by Shelly | Oct 19, 2024 | Sermons
True greatness through humble service Today’s gospel starts with disciples obsessing over who will be closest to Jesus, leading to Jesus teaching his followers about God’s take on importance and power. Here Jesus makes it explicit that the reversal of values in God’s...
by Shelly | Oct 12, 2024 | Sermons
God’s good gifts are for sharing The rich man who comes to ask Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life is a good man, sincere in his asking. Mark’s gospel is alone in saying that Jesus looked on him and loved him. Out of love, not as judgment, Jesus...
by Shelly | Oct 3, 2024 | Sermons
Intent of God’s rule is love Today’s gospel combines a saying that makes many of us uncomfortable with a story we find comforting. Jesus’ saying on divorce is another of his rejections of human legislation in favor of the original intent of God’s law. Jesus’...
by Shelly | Sep 20, 2024 | Sermons
True greatness is serving all Today we hear James warn against selfish ambition, while the disciples quarrel over which one of them is the greatest. Jesus tells them the way to be great is to serve. Then, to make it concrete, he puts in front of them a flesh-and-blood...
by Shelly | Aug 25, 2024 | Sermons
Be opened – in body, mind, and spirit James tells us to stop showing favoritism in the assembly, treating the rich visitor with more honor than the poor one. Jesus himself seems to show partiality in his first response to the Syrophoenician woman in today’s...
by Shelly | Aug 15, 2024 | Sermons
Jesus offers himself as God’s Wisdom Wisdom prepares a feast, sets her table, and invites all to come and eat her bread and drink her wine. The first chapter of John’s gospel owes much to the biblical tradition that imagined Wisdom as existing before anything...
