My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? These poignant words from the Psalmist, later spoke by Jesus on the cross and even what John of the Cross called the “Dark Night of the Soul” are affirmation of relationship. We don’t miss people of whom we have no knowledge, and the more someone’sContinue reading “20 Pentecost 2021”
Author Archives: mtrbev11
19 Pentecost 2021
Some Pharisees came, and to test Jesus they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Some subjects have been controversial, and yet unavoidable since the beginning of time. What I would like to do this morning is put this text in context and also compare it with some other biblical passagesContinue reading “19 Pentecost 2021”
18 Pentecost 2021
This morning’s gospel reading may seem to you to be a bizarre and disconnected collection of sayings by Jesus and you wouldn’t be totally wrong. I suspect Jesus did not say them randomly back-to-back as they are listed here, but Mark has chosen them to make a point and I hope we can tease thisContinue reading “18 Pentecost 2021”
17 Pentecost 2012
When my boys were young, we had boxes of superheroes and super villains, all sorted by story line: He-man, GI Joe, Star Wars, and Dick Tracy. Even though there were a dozen characters in each box, there were sure to be arguments, especially if there were more than two children playing. With 2, one couldContinue reading “17 Pentecost 2012”
16 Pentecost 2021
“No man is an island, entire of itself…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” (John Donne, Devotion XVII) We have lost the sense of community that once existed. About the same time that John Donne wasContinue reading “16 Pentecost 2021”
15 Pentecost 2021
This morning we heard two healing stories about Jesus. Both of them a little controversial and open to multiple interpretations. I would like to back up a little bit and start with a short geography lesson and a recap of what we have heard in the last few weeks to get a better feel forContinue reading “15 Pentecost 2021”
14 Pentecost 2021
“The unexamined life is not worth living” Socrates as quoted by Plato in the Apology. Both our reading from the Gospel of Mark and our reading from James’ Letter call us to examine our lives. What is our purpose? What are we trying to accomplish? Are the things we are doing helping or hurting whatContinue reading “14 Pentecost 2021”
10 Pentecost 2021
When I lived in Texas, I became very familiar with hurricanes. Initially it was the wind that impacted you. Anything that was not well anchored could be picked up and moved to the most unusual places. Boats in people’s front yards. Garages sitting on top of houses. The wind was unpredictable. I saw a trailerContinue reading “10 Pentecost 2021”
9 Pentecost 2021
For those of you that have been with us for the last few weeks, I have been preaching out of Mark chapter 6. You may also remember I mentioned last week that we skipped a section of Mark 6 to come back to at a later date, the story of the feeding of the 500Continue reading “9 Pentecost 2021”
8 Pentecost 2021
Between Mark and our lectionary we have gotten the 6th chapter in what probably feels like a random selection. Especially today when we have a bit from the middle and a bit from the end of the chapter, so let me give you a brief overview of this chapter. We began three weeks ago withContinue reading “8 Pentecost 2021”
