Text: Mark 14: 43-53; 66-72 (Peter denies Jesus) Four weeks ago on the first Sunday in Lent, we heard Jesus describe a path to healing. Before he began his journey to Jerusalem, he said that those who tried to save their lives would lose them, but that those who gave their lives up for the … [Read more…]
Text: Mark 14:26-42 (Jesus prays in Gethsemane) Video of this sermon posted to Facebook I got the idea for this reflection when I woke up last Sunday afternoon from a nap. I was glad to have slept for an hour, and it felt like I could sleep a lot longer. But dimly, I realized this … [Read more…]
Text: Mark 14:1-9 (Jesus is anointed for burial) The journey of Lent is called “the narrow path” because Jesus says “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life” (Matthew 7:13). But is there one path or many? In today’s reading, Jesus describes an act of oil being poured on his … [Read more…]
Text: Mark 10:32-45 (the greatness of service) February has been a busy month for televised sports. It began with curling at the Tournament of Hearts, and it includes the Winter Olympics, which closed yesterday in South Korea. In-between was the Super Bowl, which is the most popular televised event in the United States and Canada. … [Read more…]
Text: Mark 8:37-45 (“take up your cross”) Peter gets a bad rap in the gospels. He is the first person Jesus calls as a disciple. He has more conversations with Jesus than anyone else. He is present at every turn in the story, from the mission in Galilee, to the Transfiguration that Bruce preached about … [Read more…]
Text: Mark 2 (Jesus bends the rules) One of my work colleagues in the 1990’s was a man named Aubrey from Trinidad. One day at lunch, he compared driving in Trinidad with driving in Toronto. In Trinidad, he said, there were virtually no rules, while in Toronto there seemed to be nothing but rules. The … [Read more…]
Text: Mark 1:21-46 (Jesus heals many people) Jesus heals. This is both a summary of the Gospel reading we just heard and a hope that many of us have when we are suffering. Today I reflect on what the phrase “Jesus heals” might mean. Unlike the people mentioned in today’s Gospel reading – a person … [Read more…]
Text: Mark 1:1-20 (baptism of Jesus, temptation, call of first disciples) “The time has come. The kingdom of God is at hand!” These are the very first words spoken by Jesus as he begins his ministry in Galilee. They are bold words; words that could get one in trouble; and they do. Jesus’ first public … [Read more…]
Text: Isaiah 60:1-5 (“Arise, shine, for your light has come!”) Does anyone else here remember the 1986 Canadian rock hit “I’m an Adult Now?” This past Wednesday as I contemplated writing a Reflection for Epiphany and putting it in the context of my ancestry, the title “I’m An Adult Now” came to my mind. So, … [Read more…]
Text: Luke 2:21-40 (Jesus presented at the Temple) “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!” This line, taken from the anti-slavery anthem “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” was the last sentence of the last speech given by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. almost 50 years ago. As … [Read more…]