Sermons

Mark’s gospel makes clear how great is the press of the crowd, with its countless needs to be met, on Jesus and his disciples. Yet in today’s gospel, Jesus advises his disciples to get away and rest, to take care of themselves. Sometimes we think that when others are in great need we shouldn’t think […]

Sometimes being a disciple of Jesus is risky business. It may mean we aren’t popular or well liked. It may mean we have to share a hard truth. And yet- Jesus reminds those disciples, we have all that we need to bring God’s love to the world around us.  Accompanying Scripture:Mark 6:1-13, Psalm 123, Ezekiel […]

When Amos reports his vision of God judging Israel for its mistreatment of the poor, he becomes a threat to the power of the priests and the king. John the Baptist also speaks truth to power, and Herod has him killed. In Herod’s fear that Jesus is John returned from the dead, we may hear […]

Sometimes it feels like we wait for a lifetime for God to hear us, see us, acknowledge us. Today we hear we are in good company – a woman who hemorrhages for 12 years seeks healing from Jesus at the same time as a desperate father for a dying daughter. With our loving God, we […]

Through the storms of life, in Job’s trials and in the disciples’ seasick panic, God’s promise is not that we will be airlifted out of troubles but that God is with us. God proclaims to the chaos and to us – Peace! Be still. Accompanying Scripture:Mark 4:35-41, Psalm 107, Job 38: 1-11

The mustard seed becomes a great shrub that shelters the birds, recalling ancient images of the tree of life. We’d expect a cedar or a sequoia, but Jesus finds the power of God better imaged in a tiny, no-account seed. It’s not the way we expect divine activity to look. It may not appear all […]

In the midst of conflict and shame, the messiness of life and relationships are lifted up in these texts. No matter how entangled we become, with God there is always steadfast love and forgiveness. Accompanying Scripture:Psalm 130, Genesis 3:8-15, Mark 3:20-35

This Sunday our texts are about sabbath. Rest is meant for the welfare of all. In our gospel story, Jesus reminds us that well intentioned laws might need to be broken from time to time in order to make space for God’s wide love.  Accompanying Scripture:Psalm 81:1-10, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Mark 2:23-3:6 

Fifty days after Easter, we celebrate the birthday of the church! Crossing all boundaries that would separate us, the Spirit brings the wideness of God’s mercy to places we least expect it—to a crowd of strangers of different lands and tongues, to a valley of deeply dry bones and to our messy hearts. Today we […]

On this final Sunday of Easter, we hear this last piece of Jesus’s farewell to the disciples where Jesus moves from lecture to prayer. At a time when it would be understandable for Jesus to be worried about himself, he is thinking and praying for the disciples and for us. In prayer, Jesus asks that […]