This coming week, Jesus makes his final pitch on the life of discipleship before he heads towards Jerusalem where he opens the door to eternal life for all of us. This is key since we, like the rich man, are unable and unwilling to free ourselves of wealth. But, fortunately for us, Jesus still loves us in our weakness and lack of trust and faith.
Read MoreLet’s be honest for a moment. We have all show the true color of our inner heart. We have all shown we are not as angelic and loving as we take ourselves to be. Instead of brushing off these past moments, or continuous, words and gestures as one-off occasions let’s just be clear and say there are elements of our pasts and pains placed upon us that have shaped us in ways we can never fully recover.
Read MoreThe acronym FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is one that we often hear and perhaps experience. The stories of the women in this Gospel lesson show them missing out, or at risk of missing out. Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter is, in her culture, at the cusp of adulthood — as in our culture she would be on the cusp of increasing responsibilities and independence. The death of a young person with a full life ahead of them seems somehow harder to bear than other deaths; we reflect on all the things that person will miss out on.
Read MoreToday is a great opportunity for us to consider where God is opening the circle to people on the fringe or on the edges of our community – or maybe in our hearts. Is God calling you to a moment of forgiveness from over the holiday season? Is God calling you to bring the heavenly kingdom into your world with a gesture of love?
Read MoreFrom the first verse in Mark’s gospel, we will hear story after story about how Jesus comes to radically change how we are oriented to the world. We will read how the message of a battle victory is, in reality, Christ’s defeat over the powers and pains that suppress life in this world. What we are about to hear next changes everything…
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