Mark 5:21-43 Dear Partner in Preaching, Mark doesn’t begin these two inter-connected stories by saying, “The kingdom of God is like…”, but he might have. Indeed, compared with his Synoptic cousins, Mark doesn’t share all that many of Jesus’ parables (and most of the few he does we’ve already touched on), and yet weaving together of these two stories feels rather parabolic, as it offers one picture of Jesus’ ministry and God’s reign that we preachers might “throw alongside” (the literal meaning of παραβολή) the picture of our life in the world. Central to this parable is the vulnerability of the characters and,...

Mark 4:35-41 Dear Partner in Preaching, What moves us from fear to faith? Hold that question for a moment; we’ll come back to it. For now, though, notice with me how similar what we perceive as very distinct responses actually are. Or at least their roots. Think about it. Both fear and faith make sense only in relation to something that is unknown, challenging, difficult, or threatening. I mean, it’s just those kinds of things that make us afraid. And, when you stop to think about it, it’s just those same kinds of things that summon faith to face them. Indeed, in the face of things that are unknown, challenging, difficult, or...

Mark 4:26-34 Dear Partner in Preaching, I love these couple of mini-parables in Mark. (“Mini” in the sense that they aren’t the extended stories like the Prodigal Son or Good Samaritan, etc.) They’re small, but pack a punch. In this case, I’d describe that punch as a kind of quiet and dynamic confidence. Before jumping into that fully, let me offer just a couple of words of background information that might help. First, what is a parable? In some ways, maybe it’s easier to say what it’s not. A parable is not simply an analogy for us to figure out, where A=God and B=Jesus and C=us, etc. Some parables do function analogically,...

Mark 3:20-35 Dear Partner in Preaching, How do you define “crazy”? Not what makes you crazy, mind you :), but what you think of as absolutely crazy. I ask because I think it’s really interesting that, just a few chapters into Mark’s story about Jesus, those around him are saying he’s crazy. Saying people are “Crazy” or, in this case the parallel, “out of his mind” is strong language. It’s a way of discrediting people, of dismissing their views and actions, of trying to limit, if not destroy, their credibility and influence. It’s the kind of thing that you either say in jest to a good friend (“Don’t be crazy, we...

Mark 2:23-3:6 Dear Partner in Preaching, I’m not if sure there is a more universal story in Scripture. To unpack that, I want to just notice with you how incredibly interesting it is that Jesus’ first confrontations are with those who are most religious. Mark’s Gospel is a narrative whirlwind. In the first chapter, Jesus is baptized, tempted, announced his ministry, calls his disciples, casts out an unclean spirit, heals many people gathered at Simon Peter’s home, goes on a preaching tour, and cleanses a leper. All in a mere 45 verses! And by the end of all this, his fame has spread so far and wide he finds it difficult to move about...

Dear Partner in Preaching, I want to propose a radical idea: on this Holy Trinity Sunday, don’t preach on the Trinity. Don’t even mention…it, him, her, they (proper pronoun, please?) Why? Because it’s a doctrine. Because it’s a confusing doctrine. Because doctrine itself is meant to be a way of understanding and describing our experience of the living God, but perhaps as much as or even more than any other doctrine, the doctrine of the Trinity has ended up not describing an experience, but substituting for one. For many of our folks – and who knows, maybe for us – it is little more than a formula – “In the name of the...

Acts 2:1-21 Dear Partner in Preaching, Some insights take a little while to sink in. And that is definitely true with something I realized about four or five years ago with regard to the Pentecost story. You know the details pretty well, as do many of our people: the disciples are gathered in the Upper Room (or at least in some room), waiting for the consummation of Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, when the earth shakes, the wind blows, tongues of fire descend, and they are emboldened to preach the Gospel first in Jerusalem and eventually to the ends of the earth. In other words, a dramatic event which transforms the disciples, solves...

John 17:6-22 Dear Partner in Preaching, In this passage from the “farewell discourses,” Jesus prays for his disciples and…. Wait. Let’s not rush to all the other things Jesus does for or says to his disciples. Let’s just stop there for a moment. The evening before his crucifixion, and while anticipating an immediate future that will include betrayal, trial, condemnation, beating, and execution, Jesus. Stops. Everything. And. Prays. For. Those. He. Loves. Incredible. To think about…, but also to experience. And perhaps it’s this experience that may form much of this week’s sermon. Because here’s the thing: prayer isn’t...

John 15:9-17 Dear Partner in Preaching, “As the Father has loved me,…” Last week the phrase that guided my reflections was “as I abide in you,” reminding us that it’s Jesus’ promise to abide in us, love us, and hold onto us that makes abiding in him and loving others possible. This week the phrase that has helped me – only and finally on Saturday morning! – find an angle into this portion of the Farewell Discourses is, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.” Sometimes I wonder if it’s the preachers job, above all else, to help people imagine God differently. Imagine, not just think about. What I mean is...

John 15:1-8 Dear Partner in Preaching, “As I abide in you.” That’s the line in this week’s Gospel reading that helps me find a way to preach this passage. Without it, much of what Jesus says feels like a threat. You know what I mean? Abide in me or else – be pruned, wither, be thrown into the fire, and die! All voiced as a threat to bully people into staying loyal and faithful. But Jesus doesn’t just say “Abide in me.” Rather, he says, “Abide in me, as I abide in you.” And that changes everything. The other statements about pruning and withering and the rest are not threats of intimidation but rather statements of fact,...