Mark 7:24-37 First, this: I have struggled with my writing now for like many, I hardly know what to make of the scene we witness in Mark’s Gospel today. What you have here are my first thoughts on a difficult passage. I would welcome your thoughts as well. I know the woman Jesus meets in …
Tag: Mark
Orphans and Widows in Their Distress…Seeing the Invisible
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 James 1:17-27 As a pastor raised in the Lutheran tradition, I long ago learned to be cautious of the letter of James. Perhaps too much so, it seems to me know. Especially as the urging in his letter so perfectly brings home what seems to be the intent of the episode …
Called to Reflect God’s Kingdom Economy…
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Now it is so that on a first read through there may not appear to be much that actually ‘preaches’ in this week’s Gospel. Indeed, the folks who put together our lectionary selections completely skipped over the vivid scene of Jesus feeding the five thousand (not counting the women and children) with …
The Beheading of John: How Might This Gruesome Story Still Speak?
Mark 6:14-29 It is so that the images brought to mind by Mark’s Gospel today are gruesome in the extreme. Perhaps because of or in spite of this, one almost cannot help but be pulled into the drama playing out before us now where the scene includes: A drunken party A young girl’s (no doubt) …
Taking Nothing for the Journey…
Mark 6:1-13 “Take nothing with you,” Jesus says today. Not a loaf of bread, or a bag, or a little extra cash, or an extra coat. Pack lightly. And so today I cannot help but wonder how Jesus might phrase this now. For not only are you and I certainly encumbered with more ‘stuff’ than …
Turning to the One in the Stern…
Mark 4:35-41 I was on call at our local hospital a few weeks back. I take my turn every six weeks or so. Often those weeks pass without a single call. That week was different, though. It seemed as though every day there was a request for a chaplain. It was on my third such …
He Does Not Know How… Scattering Seeds in the Kingdom of God
Mark 4:26-34 Could there possibly be an easier illustrated Gospel reading than this one at this time of year? At least I know this to be the case where I call home. I look out my window to see a world that is lush and green. I drive through the countryside and take in field …
Speaking of ‘Family’: A Local ICE Raid
Mark 3:20-35 And Jesus replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” The pertinence of this question came home to me in a powerful way in these last few days. I received a text from a young colleague. He had picked up a rumor that a road was blocked in the east part of town …
Picking Up Our Crosses: Dismantling Fear
Mark 8:31-38 I came home for supper this last Wednesday night. It was Ash Wednesday, and the day had already been full. I had preached at our noon service and so I figured I had a little more time before heading back for evening worship. The sermon was ‘tested’ already and would not need revision. …
This Time Apart: Entering Lent
Mark 1:9-15 I remember this well. A friend was pastor of a congregation which was then a new mission. As a result, their membership boasted all sorts of people who were relatively young in the faith — or at least that is why I was told they made this decision. “We don’t celebrate the season …