This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Mark 12:38-44. The English Standard Version supplies the text with the headings “Beware of the Scribes” and “The Widow’s Offering.” If you’ve read or heard the passages before, you’ll remember them. Because both passages draw emotional responses from us. The first passage is offensive to scribes. The […]
Don’t misread Jesus comment on the widow’s offering Read More »
Meera Mahadevan Unless we have been living in self-imposed exile, we would have seen news of the devastating floods in Spain. Over 200 fatalities and emergency workers are still uncovering bodies. Homes and livelihoods utterly destroyed. Over the weekend the King & Queen of Spain and their entourage went down to the ground for their
Before Speaking of a Speck in Another’s Eye Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to reflect on John 11:32-44. The English Standard version supplies the reading with the headings “Jesus Weeps” [verses 28-37] and “Jesus Raises Lazarus” [verses 38-44]. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead by calling to him from outside the cave-tomb in which he had been bound and placed. It’s the
Bethany, Martha, Mary and Lazarus as stage and props? Read More »
Wakkanai is the northernmost city in Japan on the island of Hokkaido. I had the pleasure of visiting Wakkanai and have stood at the tip of Cape Soya. How can I describe Wakkanai in 2 words? – Blown away. I was just blown away both figuratively and physically by the wildness and beauty of Wakkanai.
The Wind of the Spirit Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Mark 10:46-52. The English Standard Version supplies the passage with the heading “Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus.” The passage is about Jesus, surrounded by a huge crowd, healing a blind man who recognized him and insisted on coming to him against the crowd’s objections. It’s a short passage,
Take heart. Get up. He’s calling you! Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Mark 10:35-45. In March, I discussed this passage under the title A Good Leader Spends Himself. Then, I focused on servant leadership. Now, I’ll focus on suffering. Recently I heard the Canadian historian Dr Henry Abramson say that at the end of the last century, a Japanese
Hypocrisy, meaning, and the special calling of Lutherans Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to consider Mark 10:17-31. The English Standard Version supplies the passage with the title “The Rich Young Man.” We frequently use two measures of wealth. First is annual income. Second is capital, or value of properties and cash. Magazines like Forbes publish lists of wealthiest people. The wealthy are
Rich people can be very foolish Read More »
My beloved mother finally passed away in July 2024. Finally?! What a strange word to use. I use this word because she had so many “close brushes with death” since May 2022. My mother had so many emergencies and close calls, and we’d said our goodbyes too many times. Yet every time she pulled through
Zai Jian ( 再见)[1]… My Beloved Read More »
This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Mark 10:2-16. The English Standard Version divides the portion into two passages. It supplies the title “Teaching about Divorce” to the first, and the title “Let the Children come to me,” to the second. I’ll focus on the first. In this passage, Mark tells us that “Pharisees”
She burnt the rice. Can I divorce her? Read More »
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
They cast out demons using his name? Read More »
