Mark 12:38-34 Dear Partner in Preaching, I do not know what to do with this widow. I am not even sure why Mark shares this story or what Jesus means when he draws the attention of his disciples to her. Most regularly, interpreters over the years offer us two possibilities. She is either an example of incredible stewardship to inspire and motivate us or an example of uncaring exploitation meant to warn and anger us. If the former, then Jesus invites us to imagine that it is not so much the gross amount we give that matters but what that amount means to us. This widow, unlike the scribes, does not give out of a desire to be noticed but rather...

Dear Partner in Preaching, Let’s just admit it up front: apocalyptic passages like this Sunday’s reading are more than a little weird, rather off-putting, and unfailingly difficult to preach to audiences unfamiliar with the genre. Actually, I should probably amend that slightly, as while our folks aren’t intimately familiar with the apocalyptic worldview, they have made its passing acquaintance. It was only a few years ago, after all, that most of us saw billboards or news stories carrying the predictions of Harold Camping regarding Jesus’ imminent return. And then there were articles and even big-budget films based on the Mayan...