This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Mark 9:38-50. The English Standard Version divides the passage into two parts and supplies the headings “Anyone not Against us is for us,” and “Temptations to Sin.” I’ll focus on verse 38, which reads, John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your …
Can you define “transgender”?[1] If you think you can, stop reading this. Take out your pen or voice note recorder. Record what you think transgender means. Then, continue reading. I’ll assume that you’ve heard the word transgender before, that you know it has something to do with sex, and that you’re aware there’s controversy over …
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Mark 9:30-37. The English Standard Version divides the passage into two portions. To the first, it supplies the heading, “Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection’” and to the second, the heading, “Who Is the Greatest?” Mark places the narratives after his account of the transfiguration of Jesus on …
This Saturday is the 14th day in September. It’s Holy Cross day. On this day, the lectionary invites us to ponder John 3:13-17. In the English Standard Version, these verses span two sections, with the headings “You Must Be Born Again,” and “For God So Loved the World.” Chow Kit is considered one of the …
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Mark 7:24-37. The English Standard Version divides the passage into two parts and supplies them with the headings “The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith,” and “Jesus Heals a Deaf Man.” A year ago, I wrote about the parallel account in Matthew 15, about the Syrophoenician woman’s faith. I titled …
Jesus’ weird route and speech with a sharp mother, a deaf man, and his friends Read More »
This Sunday the lectionary invites us to ponder Mark 7:1-23.[1] The English Standard Version divides it into two parts. It titles the first part “Traditions and Commandments” and the second part, “What Defiles a Person?” In the previous chapter, Mark described Jesus sending out the twelve members of his inner circle. He sent them out …
For the fifth and final week in a row, the lectionary invites us to ponder a passage from chapter 6 of the gospel of John. Today’s reading is John 6:56-69. The English Standard Version supplies it the title “The Words of Eternal Life.”[1] What do the words “eternal life” mean? For the majority of people, …
For the fourth week in a row, the lectionary invites us to remain within the portion of the gospel of John which the English Standard Version titles “I Am the Bread of Life.” Last week, we ended at verse 51. This week we’re invited to ponder John 6:51-58. In these verses, John tells us that …
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder John 6:35, 41-51. These verses lie within a longer account in the same chapter. As I said last week, the English Standard Version titles the longer account “I Am the Bread of Life.”[1] Last week we saw that Jesus told a crowd to stop thinking of how …
This Sunday the lectionary invites us to read John 6:24-35. It’s a portion of a passage[1] to which the English Standard Version supplies the heading “I am the Bread of Life.” Last week, I considered the account of Jesus multiplying 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed about 20,000 people. I suggested that feeding might’ve …
