[RCL] Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147:1-12, 21c; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39 Servant ministry is presented in our Gospel reading for today in a way that first sounds like something much less than Good News as we meet Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. Three verses of scripture contain everything we know about this healing encounter. Listen as I…

[RCL] Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147:1-12, 21c; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39 Some Sundays, the lectionary readings seem to fit together better than other Sundays. Some Sundays, a coherent theme practically jumps from scriptures’ pages into our laps. On others, searching for it seems to require a magnifying glass and a fine-toothed comb. Perhaps what is…

In the 1st Century world of Jesus, sick people only had a few options. The first thing they could do was try a folk remedy. These varied from sensible potions and poultices to downright dangerous “fixes.” Many folk remedies are still practiced today in the industrialized world and most are completely ineffective, especially with serious…

Sometimes it’s difficult to get a conversation started or bring discussion to a deeper level. Luckily, there’s a game called TableTopics that is meant to get conversation started between two people or group. TableTopics is a clear cube filled with cards that have one question on each, and there are a variety of versions out…

It’s a simple little story, but the reading we just heard from Mark is one of the most moving, and most challenging, parts of this gospel. It’s from the first chapter of Mark, and it describes the second part of a sort of model day in the ministry of Jesus. We heard the first part…

At first sight, it may seem odd that the lectionary offers us a reading from Isaiah that is all about God the cosmic creator and giver of power, and then there is a reading from Mark’s gospel that includes the small scene of Jesus’ healing Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. How does the might, majesty, dominion, and…

“The fever left her, and she began to serve them.” Most of us are familiar with Lourdes, the Roman Catholic shrine in southern France at which the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to a saintly young woman named Bernadette a century and a half ago. Pilgrims today continue to throng the shrine,…

What works best? Proclaiming the good news of salvation loudly so that as much of the world around one as possible can hear it? Or doing good works in quiet humility and letting one’s deeds speak for themselves? Today, some people take to the airwaves to let others know the good news of Jesus Christ….

Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. Well, there I am. You people have a saying about everyone having their 15 minutes of fame. This is mine. Right there in the Gospel written by that boy Mark. It doesn’t tell you my name, of course….