The Lord’s persuasive invitations to discipleship are the common threads woven into our Scripture lessons over the past couple Sundays. Those gracious, open invitations to be counted among Jesus’s followers immediately compel a tax collector named Matthew to quit his lucrative job raking in big bucks for his Roman bosses and to join the communityContinue reading “Seeing with Kingdom Eyes”
Tag Archives: Gospel of Mark
Finding Courage to Face the Cross
This final Sunday of Lent is more popularly known as “Palm Sunday.” But it’s also known as “Passion Sunday,” which recalls the suffering of Christ that unfolds in the days ahead, as Jesus travels the final steps of his journey to the cross. Knowing the destination to which he is bound serves as our invitationContinue reading “Finding Courage to Face the Cross”
Something New Begins
The gospels of Luke and Matthew tell the Christmas story as we much prefer to have it told. But the gospel of Mark takes a much-different tack to welcome Jesus to our world. Mark skips all the stuff of peace on earth and mercy mild and gets right down to brass tacks. His version of events opens with a quick nod to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and a cameo appearance by John the Baptist.
The Faith of a Few Friends
We’ve all seen it, and it’s a mighty disgusting sight: A little kid with a runny nose that’s gone amuck. All the world can see – though no one really wants to see – that this snotty little kid desperately needs a nose wiping. And that nauseating duty always seems to fall upon mom. ButContinue reading “The Faith of a Few Friends”
Every Which Way But Loose
Pound for pound, this morning’s Scripture lesson from the Gospel of Mark packs quite the punch. This strange story of a man who daily lives with the unraveling of his mind easily ranks right up there with the most bizarre stories in the Bible. A man named Legion is labeled demonical, and the town residentsContinue reading “Every Which Way But Loose”