Ministry in the Gap Between God and Us
Mary Knows Best Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8 [Jesus said] you do not always have me. John 12:8b The two sisters, Martha and Mary, appear first in the Gospel of Luke (10:38-42). Luke does not name the town where the sisters live. He tells us that Jesus and his followers dropped …
Continue reading "Lections for the 5th Sunday In Lent, April 7, 2019"
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Ezra reads the law of Moses before the peoplePsalm 19 The teaching of the Lord revives the soul. (Ps. 19:7)1 Corinthians 12:12-31a You are the body of ChristLuke 4:14-21 Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah [Jesus proclaimed]“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed …
Free Life (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 21:5) This Sunday when we celebrate all the saints in Christ we hear one more time God's promise that our transgressions will be forgiven and no longer remembered. However, this time around God paraphrases God using a different voice. The prophet Isaiah declares that God will destroy the shroud …
Continue reading "Lections for All Saints Sunday, November 4, 2018"
Freed by Grace through Faith (Romans 3:22–24, 28; John 8:36) "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the …
Continue reading "Lections for Reformation Sunday, October 28, 2018"
But It Is Not to Be So Among Us (Mark 10:43) This Sunday Mark continues delivering the message of God's great reversal operated through the work and proclamation of the Son. Give up your life to save it (8:35). The greatest of us is to be a servant of all (9:35). Give up things to …
Continue reading "Lections for the 22nd Sunday After Pentecost, October 21, 2018"
Then who can be saved? (Mark 10:26) The rich man that comes to Jesus has everything. We don't know if he is married. If not, then he is the perfect bachelor. He has many possessions, he is devout to the traditions of his people, he observes the commandments. He seems to be a nice guy …
Continue reading "Lections for the 21st Sunday After Pentecost, October 14, 2018."
Let [All] The Children Come To Me (Mark 10:14) Does the devil still reside in hell? That was the question I got from a beloved parishioner a couple of days ago. What does that have to do with Jesus and Children? Allow me to explain. We have been talking about in our church if hell …
Continue reading "Lections for 20th Sunday after Pentecost, October 7, 2018."
Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 54; James 3:13–4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37 The greatest is the servant of all Mark 9:34-35 It will be very tempting to approach Mark’s gospel lesson this week as an opportunity to preach against privilege and economic status. The systems of injustice that insist on pervading our society make easy to jump the …
Continue reading “Lections for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost”
Who do you say that Jesus is? (Mark 8:29) Yes, the people needed a new hero. Some decades back, Herod the Great had failed to keep the Roman legions at bay. Israel was once more a vassal state, militarily occupied and economically controlled by gentiles. The Sinai covenant shattered. A once proud and faithful nation …
Continue reading "Lections for the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, September 16, 2018."
Be Opened (Mark 7:34) Mark brings to us this weekend perhaps the most unconventional of the encounters Jesus has with anyone in the gospels. It is one that breaks many conventions of the time, and some that we experience yet today. Jesus is by himself, in an undisclosed residence, most likely taking a break from …
Continue reading "Lections for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, September 9, 2018."
Bridging Faith 