Mark 10:17-31 “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The person who asks this question is known as the rich young man, or the rich young ruler. He has the sociocultural trifecta- wealth, youth, and status. He has many possessions, Mark tells us. He also seems to have a fourth important factor-Continue reading “Freedom in Christ is Free”
Tag Archives: jesus
Welcoming the Child
Mark 9:30-37 One of the best sermons I’ve ever heard preached came from the mouth of a 3 year old. It was in seminary, in the school chapel, on a Thursday night. Normally, that chapel was a pretty intense and intimidating place. It was where we learned to do the dance of liturgy to theContinue reading “Welcoming the Child”
Who will save us?
Mark 8:27-38 Who do people say that Jesus is? A savior, a prophet, a healer, a friend, a sacrificial lamb, a judge, a Messiah, a wisdom teacher, a radical, a revolutionary, a Palestinian Jew, the Son of God, just a really good dude with some good ideas—the list goes on. I’ve even heard questionably earnestContinue reading “Who will save us?”
Being Human, and Being Better at it
Mark 7:24-37 The reality of the incarnation is one of the greatest scandals of history. Not the fact that God came to earth, plenty of deities have done that in mythology from all over the world. Not the fact that a human woman gave birth to a somehow more-than-human child, since of course the mythsContinue reading “Being Human, and Being Better at it”
What Comes Out
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Amid a spike in Covid and other illnesses as end-of-summer travel bugs collide with back-to-school germs, its hard not to be on the side of the Pharisees when they ask why Jesus’s disciples are eating with unwashed hands. So I want to be very clear- Jesus is not condemning hand hygiene.Continue reading “What Comes Out”
Enough
John 6:1-21 I have lost count of the times I have heard someone ask “Will there be enough?” in the hours before a church event. As bodies flow into a potluck and the dishes on the table don’t seem to keep pace, we bite our nails and check the freezer for a backup plan. AsContinue reading “Enough”
Naming the Hurt
Mark 5:21-43 For the past ten days, as many of you know, I have been in my hometown of Louisville Kentucky for the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church. It was a marathon of worship, parliamentary procedure, networking, reconnecting with old friends and mentors, and learning. I look forward to talking with you moreContinue reading “Naming the Hurt”
A New Kind of Family
Mark 3:20-35 Every time I have explored this Gospel passage in a Bible study with others, someone has made the honest observation that we don’t much like this part. Jesus seems angry, and impatient, and he is apparently very willing to abandon and disown his mother and siblings. He gives his detractors mysterious and complicatedContinue reading “A New Kind of Family”
May We Listen
1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20) When you walk around wearing head to toe black with a white band around your neck, you hear a lot of people’s opinions about the Church. Sometimes people rush to tell you where they go to church and who their pastor is, or how often they go to church, or what denominationContinue reading “May We Listen”
Praying with the Spirit
Romans 8:12-17 I did not truly learn how to pray until I was a young adult. I grew up in a Christian home, I went to my family’s Episcopal Church every Sunday, I attended youth group and Christian summer camp, I loved church and the prayerbook and I listened to the sermons as best IContinue reading “Praying with the Spirit”
Mother A Writes 