Liturgy: Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Mark 6:1-13 (February 4, 2024)

   *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns:

Hymn GTG #494, “Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts”
Hymn GTG #281, “Holy Spirit, Come to Us”
Hymn GTG #761, “Called as Partners in Christ's Service"

Sermon: "What Jairus Learned," Mark 5:21-43 (January 28, 2024)

Today’s scripture reading is a long one, but it’s difficult to separate the one healing account from the other. Mark has given us a story sandwich, with two accounts of miraculous healings woven together into a single unit. Most Bible translations title this passage something like, “Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman,” or “Jairus’ Daughter and the Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Cloak”. Since most people naturally assume that our focus should be on the objects of Jesus’ miracles, it makes this passage difficult to summarize in a few words. It also raises the ire of many a feminist biblical scholar: why doesn’t Mark bother to name these two women at the center of this story? As a feminist myself, as well as a woman in ministry, I can appreciate this frustration, born out of centuries of women being relegated to the background of both history and religion.

Liturgy: Fourth Sunday After Epiphany, Mark 5:21-43 (January 28, 2024)

  *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns:

Hymn GTG #386, “Come, Worship God”
Hymn GTG #466, “Come and Fill Our Hearts”
Hymn GTG #27, “Sacred the Body”

Sermon: "Snowed In", Mark 5:1-20 (January 21, 2024)

I had a big week: I got stuck in the snow in a parking lot this past Thursday. It’s only the second time that this has happened to me, as far as I can recall (if there were other times, I must have blocked them from my memory). The previous time was, unsurprisingly, during the snowpocalypse of 2017. At that time, I vowed to never again attempt a vehicular adventure until everything was fully plowed, but this week, I decided to give it a shot, thinking that my brand-new car with a higher suspension would keep me out of trouble. Sadly, I was very much mistaken. Not only did I get stuck in that parking lot, but I almost got stuck again on my own street, and I had to park in the driveway because my car couldn’t make it up the 5˚ slope into the garage. It’s a pretty helpless feeling, sitting in your vehicle, surrounded by ice and snow, wanting to get on with your day but unable to do much more than spin your wheels.

Liturgy: Third Sunday After Epiphany, Mark 5:1-20 (January 21, 2024)

  *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns:

Hymn GTG #377, “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”

Hymn GTG #616, “Our God Is an Awesome God”

Hymn GTG #727, “Will You Let Me Be Your Servant”

Sermon: "Read the Room", Mark 2:18-22 (23-3:6) (January 14, 2024)

If you’re especially observant, you may have noticed that today’s scripture reading is a direct continuation from last week’s reading. The truth is that the Narrative lectionary actually included most of this passage in the lectionary for last week. It was a lot of scripture to tackle in one sermon, so I chose to focus on just the first half. But if I’m being ENTIRELY honest, I also didn’t want to deal with the second part – especially the metaphor of the new cloth/old clothes and new wine/old wineskin.

Liturgy: Second Sunday After Epiphany, Mark 2:13-22 (January 14, 2024)

 *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns:

Hymn GTG #415, “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy”

Hymn GTG #616, “Our God Is an Awesome God”

Hymn GTG #309, “Come, Great God of All the Ages”

Sermon: "Blurred Lines", Mark 2:1-12 (January 7, 2024)

We’re in kind of a strange temporal place this week. We’ve officially turned the corner into a new calendar year, crossing a boundary of sorts, and yet the Narrative Lectionary seamlessly carries on with the story of our faith. There is another shift, though – Christmas marked a liturgical transition for us from First Testament readings to New Testament readings. Continuity alongside boundaries, changes and consistency, each persisting and coexisting in the same moment. It’s something to think about, especially as we continue our dive into Mark’s gospel, the version of Jesus’ life that we’ll be focusing on for the next several months.

Liturgy: Epiphany, Mark 2:1-12 (January 7, 2024)

 *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns:

Hymn GTG #110, “Love Has Come" 

Hymn GTG #155, “Raise a Song of Gladness”

Hymn GTG #154, “Jesus Entered Egypt”