Mark 12:28-34 – November 3, 2024

Mark 12:28-34To be close to the Kingdom of Heaven is to embrace the radical call of love that God has put on our life. This love is not only for the God who changes, redeems, restores, and liberates us from the power of sin, but it is also a love that forces us to not…

Mark 11:11-13 – October 20, 2024

Text: Mark 11:11-13We continue our study of the Gospel of Mark after Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (which we typically read on Palm Sunday). In this passage, Jesus curses a fig tree that looks healthy but does not produce, despite being out of season. This fig tree represents the brokenness of what happens when who…

Mark 10:32-45 – October 6, 2024

Text: Mark 10:32-45As Jesus foretells His death and resurrection while approaching Jerusalem, He also explains to His disciples that one must become a servant of all to become great. In learning what it is to be obedient and embrace holy living, we find that our lives are inextricably linked to the people we come into…

Mark 10:1-16 – September 22, 2024

Text: Mark 10:1-16As we continue through the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is asked about divorce by the Pharisees. In the context of John the Baptist’s death which resulted from his disapproval of Herod’s divorce and remarriage, this question can be seen as an attempt to get Jesus in trouble as well. Marriage is one of…

Mark 9:14-37 – September 8, 2024

Text: Mark 9:14-37In the story of Jesus healing a boy with convulsions, the boy’s father serves as a model of faith. He is someone with questions and concerns but despite this, Jesus accepts his faith with the words “I believe; help my unbelief.” We don’t have to have all of the answers before we come…

Mark 8:1-26 – August 25, 2024

Text: Mark 8:1-26Mark 8 begins with Jesus feeding another large crowd with only seven loaves of bread. Coming after the previous feeding of the 5,000 and the healing of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter, this story is a continuation of showing that the power of God moves out in and among those in our world we…

Mark 7:1-23 – August 11, 2024

Mark 7:1-23When the Pharisees question Jesus about the practices of some of His disciples, He points out the ways in which their traditions are contrary to the commandments of God. Holiness is not a privatized concept about following earthly traditions or what we do or not do as individuals but instead is always about how…

Mark 6:30-56 – July 21, 2024

Text: Mark 6:30-56Following last week’s scripture reading about Herod’s feast that resulted in the beheading of John the Baptist, we encounter the familiar story of another feast; Jesus feeding the five thousand. Recognizing that the crowd is “like sheep without a shepherd,” Jesus acts in a completely different way from Herod. Rather than seeking a…

Mark 6:1-13 – July 7, 2024

Text: Mark 6:1-13Having just been rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus sends His disciples out two by two with a warning that they also may not always be welcomed. As we live out our faith, we may also encounter rejection but Jesus tells us to not let those moments linger; we are to continue…

Mark 5:1-20 – June 23, 2024

Mark 5:1-20The story of Jesus healing the man with an unclean spirit reminds us that the grace of God follows us to wherever we’ve been cornered and offers help both now and forever more. This story is ours as well, and contains our mission; because God has loved us, we are not cast out from…