Mark 9:38-50 Truth be told, I struggle to follow Jesus in his teaching now. Perhaps this is because it is just so much to take in, for we begin with someone casting out demons who is not a follower of Jesus, we move to the acknowledgement that something as simple as a cup of cold …
Tag: Pentecost 18B
Who is the Greatest?
Mark 9:30-37 The disciples are thick-headed, of course. Or at least that seems to be the impression Mark wants to leave with us as he portrays their conversation with Jesus now. I mean, can there be any other reasonable explanation for the content of their conversation immediately in the wake of Jesus’ harrowing description of …
Meat (and Potatoes)
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, …
Struggling Still With This Hard Text…
Mark 9:38-50 I was called upon to officiate at a funeral last Saturday. I didn’t know the one who had died, as he was not a member of the congregation I am now serving and apparently his connection to his own congregation had waned since his wife’s death and his deteriorating health made it impossible …