Scripture - Mark 10:46-52 It took some weeks of persuasion before they came to see me. The adult son was desperate to get his ailing & depressed mother into some kind of a home where she would be properly cared for. As long as she lived with him he could not do his own work or have any private life. She swamped him with demands for help & attention. I guess, having gone through this exercise myself, they came to me as experienced, not necessarily an expert. At least, I ho

Scripture - Mark 10:17-31 God’s word is living & active, speaking to our world today. It speaks powerfully to our lives. Trust & listen, both to words of pain & need, as well as to words of mercy & grace. Most of us know this story as the story of the rich young ruler, although Mark is the only gospel writer who suggests he is rich. Matthew is the only one who says he is young, & Luke is the only one who calls him a ruler. The fact that he shows up in all 3 of these gospe

Scripture - Mark 10:1-16 Here is what I wish I had said on Sunday: Is there any good thing to be found in the law of the Lord? Before we move too quickly through Mark’s Gospel, it would be good to recall a previous narrative hanging in the background of this passage: the death of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-30). As we remember, John’s murder was arranged by King Herod’s sister-in-law & wife, Herodias, on account of her anger for John’s teaching on marital faithfulness (6:19)