I’ve been thinking about the holidays and how they bring out the best and worst in us, don’t they? Some people bring a long list of expectations and judge the goodness of the holiday based on the percentage of expectations that were met. Others race around trying to meet those expectations and consider the holiday … read
If the only gospel we had was the fourth one, the Gospel According to John, things might look a lot different today. We might not be celebrating the birth of Jesus; we would have no crèche adorning the chancel, no star-banners twinkling above us, no carols about babies sleeping in hay amid lowing cattle and … read
Is it right to experience joy when there is so much suffering in the world? If you’re not much of a sermon listener, consider yourself done for this morning and contemplate this question during your week. If you’re still with me, I’ll ask the question again: is it right to feel joy when there is … read
It’s that time of year when melancholy can set in, as the days shorten and the rains come.Each year, our All Saints Remembrance feels like a time of melancholy too, as we read the list of names and find it hard to imagine that we lost all of those precious saints. When I was new … read
Believe me when I tell you that if you Google “how many people did Jesus heal in Mark’s gospel” you will be directed to websites that you’ve never heard of and that might espouse a theology or an understanding of the Bible that you’ve never even imagined. Better to read the gospel through and count … read
So often we like to think that we can cut out a story from the gospel and plunk it down in the middle of right here, right now, and assume that the transfer will go well.We pretend that Jesus’ teachings are so universal that what he said back then was really meant for us. But … read