Neli ML

    First Sunday in Lent 2023 Matthew 4:1-11 Rev. Neli Miranda   The first Sunday in Lent leads us to an encounter with Jesus in the wilderness where we learn how to respond and resist the temptations that threaten to take us away from God’s path. Jesus’ experience in the wilderness recalls the history of the people of Israel who continually failed to remain faithful to God by succumbing to different temptations. However, Jesus embodies the new humanity according to God’s dream, those who remain faithful by resisting the devil’s temptations.   Today, we read that Jesus faces the devil just after he has committed to God in his baptism and heard a voice coming from heaven saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3,17). While he prepares himself to begin his ministry, the devil confronts and tempts him to turn away from the way of humble service and take the path of power and glory. Matthew refers to the devil as the “tempter” or “Sata...

                                                         Last Sunday after the Epiphany Mathew 17:1-9 & Exodus 24,12-18 Rev. Neli Miranda             During the past weeks, our Christian spirituality has guided us through the Epiphany season in which we have witnessed Jesus’ divine manifestation. We have seen God lying in a manger, heard God’s voice at the Jordan River, heard the great announcement that the Kingdom of God is already among us, heard the call to be Jesus’ disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and we have listened to God’s Law on the Mount.   Today, our Christian spirituality invites us to move forward and begin a new path, the Lenten Journey. The Epiphany season closes like it started, with a great epiphany known as Jesus’ transfiguration, which is a pivotal moment in ou...

  Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany 2023 Matthew 5:21-37 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today, Jesus reads and interprets some of the commandments of God´s Law. He begins, “ You have heard that it was said…” and then he interprets the commandment, “But I say to you…” In this exercise, Jesus neither erases nor discounts the teaching of The Law but addresses its original meaning, JUSTICE. Today, we as Christians continue to believe that the Bible is the written Word of God that guides our daily life. Yet, it is difficult to see how biblical teachings impact Christian societies because we continue to observe and experience injustices where so many people suffer violence and death.   The Holy Scriptures, the Bible, arose amid a historical context in which God spoke to a community through sages and prophets—women and men. The memory of God’s manifestation was then put in writing as a testimony for the community itself and for future generations, which would also be enlightened...

  Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany 2023 Mathew 5:13 – 20 Rev. Neli Miranda   Today we continue reading Matthew’s passage known as “The Sermon on the Mount”, which Jesus opens with a proclamation of blessings upon his followers, his disciples. In today´s passage Jesus, continues commending his followers using two comparisons: Jesus says they are the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world. Jesus’ statement is clearly a commendation and an affirmation; He recognizes his followers as having great worth in a society which despises them.   Those despised and shamed by the system were called blessed by Jesus. Salt and light were two vital elements in the first century life of Palestine, and besides their practical use, salt and light had great significance in Jewish thinking. Salt is a necessity in life and has been used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, preservative, medicine, disinfectant, unit of exchange, and a vital component of ceremonial o...

  Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Mathew 5,1-12 Rev. Neli Miranda Honor and shame were two polar opposites in the social system that structured daily life of the Israelite society in the first century. In Jesus’ time, the recognition of honor was mainly related to the socioeconomic status of one’s family and the possession of land and wealth. By contrast, shame was related to an individual’s or the family’s loss of status or the loss of land and wealth. Both honor and shame were subjective feelings, but they were also positions ascribed by society according to its own social conventions. So, being recognized as honorable and not falling into shame was a continuous social struggle for many. In Jesus’ time, the elite claimed honor by making evident the large portions of land, servants, and wealth they possessed; by wearing elegant clothing and jewelry, serving ostentatious meals, receiving honors in public, displaying power with violence, among other practices. The honor hel...

Third Sunday after the Epiphany Isaiah 9:1-4; Matthew 4:12-23 Rev. Neli Miranda   The Epiphany comes to us today from Galilee, a region in northern Israel, where Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom of God. During the monarchy this region was occupied by the tribes of Zebulun, Naphtali and Asher and was part of the northern kingdom of Israel until its invasion and colonization by the Assyrians in the 8 th century BC. This situation of oppression and suffering is pointed out by the prophet Isaiah in the first lesson where he proclaims hope and redemption for the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, “ The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined” (Isaiah 9,2) Eight centuries later, Matthew recalls Isaiah’s announcement about the liberation and redemption of this region and puts it in the light of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, which now suffers under Roman control. Matthew tells us that Je...

  Second Sunday after the Epiphany John 1:29-40 Rev. Neli Miranda   On January 6, our Christian tradition celebrates Epiphany Day, a feast day to celebrate the manifestation of God incarnate in the baby Jesus, who is worshiped like a king by the magi who represent all the peoples of   the earth. From this day, the biblical lessons bring us memories that reveal the divinity of Jesus. Last Sunday, for instance, at his baptism, we heard a voice from heaven saying, “This is my Son, The Beloved, with whom I am well pleased”. Today, we read a particular remembrance from John the Evangelist, who collects John the Baptist’s memories related to Jesus’ baptism and the beginning of his ministry. So far, John the Baptist’s proclamation about the coming of the One Sent by God has raised great expectation amid the people, and he has gained prominence in such a way that some believe he is the Messiah. However, he denies it and rather than exalting himself, the Baptist, with g...