A single event can change everything. We know this to be true from our lives. Weddings, births, moves to a new location all change everything. In those moments we may find ourselves no longer “belonging” into the crowd we used to. Now this is even more true when tragedy strikes. The unexpected death…

The journey is over. Can you imagine the relief of knowing the journey you have been on is over? Our text this morning with some of the OT quotations you are used to hearing, if you grew up in church, were those indicating the long awaited journey to Jerusalem and Passover was over. Just because the…

We need reminders. We do not always get things right the first time. We must continue to be reminded of what we should know and do know in order to live out our faith well. Life can be exhausting. As a church we know this to be true right now. We have had a long 5 weeks hosting 4 funerals. Church we…

Who is Jesus? This is the question of the gospel of Mark. We must remember the stories and miracles, the teachings and interactions all point us to an answer. What does faith look like? The point of understanding who Jesus is to illicit a faith response in us and the hearers of the Gospel. This is the…

What is faith? How we define faith will help us understand our passage this morning. For we live by faith, not by sight. We know this passage and we like to quote this passage. But sometimes I wonder if we unintentionally, at least I am almost certain I do, think of this out of context. Faith is not…

“Enemies” are easy to come by. Now I am not necessarily talking about those who are out to get us or destroy us. Instead I am talking about those who we disagree with. We all deal with many pressures. Daily live is filled with pressures. Sometimes it may seem like we are living in a pressure cooker.…

Jesus came to do “new” things. He was bringing new life, new love, new grace. Jesus does “new” things. The Gospel of Mark exists to help us be faithful. We must remember why it was written. Early Christians needed the encouragement on who Jesus is so they could keep moving and living out the Kingdom…

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This is a saying we have in our world. The question becomes, who is my friend. Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, The Old Testament revels we must be careful…

We have a trust issue. I hear it in how we talk with one another. I hear it in the complaints of others. Every year the most ethical and trustworthy professions come out. The information is not very encouraging. We have an authority issue. Corollary to our trust issue is then who has authority and ability…