, and Jake Bradford, U.S. Marines, serving in Camp Lejeune, and for comfort and strength for their families at home.

Daniel Hood - Asking for prayers for clarity, patience, and God’s leading while searching for a job.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayers.

For prayer requests or changes to a current prayer, please email  stmarkelko@gmail.com.

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