Listen to what Jesus has to say about children. This is from the tenth chapter of the Gospel according to Mark: “it is to [children] that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. What does it mean to “receive the kingdom of God as a little child”? And what does it mean that the kingdom of God belongs to children? And what does it mean that God approaches us as a child? More
Bartimaeus is seeking to regain his sight—but even more than that. He is seeking to regain his whole life back. And so, what I expected was for Bartimaeus to say, after regaining his sight: “Okie dokie Jesus, thanks! See ya later,” and return home so that he could rebuild his life and regain all that he had lost. But this is not what happens. More
Prayer is about quieting our minds and our hearts enough to hear that “still, small voice” speaking to us, that voice of sheer silence that is God speaking in our midst. Some Buddhists, when asked to describe meditation, use an analogy. They say the the mind is like a pond: if it is full of waves and ripples, its surface is confused. But if it is still, that surface becomes calm and it can reflect something beautiful and true. I think the Christian practice of prayer is similar. We have to still our hearts and minds enough to hear that quiet voice. More
…you know, hypocrisy is a funny thing. It’s easy to accuse others of hypocrisy. And it’s actually fun–delicious really–to accuse people I don’t like or don’t agree with of hypocrisy. But it’s not so easy or fun to look at myself and consider whether I’m a hypocrite. More
The biblical call to practice Agape Love—God’s unconditional love— can seem intimidating and beyond our reach. It may prevent us from even getting started with being change agents…. So we struggle. We struggle to begin. We begin.
On this day we celebrate our patronal feast, to use an old expression. April 25, tomorrow, is the feast day of St. Mark – our saint. And while it is … More
Stephen Patterson, guest preacher at St. Mark’s, preached on Mark 4:30-32, the parable of the mustard seed. A scholar, teacher and writer, Patterson is the George H. Atkinson endowed chair … More
It’s been nice, since we’ve had the new building, for our office suite to be across the hall from the dance studio. When I walk to my office, I walk … More