Sermons on Mark
Everything She Had
Through our recent series on parables, there were several times when Jesus would teach the phrase we now hold familiar: the first shall be last and the last shall be first. The text this Sunday may offer a parallel illustration. The text contrasts those who like to be recognized in public, and the humble widow who quietly gives everything. We might consider how this inspires us to live as people of faith. Scripture: Mark 12:38-44
The Mustard Seed
This Sunday we continue our sermon series on the parables of Jesus, guided by the book Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi by Amy-Jill Levine. We’ll get to explore another parable about the kingdom of God. The Scripture is from Mark 4:30-32, the parable of the mustard seed. In this passage, the kingdom of God is compared to a small mustard seed being scattered on the ground, where it eventually grew into a big plant…
Heart of the Matter
This Sunday we will focus on the lectionary text from Mark 7, which covers the conversation between Jesus and some Pharisees and legal experts. Although it is easy to glance over this text and jump to a conclusion that Jesus is condemning the religious practices held by the Pharisees and legal experts, a closer look at Jesus’ response will help us understand that what he is mainly concerned with is the intention of their hearts. Technical note: We experienced ongoing…
Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?
This final question in the series may be the most asked, and is certainly the most common question I am asked when people want to push or challenge me on my religiosity. I am convinced that even the most faithful people have asked this question. Some come to find peace and some wrestle throughout their lives. For me, there is no simple answer. And so I hope that our exploration offers the spark of ongoing discovery of God’s presence in…
Why Should I Give to the Church?
As we continue our “Questions That Matter” series, we turn to the matter of giving to the church. It seems as though there are many requests for money for worthy causes: natural disasters, public service organizations, educational institutions, and many more. Why should we give to the church too? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Mark 5:21-43 (CEB)
Risking Challenge
This is the third week of the season of Lent, and we continue our Worship series guided by Amy-Jill Levine’s Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week. This week, we land on Tuesday of Holy Week with Jesus remaining in Jerusalem. Jesus spends the day teaching, and there are numerous exchanges where Jesus is challenged by the religious authorities or is challenged by them. Sometimes these challenges are subtle, and sometimes not. Each one seems to…
Risking Righteous Anger
This is the second week of the season of Lent, and we continue our Worship series guided by Amy-Jill Levine’s Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week. The Scripture passage this week is the story of the cleansing of the Temple. This story is having a bit of a revival right now among Christians of my generation (and others!). Those of us who grew up in or around Christian traditions where the main goal of that type…
Bushwacking
This is the fifth week of our Extended Advent series, and the second week of a the 20th century Advent model. This is also the first week of our indoor livestream worship after we stopped in-person worship. Let us continue to pray for our community as we work to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In reading this week’s scripture, as we believers are called to “prepare the way of the Lord,” maybe part of that is preparing the trail in…
Watching & Waiting
This is the fourth week of our Extended Advent series, and the first week of a the 20th century Advent model. This is also the first week of our in-person outdoor worship! When the Gospel of Mark was written, there must surely have been a sense of dread as upheaval and even violence were familiar occurrences. The end of all that was known must have felt immanent. The people must have been waiting for the straw to break the camel’s…