21st Sunday after PentecostYear B Mark 10:17-31 When you were a child (or maybe an adult!), did you ever climb up a tree or go rock climbing only to find yourself stuck and unable to get back down to safety? I can recall a time when I went river rafting. It was high water season … Continue reading Clinging
19th Sunday after Pentecost Sept. 29, 2024Mark 9:38-50 I come from a family of salt lovers. So much so that I threatened to give my mother and sister a salt lick for Christmas one year so that they could just keep it by their place at the table for whenever they needed it because a … Continue reading We Are Salty!
SyroPhonecian Woman by Julia Stankova 16th Sunday after Pentecost Sept. 8, 2024 Mark 7:24-37 How many of you have a table in your house that you gather around to talk or eat a meal? Where is that table in your home? Do you have more than one? Gathering around a table is hugely important to … Continue reading Dropping Crumbs
You are wearing the fringe of Christ’s garment. Let the words of your mouth and the actions of your heart and hands be a part of healing the brokenness of this world. Continue reading The Fringe
4th Sunday After PentecostJun 19, 2024Mark 4:26-34 In the movie Mask (1985), Rocky, whose face is deformed, tries to find a way to describe color to Diane, who is blind. How does one explain what blue is if you’ve never seen it? He comes up with an idea and uses a rock he put in … Continue reading The Color Blue and the Kingdom of God
And the Tale of a Blue and Black Dress 3rd Sunday after Pentecost Jun 9, 2024Mark 3:20-35 About ten years ago, some of you may remember, there was a huge controversy on the internet over the color of a dress. Some saw a blue and black dress and others saw a white and gold dress. … Continue reading Ancient Trolling
To paraphrase Pogo Possum from Walt Kelly’s old comic strip, “We have met the Pharisees, and they are us. Continue reading Remember Why the Sabbath (and the Law) Matters
For a generation that is struggling to understand what the church is for, may these sacred mysteries remind us to taste, touch, smell, and see God today, and not give up. Continue reading The Church: Taste, Touch, Hear, Smell, and See God Today
Mary Magdalene in the garden with Jesus, detail of mosaic in Resurrection Chapel, Washington National Cathedral Easter Sunday, Year B John 20:1-18 Alleluia! Christ is Risen! This Sunday marks the reason for our joy as Christians even in the face of a world that gives us little reason to believe we have any joy or … Continue reading I Have Seen the Lord!
Lent 3, Year B 2024 How many of you remember the Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson? (Some of you may only know it as a Disney film.) The king has been tricked into believing that he has a magic outfit that can only be seen by intelligent people. When he walks down the … Continue reading Holy Foolishness
Magdalena's Musings 