Mark 10:17-31 We are never done with the stories of the Gospels. We don’t outgrow them. They’re not something to be mastered, completed: “Oh, I’ve heard that one.” “Oh, that one’s about this or that”. When we reduce the stories of the Gospels to themes and morals, we strip the Gospel of its power. The…
“Who Do You Say That I Am?” Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who…
The Prophet Jeremiah The prophet Jeremiah lived in one of the most chaotic and tragic periods in the history of Israel and the Middle East. During his lifetime the Assyrian Empire collapsed and the region came under the control of the Babylonians. This was also a period of great religious conflict and strife in…
Daylight & Dark Normally, my presentations are about hymns. However, as I prepared for this one I noticed a trend toward separating day and night in our hymns and prayers and lessons. So, we see in our hymnal that there is a section for MORNING starting with hymn No. 1, “Father we praise…
I will continue my tradition of talking about strong, independent Christian women in our history. Many of these women had a religious experience that changed their path in life. One of these women is Sojourner Truth. If you are like I was, I knew she was important in the movement for women’s rights and women’s…
First, Second, and Third John The New Testament canon includes three books attributed to someone named John. These three very brief documents are sometimes referred to as letters or epistles. The first reads like a sermon or essay. The other two are more like memoranda. They appear to have been composed early in the second…
Elijah the Prophet For our Jewish friends, the Passover supper is the most important meal of the year. It is known as the Seder. At the table that evening there is always an empty chair and, on the table, an empty wine glass. This place is reserved for Elijah who just might come in…
Listening for the Voice of God The writers of the Old Testament included quite a few stories about a prophet named Samuel. One of those stories is our lectionary reading for today. The setting for this story is in a place called Shiloh. Long before Solomon built his famous temple in Jerusalem there were…
The Gospel of John includes several collections of the sayings of Jesus that are not found in the other three gospels. Some of these sayings are said to be from his public teaching but the audience for most of them consists exclusively of his inner circle of disciples. As we revisit these familiar…
The Gospel According to Francis of Assisi This is the day when we remember Saint Francis of Assisi or the as he was known in his day, “the Little Poor Man.” He was in fact fairly short. Francis was born in the town of Assisi in the year 1181. Assisi is a small hill-top town…