Aaron Simms's Blog, page 7
March 23, 2018
Ft. Riley, Kansas
On August 2nd, 1990 Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Whatever else I remember about living at Ft. Riley, this event overshadows them all.
We had moved to this small Army post in Kansas during the summer of 1989. I was not quite 12 years-old at the time. While Ft. Riley is known as the home of the famed 1st Infantry Division (the “Big Red One”), we had moved there because my Dad had been assigned command of the 937th Engineer Group (Combat). He had been promoted to Colonel aft...
March 18, 2018
Not to Be Served, but to Serve
Picture the scene in your mind from the Gospel of Mark in Mark 10:32-45. Jesus is leading the disciples up to Jerusalem. They are amazed at his teachings, and those following behind are afraid. They’ve seen a lot over the last three years as Jesus has taught and performed many miracles. And as they are walking to Jerusalem Jesus takes the twelve disciples aside and explains to them what will happen to him once they reach the city.
He tells them that he will be “delivered over to the chief...
March 11, 2018
Raised Up
The readings for today contain some of my favorite texts from the Bible. We have Numbers, John, and Ephesians, and these three texts provide a good example of how we go about interpreting the Bible (Numbers 21:4-9, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:14-21).
What we see in these texts is Jesus in the Gospel of John interpreting the event in Numbers and then Paul in his letter to the Ephesians interpreting Jesus in the Gospels.
This follows our standard model for interpreting the Bible. The New Testame...
March 4, 2018
A Relational God
The book of Exodus recounts the Lord’s actions in redeeming His people. He saves them from slavery in order to make them His people.
The Lord, through Moses, frees the people from slavery in Egypt and brings them into the deserts of the Sinai peninsula, on their way to the land which He has promised to give them. Let’s pause here to think for a moment on how the people of Israel know the Lord. He is their God who has freed them from captivity, brought them up out of slavery, and is giving...
February 25, 2018
True Peace – Romans 5
Romans 5 is a fantastic summary of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, I’d like to look at it in more detail and step through the verses.
First, St. Paul begins by noting that we are justified by faith. What does it mean to be justified? It just means to be “made right,” like when you justify text in a word processor, you’re making it right and aligning it the way it should be. Paul, of course, is not talking about typing, but rather about being made right before God. And who makes us right...
February 18, 2018
In Our Place
Our focus for today is the fact that Jesus Christ stands in our place. This is brought home to us in both the reading from Genesis and from Mark (Genesis 22:1-18, Mark 1:9-15).
In Genesis, Abraham is tested by God. God tells Abraham to take his only-begotten son Isaac and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. This is the location where, much later, Solomon built the temple. Note the difference between the “testing” in Genesis and the “tempting” of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel. God “tests” Abraham, bu...
February 14, 2018
Ash Wednesday
Today is Valentine’s Day to most of the world, but it is also Ash Wednesday to the Church, marking the beginning of the season of Lent. This is a time of repentance, and the traditional readings from Joel 2:12-19 and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 reinforce this theme. In both texts there is a contrast between those who have a repentant faith and those who do not have faith: those who have a repentant faith do works which flow from their faith, while those who do not have faith do works simply to gai...
February 11, 2018
Jesus Only – Transfiguration Sunday
Today in our readings for this Transfiguration Sunday, we find ourselves in the company of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.
The two Old Testament readings tell of Moses and Elijah (Exodus 34:29-35 and 2 Kings 2:1-12). Long before Elijah’s time, God had used Moses to lead the Israelites up out of their captivity in Egypt. And after bringing the people out of Egypt, the Lord gave Moses the two tablets of the Law on Mount Sinai. From merely being in the presence of the Lord on the mountain, Moses’ f...
February 4, 2018
The Great Physician
It’s flu season, and this year it seems like it’s particularly bad. Of course, there’s not much you can do when you have a virus, other than getting plenty of rest and drinking plenty of liquids. There are now some anti-viral medications that seem to help too. When we get sick, normally we head to the doctor to be treated. What we’re really seeking is for help in “feeling like ourselves again.” Sometimes, depending on the illness or ailment, it can cost quite a bit to be made whole again...
January 28, 2018
One With Authority – Mark 1:21-28
Have you read “The Lord of the Rings” or seen the movies based on the book? “The Lord of the Rings” deals with the fate of Middle Earth. In particular, there’s a kingdom of Middle Earth called Gondor in which the fate of the whole earth rests. This kingdom awaits the arrival of the rightful king to rule on the throne. Until the promised king returns, Gondor is ruled by a steward – a guardian – who is to look after the kingdom. So, the people wait.
Finally, after many long ages, the right...
