As a congregation we spent two Sundays on Mark 10:17-22 and then Mark 10:23-31 – the Rich Young Ruler and the aftermath explanations. [The LCMS three year lectionary cycle very closely follows the one used in most churches, but this is one of the places where it was modified. Instead of treating all that . . . → Read More: Rich Young Man – revisited
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Full Text The gospel texts are sparse. What I mean by that is they relate just enough information to tell the story and expect you the reader to fill in the gaps from your knowledge and experience. We do this type of stuff everyday of our lives. The closer the person is to us, . . . → Read More: Sermon – “Who can be saved?” – Mark 10:23-31 Jesus interacted with a bunch of people, but primarly two groups – the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees it could be said shared a basic understanding and worldview with Jesus. They believed in the Scriptures, and God and the comming messiah. Jesus argued and castigated them for their blindness to their sin and . . . → Read More: Question to Ponder – Church and Culture Full Text Text: Mark 10:17-22 As one congregant said – “reading a little Plato were you?” The presenting question was what do I do to inherit eternal life. In our culture today I don’t think that is even a question people ask. Eternal and the man’s address of Jesus as Good Teacher imply something that . . . → Read More: Good Things – Mark 10:17-22 That is the start of a pithy saying of Jesus. So pithy it found its way into the Synoptic gospels (Matt, Mark and Luke) in at least four places – Matt 13:11-12, Matt 25:29, Mark 4:25, Luke 19:26. And those 4 places represent at least 3.5 stories: the explanation to the parable of the . . . → Read More: Those who have, more will be added… Full Text This sermons subject – sexuality and specifically divorce – is a hard word in our culture. Jesus doesn’t allow it – divorce that is. Divorce is not in God’s plan. And we can’t keep that – neither in what our society formally calls marriage, nor in our sexuality that assumes marriage rights . . . → Read More: The Elephant in the room…Mark 10:1-16 The gospel text for the day was Mark 16:1-20 or the ending of the gospel. The non-scripture reading that was paired with it just bowled me over to the point that you wonder if it was just another “preacher story” – truthfully I would hope that it was a pious fiction, but sorrowfully knowing that . . . → Read More: Born in a grave… Full Text People have long looked at the second grouping of these verses (Mark 9:42-50) as simply an individual warning. That reading has always caused me trouble as I either needed to treat it as completely spiritual which I don’t like, or I needed to go lopp off a hand or pluck out an eye, which . . . → Read More: Sermon – Mark 9:38-50 – Low Walls, High Standards Complete Text It has been claimed in the past that I have a problem with authority. There are probably a couple layers of truth to that. First, as a sinful human I do have a problem with authority. My sinful nature wants to be God. But of course that is never what that . . . → Read More: Pecking Orders – Mark 9:30-37 Text: Mark 14:1-11 Jesus will issue the disciples commands like watch! or like love one another. He will also tell us to forget things – like God forgetting our sins. There are only two things that Jesus says remember. We hear the one every communion Sunday – Do this (bread and wine, body & . . . → Read More: What we remember – What God remembers |
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