Mary pondered all this in her heart. It isn't the first time that we have heard those words. In fact, this is the third time that Luke has told us that Mary pondered something in her heart.  

We all have questions. God is big enough to handle our questions. What are you pondering in your heart? 

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 | Colossians 3:12-17 | Luke 2:41-52

It feel as though we are being pushed and pulled by the river of time. There are times when it is calm and we like these times. Other times, it feels like a white-water river rafting experience.

Sometimes, we need to hear the angel's words to the shepherds, "Do not fear!" 

Isaiah 9:2-7 | Titus 2:11-14 | Luke 2:1-20

There are days that I look in the mirror and wonder who it is staring back at me. I look around and wonder what happened to this world. Some things have become unrecognizable. Good news is that God has something to help with that. 

Zephaniah 3:14-20 | Philippians 4:4-7 | Luke 3:7-18

Pilate asks Jesus a question - Are you a king? But the next unasked question is - if you are a king, where is your kingdom. We look around this world and we can question the kingship of Jesus. And that is why we pray - Thy Kingdom Come. 

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 | Psalm 93 | Revelation 1:4b-8 | John 18:33-37

Today's Gospel lesson tells us about some terrible things that were to come. Jesus tells the disciples about wars, famines, and earthquakes to come. We can focus on those - it is easy to do that - but what if, instead of focusing in on those things, we focus on something different?

Daniel 12:1-3 | Hebrews 10:11-25 | Mark 13:1-8

We all have stories we tell ourselves about where we came from and who we are.  We have our origin stories and more importantly we need destination stories - stories about where we are going.  

Isaiah 25:6-9 | Revelation 21:1-6a | John 11:32-44

Reformation Sunday is a day when we can forget the role of the Holy Spirit in the Reformation. We sing songs like A Mighty Fortress is Our God and say good job Brother Martin for setting into motion the Reformation. But the prophet Jeremiah and Ezekiel also looked forward to reformation. The days are surely coming when reformation is no longer needed. 

Jeremiah 31:31-34 | Romans 3:19-28 | John 8:31-36

How did we come to faith? How did we hear the stories of the faith? What part did we have in ensuring that we heard about Jesus? 

Jeremiah 31:7-9 | Psalm 50 | Hebrews 7:23-28 | Mark 10:46-52

In life, it can seem that we are the ones that come to God first. We come to baptism, we make vows, and it all seems that we are the one who act first. When we examine scripture, we get an entirely different picture of who acts first.  

Lectionary Texts: Isaiah 53:4-12 - Psalm 50:14 - Hebrews 5:1-10 - Mark 10:35-45

Jesus invites the rich young man in today's lesson into a something greater. It is an invitation that is extended to us all. What will our answer be to that question? Will we go away grieving or accept that invitation?