Mark 13:24-37 “Watch ye, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping!” These words are one of the opening sentences for Evening Prayer from the Prayer Book during the season of Advent, but they are appropriate for every season, every day, and every minute of our lives. I love to use these as the opening words for... Read more
Mark 13:14-23 For a number of reasons, I believe this passage and others like it are primarily about the cataclysmic events that happened in the first century. Without belaboring the point, it’s worth noting that Jesus is talking to His first century disciples and assuming that they will not only understand these things but also that these things will happen to them, and not necessarily to us (I don’t expect to be beaten in the synagogues and kicked out of... Read more
Mark 13:1-13 The situation that Jesus describes seems remotely close and familiar. It stretches back to the first century A.D. and all the way into my little study here in Tyler, Texas in the 21st century (it still seems cool and futuristic to me to say that I live in the 21st century!) What Jesus described is a world that is now, but is not yet complete. It is the bittersweet life that greets me every morning and tucks me... Read more
Mark 12:38-44 “Size matters.” That’s what “They” tell us, so it must be true. We want to know how much we earn and how much others earn. We want to compare the sizes of our churches, their programs and their organs. We measure by human standards how much we’ve given. We do this to make ourselves feel good, but are we measuring with God’s measure? For centuries, Christians assumed they owed God a tithe, that is, 10% of their increase... Read more
Mark 12:28-37 What is the greatest commandment? And why is it the greatest commandment? Here are some answers that seem to be common in our culture: “Thou shalt not offend thy neighbor.” “Thou shalt not judge.” “Thou shalt live and let live.” “Thou shalt have the right to worship God or god any way thou wantest.” “Thou shalt have the right to interpret the Scriptures in thine own way.” “Thou shalt do what thou wilt, provided you can’t see any... Read more
Mark 12:18-27 I’m glad that here, towards the end of Lent and even before Easter, we are able to celebrate the resurrection. The main point of Jesus’ answer to the Sadducees was, of course, that there is indeed a resurrection from the dead to eternal life. This is so plain from the New Testament that it doesn’t surprise us or instruct us much beyond any other passage. And yet Jesus has left mysterious hints about what life in the resurrection... Read more
Here’s one that ought to keep your brains busy for a while: what is the proper relationship between the Church and the State? Such things used to be self-evident. Well, sort of. At times Christians have been persecuted by the State and yet loyal subjects; the biggest advocates of State power; advocates of the Church and State being nearly coterminous; at the forefront of fighting for the separation of Church and State; and other variants of these configurations. In America... Read more
Friday of Lent 3 – Mark 12:1-12 Today, Jesus continues His teaching on trees and fruitfulness, only this time He’s talking not so much about the trees but those who tend them. In the beginning, God placed man in a paradisiacal garden for Him to tend. He created a good and beautiful place for man to live and work with the understanding that man was but a steward of all that God had given Him. All that man had, God... Read more
Mark 11:12-26 Nasty, mean Jesus! Who does he think he is – causing a fig tree to wither? Obviously, he wasn’t environmentally friendly. Maybe we can wish this side of Jesus away by taking our Jeffersonian scissors to the parts of the Bible we don’t like and neatly excising them. Nasty Jesus! If our reaction isn’t necessarily one of disdain for the one who withers trees, it’s likely at least to be confusion. Maybe we’re not perturbed that Jesus withered... Read more
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Monday in Lent 5 – John 12:1-11
John 12:1-11 I love the family from Bethany! It was obvious how much the Lord loved them and how much they loved Him in return. In this love, both that which is received and that which is given, they are a picture of our lives lived in communion and love with the Holy Trinity. For whatever we have received from God we are required to give back in gratitude and love. Before we turn to the picture of love, we... Read more