Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Those are funeral words, graveside words, goodbye words. I’ve baptized many, marking them with water. Today, I mark you with ashes. Nothing in Scripture…
I’ve been trying to take Mark’s account—what Peter told Mark—in order this year. Today, with our forty-day walk to Easter about to begin, I’m jumping ahead. Today is Transfiguration Sunday. …
“They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach” (1:21). From the shores of Galilee, Jesus and his four new disciples…
Walking along the beach is one of my happiest times. What is it about that meeting place of water and land: the sound of the water? The breeze? The birds? …
In Mark’s telling, it can feel as if things happen rapid-fire: this, then this, then this, sort of breathlessly. It may have been just like that. It may also be…
Not purification but preparation. Jesus didn’t need any purification. His baptism wasn’t for his purification; rather, it was a sign of his dedication, his official consecration, if you will. His…
Mark’s version, church tradition tells us, is based upon Peter’s recollection. Mark was secretary and personal assistant to Peter in his last years. Mark’s—Peter’s—account begins, not with a genealogy, nor…
It’s hard to know what to make of Revelation. It can feel daunting, and not just because there’s so much going on, so many things to try to keep track…
John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed…
Over these Sundays, I’ve been sharing with you what prophets of the Old Testament had to say about the one who was going to come. He would be the fulfillment…