Reflection from your Co-Pastors

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. -- Mark 7:1-2

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human

tradition. -- Mark 7: 8

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

As a child I lived down the street from my grandparent’s farm. My cousins and I groomed the horses, pet the dogs, raced after chickens, dug potatoes and carrots out of the garden, and made a great number of forts out of leaves and branches and old shingles. Needless to say, not only our hands, but our entire selves were covered with dust and dirt. My parents, grandparents, godparents, or any of the adults would say to us kids when we came inside to eat lunch or dinner, “Wash your hands first!” I don't think the request by my family members had much to do with spreading germs or disease. Clearly, it was because we looked like ragamuffins covered with dirt and should clean our hands so that we would not consume the dirt along with the food!

The Pharisees and scribes in today's gospel are berating Jesus and his disciples for not observing the tradition of the elders because they are eating with “defiled” or unwashed hands. In our time, washing is one of the most important tools in public health. It can keep people from getting the flu, it can prevent the spread of disease and keep infections at bay. Hand washing with soap and water is one of the cheapest and most effective ways of limiting the spread of Ebola virus disease. During the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa from 2013-2016, health care workers visited homes to teach families how to effectively wash their hands and how often and when to wash, in an effort to stop the spread of the disease. 

And surely, over the past two years since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, hand washing and sanitizing has been number one on our minds. So the advice of the elders, observed by the Pharisees and scribes, is actually a wise and valid concern as a health precaution. However, the knowledge of how germs and bacteria could be spread through unclean hands was not information known to the people of Jesus’ time. The notion of disease spreading by hand has been part of the medical belief system for only about 130 years.

Jesus has a different slant on hand washing in today's gospel. What he is saying to the Pharisees and scribes is that this adherence to the tradition of the elders, for tradition’s sake only, has rendered Judaism a mere set of external principles unconcerned with motives or intents. Jesus quotes Isaiah saying:

“These people honor me with their lips

but their hearts are far from me…and…

You abandon the commandment of God

and hold to human tradition.”

And what Is the greatest commandment of God that has been abandoned? 

“You shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart,

and with all your soul,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind;

and your neighbor as yourself.”

-- Luke 10: 27

And this commandment requires us all to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty!

Amen

Stewardship --

Time Talent and Treasure

The financial support we’ve received in 2021 has allowed us to continue with our 3-year financial plan — and for this we are extremely humbled and grateful.

But equally important to Mary of Magdala are the volunteers. We estimate over 50% of the hours dedicated to ministries at Mary of Magdala and our partnership is completed by our volunteer’s Time and Talent.

Please complete the pledge form and return it during our annual campaign January 23- February 20, 2022. For volunteering please let us know your interest by emailing us at marymagdalafc@gmail.com.

In Christ’s love and mission, 

Your Leadership Council

For the full Stewardship letter, click here.

For the Financial Pledge form to print, click here.

Here is the e-version (MSWord) to fill out and send via email

For detailed list of volunteer opportunities, click here.

For information on ways to contribute one-time or recurring, click here.

Mary of Magdala, ECC 301 E. Stuart St., Fort Collins, CO 80525

There is still time to register for our event this evening--Tuesday, at 6:30 PM--for a powerful dialogue between Miguel De La Torre and Amanda Henderson about the roots of white superiority, how to speak truthfully about our past, and how to come together to create a better future

"Listening to the Voices of Prophecy Asking if Religious Belief May Have Influenced the Mindset of White Superiority."

We hope you'll join us tonight . Register for the webinar here!

Recording - Sunday, February 6, 2022

View the readings, gospel and the homily by Father Teri Harroun and here is the Sunday Worship Aid for you to print or view.

#BLM Reflection - Honoring Dr. Claude H Organ, Jr.

On Sunday we honored Dr. Claude H. Organ Jr. who was an exceptional surgeon and medical educator. He was born in 1926 in Marshall, TX and attended Xavier University in New Orleans, a historical Black college. Although initially accepted to the University of Texas medical school, the administrators, on learning he was Black, offered to pay the difference in tuition for him to matriculate elsewhere. Although such discrimination might have driven some people to cynicism or despair, he persisted in his dream and received his Master’s medical degree in surgery from Creighton University in Omaha.

After serving as a lieutenant commander in the US Navy and a surgeon at Camp Pendleton, he returned to Creighton and became the first African American chair of the surgery department. He went on to serve as professor of surgery at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and later established the surgical residency program at the University of California in San Francisco. He also worked at several other institutions in California including the Stanford University hospital system.

He was influenced by Dr Charles Drew (whom we’ve previously introduced in a BLM reflection) and wanted to continue the legacy of supporting and encouraging Black residents, though he worked with residents of all races. Dr. Organ lectured internationally and was the author of more than 250 scientific journal articles and book chapters. He was co-author of five books, including, "A Century of Black Surgeons: The U.S.A. Experience.“ Dr. Organ also served as president of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons and became the second African American to serve as president of the highly prestigious American College of Surgeons. He died in 2005 at the age of 78.

Dr Organ truly loved being a surgical educator and always recognized that the future of this profession depended on how well it met the evolving needs of medical students and surgical residents. As an educator, Dr Organ demanded excellence from the residents that he trained and personally I can say, he truly loved them all. He was a great man.

Past Recordings, Bulletins, and Announcements

For all bulletins, reflections, Sunday recordings during, visit our webpage. Please contact us with questions, concerns and ideas for better connection with and for the community - marymagdalafc@gmail.com. And feel free to call the office at 970 493-9536.



Newsletters of Trinity Lutheran Church and the St. Paul's Episcopal  

What are our partners in ministry up to? Click here for the Trinity Lutheran Church monthly newsletter, "Tidings". And here is St Paul's weekly bulletin.