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 2:1-5
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 hope for the oppressed: all the prophets killed through the ages are alive in Jesus. We are called to witness to justice in company with them, and to proclaim God’s saving love.
Accompanying Scripture:
Mark 6:14-29, Psalm 85:8-13, Amos 7:7-13
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 can come with our laments, our questions and our pain.
Accompanying Scripture:
Mark 5:21-43, Psalm 30, Lamentations 3:22-33
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 that impressive, but while nobody’s looking it grows with a power beyond our understanding.
Accompanying Scripture:
Mark 4:26-34, Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15, Ezekiel 17:22-24
| 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 celebrate the incredible gifts of the Holy Spirit in our midst: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in God’s presence. Amen! |
Accompanying Scripture:
Psalm 104:24-35, 35b, Ezekiel 37:1-14
| 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 we are one. And this continues to be our prayer- not that we would all be the same but that we will continue to remember our common love in Christ and the call to love one another. |
Accompanying Scripture:
Psalm 1, John 17
| On this sixth Sunday of Easter as we bring worms with us to church, we celebrate spring and our connection with God’s good earth. Being a person of faith is not just something we do on Sundays, but it is something that follows us out into the real world – as we wash dishes, as we are a kind neighbor or friend, as we care for the smallest living things among us, even the worms. Signs of resurrection and new life are indeed all around us – Alleluia! |
Accompanying Scripture:
Jeremiah 29:4-7, Psalm 98, John 15
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