February 1, 2015 Epiphany 4B Mark 1:21-28

In this week’s Gospel a man with an unclean spirit appears in the synagogue and confronts Jesus. Jesus’ response amazes everyone, a new teaching with authority throws this man into convulsions and suddenly the man once possessed with a demon is healed and set free.

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January 25, 2015 Epiphany 3B Mark 1:14-20

The word “immediately” appears in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (by my calculations) 72 times. And of those 72 occurrences 28 of them occur in the gospel of Mark. In my bible Mark is only 22 pages long, and the rest of the […]

January 18, 2015 Epiphany 2B John 1:43-51

This week’s appointed lessons contain two great stories of call, the call of Samuel and the call of Nathanael. Unlike the fishermen who hear Jesus’ call and “immediately drop their nets,” Samuel and Nathanael must first work through some confusion and doubt, some misgivings and fear, […]

January 6, 2014 The Epiphany of Our Lord Matthew 2:1-12

Epiphany is the season of light, a season of starbursts, a season of dreams, and a season of revelation. According to Webster, Epiphany means “to show forth” or “manifest.” In this week’s Epiphany Gospel a star appears in the heavens and Jesus is revealed […]

January 4, 2014 Christmas 2A John 1:1-18

In the beginning there was this Word, a Word that dwelt with God, a Word that was God, a creative Word that spoke and gave birth to life, to all of creation.

This is how the story of faith begins in the Gospel of John. […]

December 24, 2014 Christmas Eve Luke 2:1-7

I love Christmas, I love the stories, the songs, the movies, the traditions, the food, and singing “Silent Night” at the Christmas Eve Worship service. Yet I am very aware that for many people this time of year is full of stress, anxiety, and even severe […]

December 28, 2014 Advent 4B Luke 1:26-38

It’s true, “There’s just something about Mary!” She is one of my favorite Advent characters. Her story is nothing less than amazing. It begins with the unexpected news that she is somehow pregnant with a son, to which she replies, “Here am I, the servant of […]

December 14, 2014 Advent 3B John 1: 6-8

When I think of Advent, one of the first things that comes to my mind is the lighting of the Advent candles.   Each evening we would light those candles as part of our table prayer. We would begin in the dark with no light, and […]

December 7, 2014 Advent 2B Mark 1: 1-8; Isaiah 40:1-11

The Second Sunday in Advent sends us out and into the wilderness.  The prophet Isaiah writes, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”  And in the Gospel Mark tells us the story […]

  November 30, 2014 The Season of Advent

This week we begin another liturgical church year. In the season of Advent we remember how Christ came into the world, we celebrate how Christ continues to come into the world, and we trust that one day Christ will come again with the fullness […]