Ready to Bear Witness The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Where does power come from? The usual answers—family connections, reputation, possessions—are all rejected in this reading from Mark’s gospel. Jesus’ power is not only independent of his family connection—it is hindered by it. While it…
Jesus’ Power Is Enough The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Today’s story of two healings in a single reading appears to present a horrific choice: should Jesus hurry to the dying daughter of a rich man, or pause to heal an outcast woman? The urgency…
Who, Then, Is This? Our Only Help. The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. As the disciples set out together in the boat with the sleeping Jesus, a great windstorm arose so that the boat became swamped. As we set out in mission together in the…
The Mystery of Growth In elementary school, when children learn about plants they inevitably plant a small seed in a clear plastic cup and watch it grow. This helps as they learn the parts of plants: leaf, stem, roots. As we get older we get more sophisticated in our ability to explain the details of…
Baptismal Water Is Thicker than Blood Many, perhaps most, subcultures in North America affirm the belief that “blood is thicker than water.” Even when our commitment to family is too often served through hand-wringing sentiment over the so-called decline of the family or pandered to by politicians seeking to prove their “family values” credentials, we…
A Different Kind of Bloodline The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Combining into one liturgy the “Hosanna!” of the triumphal palm procession and the “Crucify him!” of the passion drama—especially as filtered through Paul’s image of the “exalted” slave—invites a meditation on the mystery of…
Promises, Promises The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. The story of God’s relationship with God’s people is a story of promises fulfilled. We hear about God’s covenant with Sarah and Abraham in today’s Genesis reading and about its fulfillment in the New Testament texts. As…
The Power of Water The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Water is an integral part of the created order. Water sustains and fosters life; too little or too much water can end it. A glance at the news headlines points out the destructive power of…
Transfiguration: Amazing Then and Now The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Imagine what would happen if someone from the days of Jesus were suddenly transported to our present. How would someone accustomed to walking everywhere respond to driving in a car at top speed, let…
God Heals Persons and Communities The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. When Jesus heals us, we are empowered to serve others. While at first glance it might seem that Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law was self-serving, on further reflection we see the same result in…