“His fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.”(1:28) This is pretty amazing because Jesus has only just begun his ministry, only just begun selecting his apostles, only just been baptized by John in the Jordan-and already his fame has begun to spread. But it’s no wonder. Look at the Gospels for the…

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….

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…

Recently, an ad appeared on television. It pictured the advertising media’s image of the ideal American family. The husband and wife were young and appeared successful and had two small children, a boy and a girl. They were sitting in the family room watching their children play. The boy was busy with a computer game…

The text from the St John Gospel is a quintessential evangelism and mission text. First, Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me,” and he did! This is remarkable. It is just backwards from the way we are inclined to gather people into the Christian faith. There is a wonderful hymn by St. Richard of Chicester, commonly…

Today’s Gospel is a feast of improbable and colorful images. There is a certified and certifiable wildman named John the Baptist. This John is perhaps the most colorful personality in all of Holy Scripture. Then there is a truly strange event. John baptizes Jesus, who does not need to be baptized. Finally, there is a…