This coming week, Jesus makes his final pitch on the life of discipleship before he heads towards Jerusalem where he opens the door to eternal life for all of us. This is key since we, like the rich man, are unable and unwilling to free ourselves of wealth. But, fortunately for us, Jesus still loves us in our weakness and lack of trust and faith.
Read MoreLet’s be honest for a moment. We have all show the true color of our inner heart. We have all shown we are not as angelic and loving as we take ourselves to be. Instead of brushing off these past moments, or continuous, words and gestures as one-off occasions let’s just be clear and say there are elements of our pasts and pains placed upon us that have shaped us in ways we can never fully recover.
Read MoreThe acronym FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is one that we often hear and perhaps experience. The stories of the women in this Gospel lesson show them missing out, or at risk of missing out. Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter is, in her culture, at the cusp of adulthood — as in our culture she would be on the cusp of increasing responsibilities and independence. The death of a young person with a full life ahead of them seems somehow harder to bear than other deaths; we reflect on all the things that person will miss out on.
Read MoreIn an attempt to modernize the parables for our current content, the following is a rewriting of the parables from Mark 4. One important note, like Jesus’ parables the images and examples are not sacred in any way. There is nothing particularly special about a sower or a mustard seed.
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