~ Psalm 51/John 12: 20-33 ~ The fifth Sunday of Lent: This journey through Lent can be rather tedious, can’t it? Ever since Ash Wednesday the themes have been rather somber; maybe to some, depressing. Fasting and penance; introspection and reflection, week after week. Maybe you’re saying, “That stuff is … Read More
~ John 2:13-22 ~ The religion of America is not Christianity, despite the claims of those who think we’re losing it. No; the real religion of America is the Myth of Redemptive Violence. Its sacred scripture is the 2nd Amendment. Its golden calf is the gun. Its mantra is: “only … Read More
~ Mark 1:9-15 ~ On this First Sunday in Lent the purpose of the gospel reading is to help us focus on the temptation of Jesus by Satan in the Wilderness. This temptation theme crops up every year in Lent because it supposedly helps us get into the issues of … Read More
~ Mark 9:2-10 ~ You might be surprised to learn that on the liturgical church calendar Mardi Gras Sunday does not show up. I guess we could say that we made that up just so we could hear some New Orleans jazz by our friends over here. On the liturgical … Read More
~ Mark 1:29-39/Isaiah 40:28-31 ~ Right up front one may question the veracity of this account of Jesus going to Simon and Andrew’s house for lunch. For everyone knows that a little bit of fever is not going to keep the matriarch of the house from doing what has to … Read More
~ Mark 1:21-28 ~ By what authority did Jesus speak? If you just saw Jesus out and about in Galilee you would assume with everybody else that he didn’t have any authority. Simply, he did not have the required honor to have authority. It wasn’t as though he was a … Read More