Author: redpenguinweb

            So, what does one say for their “last” sermon in a congregation where they have served for 21 years?  I started thinking about this sermon a couple of months ago.  I initially had the idea of using the Gospel reading assigned for the day of my initial call here, and then crafting a sermon […]

Our gospel story for today focuses on a contrast that applies just as much to our everyday lives now as it did two centuries ago.  Jesus is at the height of his popularity in the Gospel of Mark, and the crowds are relentlessly following him and his disciples wherever they go.  Jesus has compassion for […]

            Today’s gospel reading is not a big favorite with most people.  We really don’t want to think about John the Baptizer’s head being served up on a platter.  Yet the very nature of the Gospel of Mark forces us to think about this story.  We know that Mark is usually brief and to the […]

            Do you remember the gospel from two weeks ago when they were caught in a big storm on the Lake of Galilee and the disciples asked, “Who is this who can calm the wind and the waves?”  They were not sure of just who this rabbi was that they were following.  More accurately, they […]

Sometimes when we see something disgusting we say, “Yuck!” Parents may tell their children, “Don’t touch it!”  There are some yucky things in the world that we try to avoid.  For reasons we don’t fully understand, the ancient Hebrews felt the same about certain things.  Some animals, foods, diseases, body fluids, and dead things made […]

Today’s gospel is full of riddles for us to solve.  Jesus decides it is time to leave the crowds who have been pursuing him in his home area of Galilee and go across to the “other side” of the Lake of Galilee.  The other side is a Gentile area, where there will be more stories […]

            In 1976 the people of Bangladesh were suffering from a terrible famine.  Economics professor Muhammad Yunus visited the village of Jopra, one of the hardest hit communities.  While he was there he met a group of forty-two poor basket weavers.   Yunus removed $27 from his pocket and loaned it to those women.  They used […]

            It is difficult to imagine the chaotic scene described by Mark in our gospel for today.  This story occurs after our gospel for last week, which took place on the Sabbath day when the Pharisees deliberately misinterpreted Jesus’ actions as they gathered evidence against him.  Then he went down to the Sea of Galilee, […]

We often talk about the importance of observing the Sabbath but we don’t do such a great job when it comes to actually practicing it.  Sabbath is not just a time to take it easy from the demands of ordinary life, although that is part of it. Sabbath rest is more than a nap. Sabbath […]

Today is a celebration of the day when God’s promise to the followers of Jesus was fulfilled.  Luke tells us that before he ascended to be reunited with the Father, Jesus promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to be with them, to encourage and empower them, to inspire them and give them wisdom.  […]