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
Last night in Portland, hundreds of children went to bed hungry. Last night across these United States of America, hundreds of thousands of children went to bed hungry. Right now, in Yemen, five million children are at risk of famine. While it is World Communion Sunday today, and while you and I and Christians around … read
For and Against and With Mark 9:38-50 This seems like the wrong week to speak about being in community with those we disagree with. The confirmation hearing for Judge Kavanaugh has unearthed, once again, the deep divisions among us: divisions along the lines of gender, along the lines of use of power, along the lines … read
A while back I heard a scholar say that the gospel of Mark can be understood as a circular thing. The gospel begins with the adult Jesus in Galilee, starting his ministry, and it ends with an angel in the empty tomb telling the women to go back to Galilee and the risen Jesus will … read