You have to love this gospel text. Children are blessings. I know, I know, ……it may not always seem that way…but they are truly blessings. Little children, so cute and adorable, so innocent and inquisitive…they are so dependent…so needy. Little children are so trusting. They are gifts from above. Their tears and their cries can […]
Sermons
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Location is important. Apparently it always has been. Our Gospel text for this evening includes the phrase, “On the way.” This just so happens to be a theme that runs through Mark’s gospel almost from the beginning to end. The gospel writer, Mark portrays Jesus as being a man of action. He is always on […]
In Mark’s gospel the disciples are never “followers.” The disciples are “prized students.” The “followers” would be those people who jump on and off the bandwagon at a whim. It is important to make this clarification for Mark. Again this is another prime example of the disciples being shown in “a poor light…” Poor old […]
My grandmother was wise…or at least she seemed to be. She would say things that she herself had learned – God only knows where – and when and then, she tried to pass them on to others… Some made sense…other’s not so much. Quicker than a bunny rabbit – I got. But around the corner […]
This is supposition on my part: Jesus and his friends headed north to the coast where no – one knew him, presumably for a little break from the crowds. Their fame obviously preceded them and before long – Jesus was again confronted with someone who wanted and or needed or desired his attention. Why did […]
We are in eye-rolling territory. Eye brows raised, head tilted along with the accompanying surprised look on the face. Really? Are you serious? All the problems in our world…and your thing is – hand washing? People are daily dying from hunger and your concern is washing hands? The Romans kill our people day in and […]
I always thought this was about cleanliness. You know, washing your hands before you eat. Washing your hands after going into a restroom area…washing your hands after sneezing…that kind of a thing… In the back of my head – I can hear mom or a parental figure yelling out – and this time use “hot […]
Let’s talk a little tonight about “stumbling blocks.” The reason I say that – is because of the Greek word used in our Gospel text for tonight. Jesus said, “Does this offend you?” Well it turns out – that the Greek word “to offend someone” can also mean hindrance, scandal or a stumbling block. Certainly […]
Sometimes a single word of encouragement can go a long way – this is a case in point! For many of those who were following Jesus around Galilee, his long ambiguous speech in the Gospel of John – chapter 6 was the breaking point: they turned their backs on him and decided to not follow […]
You never know where your words will go or what others will hear. Never! Sometimes our words get carried elsewhere…beyond our knowledge. Sometimes our words are misunderstood and misinterpreted. We can be easily misquoted. Sometimes our words are thrown back into our faces again. And sometimes, again and again and again… Sometimes our words can […]