“Jesus is not a figure in a book but a living presence. It is not enough to study the story of Jesus like the life of any other great historical figure. We may begin that way but we must end by meeting him.” (William Barclay) Mark 16:1-8 March 31, 2013 – Easter Sunday What [...]

This experience was one no being on earth or in heaven can grasp. Mark 14:32-42 March 24, 2013 (Palm/Passion Sunday) Jesus’ lonely pain When we read today’s text out loud in our Men’s Bible study group this past Thursday, I asked the group for their first impressions.  The room fell silent. This passage silences both [...]

The afterlife is one of the commonest subjects on which to be badly mistaken. Mark 12:18-27 March 17, 2013 Near Heaven The confrontation we read about in Mark 12 between Jesus and the Sadducees happens on Tuesday of the week between the triumphal entry on Sunday and the death of Jesus on Friday.  Jesus spends [...]

When the level of your income changes the state of your heart, your soul is in danger. Mark 10:17-31 March 10, 2013 My One Word I know the sermon title in your bulletin is odd.  I don’t think I have ever had a 7-syllable word in a sermon title before, much less as the whole [...]

When your heart is right, following the right rules is so much easier. Mark 7:1-23 March 3, 2013 Rules everywhere I found this morning sermon unexpectedly challenging to prepare for, for several reasons.  First, I find Jesus somewhat inconsistent and a little puzzling on the subject of rules and traditions.  Here in this passage he [...]