[RCL] Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28 So, friends, today we are going to talk about evil spirits, unclean spirits, the demonic. Go ahead and wiggle in your seats… it is an uncomfortable topic for most of us 21st-century moderns, blessed with the scientific method. We are quite happy to be Jesus’…

[RCL] Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28 The gospel, on this fourth Sunday in the season of Epiphany, plunges us into the acts and words of one who speaks with authority. The light of Epiphany shines today on the character of the one sent from God. The evangelist Mark zeroes in on…

“If this is the answer, then what is the question?” Have you ever wondered that about something? Jesus often asks questions without providing answers: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” “Who do you say I am?” “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Anytime we read…

The gospel, on this fourth Sunday in the season of Epiphany, plunges us into the acts and words of one who speaks with authority. The light of Epiphany shines today on the character of the one sent from God. The evangelist Mark zeroes in on this divine quality at the very beginning of his gospel….

“If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” Tomorrow, February second, is a cross-quarter day, more or less. Never heard of it? Well, you are probably not alone. A cross-quarter day is the midpoint between a solstice and an equinox, the…

This past Wednesday, January 25, marked in our church calendar the Festival Day of the Conversion of Saint Paul, and with it, the conclusion of this year’s annual observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Not familiar with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity? Well, the Week – sometimes referred to as…

Today’s Gospel recounts an outstanding educational experience. The people of the Capernaum synagogue find that they have run right smack into the truth. Their encounter with Jesus leaves them awestruck. In contrast to their usual teachers, he speaks and acts with an authority that is undeniable. What do these people learn from hearing Jesus? What…

Many scholars think that St. Mark’s Gospel was set down somewhere between 60 and 65 AD. The presumed primary audience is the Jewish Christian community, not in Judea, but perhaps in Rome. If these scholarly theories are true, then the story about Jesus’ authority takes on a special kind of power and import. If the…