RCL: Proverbs 31:10-31; Psalm 1; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. One of the unique literary elements reported throughout Mark’s gospel is the disciples’ lack of understanding. At times, the disciples are depicted as confused, challenged, and even discouraged by…

Mark’s Gospel was the first written. It is the shortest. Likely it was a one-person play, something that was first memorized and shared via oral tradition. Only in time did it go from one-person dramatic storytelling to gospel text, written down, copied, and eventually read throughout the Church and the world. Mark’s Greek is quick…

In the preface to his 1522 translation of the New Testament, Martin Luther famously refers to the Letter of James – from which our second reading today is taken – as a “straw-letter,” or an “Epistle of Straw,” as it is more often called. What he meant by this comment has been the subject of…

What do today’s business leaders and the child that Jesus picks up have in common? Let’s consider this question, in the name of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. An interesting book entitled “Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within” was written by Robert E. Quinn, who teaches organizational behavior and human resource development at…

What does it mean to welcome others in Jesus’ Name? Two powerful images confront the reader and student of today’s Gospel: one is our desire (unchanged through the ages) to be first and to be right; and the second is our reluctance to enter fully into the terror and sadness of the incarnation. The passages…

Who here wants to be first of all?Who here wants to be powerful?Who here wants to be a leader? My guess is that most of us have some ambivalence about answering yes to these questions. Unlike the kindergartners who immediately raise their hands and shout, “Me, me!” when the teacher asks, “Who wants to be…