I’m going to try to put this passage in Mark’s gospel in a little context today. In many ways, this reporting of the death of John the Baptist seems like an afterthought in the gospel of Mark. It was pointed …
This particular passage from the gospel of Mark will always hold a special place in my heart, in part because of a near-miss I had with my home congregation. Some of you know that I spent my entire youth in …
I’m not sure how many of you get reminders on your phones – or maybe you simply saw something in your morning news feeds – but today is actually one of those holidays that’s been declared by presidents to be …
You know, every Holy Trinity Sunday comes, and the words of Jesus cut to the quick, because there’s a small part of me that gets imposter syndrome this weekend. If you’re not familiar, this is the Sunday where we recognize …
Sometimes we don’t know when the Holy Spirit is going to show up and do something unexpected. That’s the case for the disciples in our scripture reading today. The eleven disciples, with other followers alongside them, are in one place …
Truth is a tricky thing isn’t it? Ideally, truth is Truth, with a capital T, immutable, unchangeable, but the longer we’re in our interconnected world, the more it seems like truth isn’t as certain as it should be. And just …
Today we hear Jesus continue his farewell discourse, where – just prior to Judas betraying him – Jesus speaks words of comfort and challenge to his other eleven disciples. And let’s be honest, I think at this point Jesus’ disciples …
The Rev. Doctor Susan Briehl, occasional visiting professor at Wartburg Theological Seminary, once shared the following reflection: several years ago, someone at Wartburg Theological Seminary decided that their seminary needed a vineyard on a portion of it. There was a …
I don’t know about you, but throughout the course of the week, I find I spend a little too much time on news websites – some local, some national. And what I mean by “too much time” I really mean …
Today is the day that we encounter the empty tomb, and wonder. Today we hear the good news that – Christ is risen! I promise there’s a point to that. We hear this good news. We have already broken out …
There’s something insidious about the power of death, and about the feelings of helplessness that come with it. Today we see the consequences of death’s power, when Mary Magdalene approaches the tomb and finds it open, the body of Jesus, …
What does it mean to have a share with Christ? It seems, whatever this share is, Peter wants it. He wants to have a share with Christ Jesus so much that his eagerness overwhelms his pride. Because it’s in his …