In the reading from the Hebrew Scriptures this morning we heard about King David’s desire to build a Temple of cedar for the Ark of the Covenant, and then Yahweh’s instructions to David to leave that task to King David’s son Solomon. In Paul’s letter to the Christians at Ephesus he reminds them that “you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” And then, in Mark’s gospel, we are told that the people followed Jesus and his disciples even as he crosses the Sea of Galilee … and he looked upon them with compassion. These are the lessons from Holy Scripture for this week. This sermon is about “no longer strangers and aliens,” and about compassion.
