I have come to dearly love the parables of the kingdom — all those rich metaphors for how God works in the world, in us, through us, and despite us. I love them even when, like this week, the lectionary wrenches them from their context. Mark 4:26-34 This week’s little parables come in Jesus’ sermon […]
Letters to a Young Pastor: The Children’s Sermon — Is it Gospel?
Dear ______: Thanks for asking me to clarify. I said something about how children’s sermons often reveal a preacher’s real theology, for good or for ill. I suspect it is because pastors do not think of the children’s sermon as a sermon. They think of it more as a conversation. If they have a warm, […]
First Visit to an Orthodox Church (pt. 6): Hearing vs Multi-Sensory
In this series I have pointed out a bunch of key differences between worship in the Protestant West and in the Orthodox East — architecture, candles, icons, processions and so on. I fear, though, that even with all these things in mind, many Protestants will have a hard time on a first visit to an […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year B, 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mark 3:20-35
The Gospel for the 10th Sunday in Ordinary time (Mark 3:20-35) is what I think of as a “sandwich” passage. A Mark 3:20-35 Sandwich There are two stories, more or less related, but instead of putting them one after the other (as was the case last week), one story is split in two like slices […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year B, 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mark 2:23-3:6
Ordinary time in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary brings us back to the Gospel of Mark. I’m glad to be back. Mark has a straightforwardness, an immediacy, that is always inviting. And it is short enough to read in a pretty easy sitting — a highly recommended practice if you want to see the subtlety […]
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