We give you thanks, O God, for all things: For the Spirit that names and affirms, the Spirit that leads and drives, we give you thanks. May we ever heed its call. For the wilderness periods of our lives that help us grow strong while teaching us not to rely on our strength but on your mercy,...

While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. Why do you think the woman did this? The oil she used was expensive, incredibly...

While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper…. Simon the Leper. Truth be told, we don’t know much about Simon the Leper. He is mentioned only in Mark and Matthew (26:6-13). There is a Simon the Pharisee in Luke’s story who also hosts Jesus for dinner when a woman anoints Jesus...

It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, ‘Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.’ Fear. It’s amazing how powerful...

You’re probably familiar with the original “scary story” beginning: “It was a dark and stormy night…” Mark doesn’t begin his story of Jesus’ Passion with those exact words, but he nevertheless strikes the same ominous, foreboding note: It was two days before the Passover and...