As I’ve written before, contrary how most of us experience Easter, it’s actually a season of the Church, and not merely a day. It’s not meant to be blown by and then remembered in the rear view mirror by its exhaustion (hello, church-workers), chocolate consumption (or Peeps), and communal meals. Just as Lent prepares us … Continue reading
What the resurrection means (at the very least)… That Jesus was/is the Christ, the Messiah That love really does win (Relatedly) That evil, death, and violence do not have the last word That doubt on Saturday is a part of life, but can give way to faith on Sunday That God is almost always unexpected … Continue reading
There’s lots that I could say today. But I’ve decided I really won’t. My words pale in comparison to the response that this day deserves. So just this: stumbled across this quote yesterday: Jesus Christ is born in a stable. He has to flee to Egypt. He passes thirty years of his life in the … Continue reading
I’m probably alone in this, but sometimes I feel like Jesus has a funny way of healing people. To my eyes and ears, Jesus’ healings have a hard edge to them. For instance, we are told that one time Jesus heals a man with a “withered hand” on the Sabbath, and the religious experts are … Continue reading
Jesus’ mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood near the cross. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that time … Continue reading
Shortly before Jesus is arrested, Mark records this dinner that he attends. While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his … Continue reading
Last week, I wrote about the public nature of “bearing our crosses”; how they aren’t easily hidden, and are pretty obvious to people. I challenged you all to take up a cross with someone, and share it with someone. Maybe you did that; maybe you didn’t. That’s the nature of the interwebs, I guess. But … Continue reading
I’m journeying through Mark’s gospel with some friends, and we were talking this week about 2v13-22. Essentially, Jesus goes to this guy named Levi (no relation to my son) who is a despised and outcast member of his culture, and invites Levi to follow him. Then, as if that’s not enough, Levi throws a part … Continue reading
After calling the crowd together with his disciples, Jesus said to them, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8v34) I’m going to assume, for just a moment, that you know some of the details of what Jesus is talking about—that “taking … Continue reading
Lent begins today, and many of us have already made preparations: we’ve prayerfully considered what we will surrender during this time, we’ve made arrangements for our fasts, we have sought out an Ash Wednesday gathering to be a part of. All of these are good, good things. But they’re not the best thing. One of the verses that always … Continue reading
