Mark 13:1-8 The world ended that day. With that phone call. That startling news.That deepening realization. The world ended that day. Or at least it ended as you had known it. I am so deeply aware of this right now for I am in the midst of a stretch of funerals. Some expected. Others not. …
Mark 12:38-44 Truly, my whole life — including the years I have served as a pastor — I have heard the story of the widow in Mark’s Gospel as a story of sacrificial giving. It is a story about generosity. It is an image of one who gave all that she had. This drama and …
Isaiah 25:6-9John 11:32-44 For as long as I have been a pastor, I have loved All Saints Day. In some years, I have made the time to walk through a local cemetery — returning to those places I have frequented in the months past. Other years, time just gets away from me or the weather …
John 8:31-36 And so what is this truth that makes us free? I was called upon to preach at our local Hospice Annual Memorial Service a few weeks ago. Those in attendance were primarily family members and friends of dear ones who had died in the past year. I knew their memories would be fresh …
Mark 10:35-45 When I was a child, my imagination had painted a picture of heaven — one which may well have been informed by the interaction between James and John and Jesus shared today. Now it is so that before the age of eight, I had little reason to think much of heaven. And then …
Mark 10:17-31 My 7th grade home economics teacher called me a perfectionist. I don’t remember the occasion for this critique — and believe me, it was precisely that, for there was no kindness in her tone. I do remember being surprised, for I wondered then what could possibly be wrong with striving for perfection. And …
If you are a regular reader, you will know that I already posted some reflections on this Gospel reading. However, since I attempt to get something online in a timely way so as to be in conversation with other preachers, often my thoughts crystallize between then and when I actually preach on a particular text. …
Mark 10:2-16 When I was a young pastor this was a particularly challenging Gospel to preach. It still is, of course, but close to thirty years ago one was especially aware of the mere handful in our midst who had been divorced. Now, though, I am hard pressed to think of a family which in …
Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29 The story painted in Numbers this week is a vivid one. Indeed, it hits awfully close to home for anyone, anywhere who has ever tried to lead. I find myself especially struck today by Moses’ cry to God, for by now the burden of leadership has become profound — so heavy, …
Mark 9:30-37 I offer my thoughts today in gentleness to colleagues who climb into the pulpit or rush to the hospital or who are struggling especially at this time of year to keep up with the demands of getting a new program year off the ground. I write this in gentleness and humility, knowing that …