"In this sermon, Meg Stapleton Smith explores what it means to read the Gospel of Mark from the perspective of Mark's historical audience. Meg invites us to see that our Gospel passage for today is about radical trust in ourselves, in Christ, and in God."

On this Sunday when we have several hard texts, Marissa looks at one of the most famous sayings of Jesus. What can we learn about camels and the eye of a needle?

On the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Marissa explores the theme of identity in the passages. Who are you? Who will you be at the end of your life? What will you leave behind? What do Esther and the disciples have to teach us about this today?

What is the Gospel? And what does Jesus mean when he tells us not to be ashamed of his words?

Mark's Gospel lays out a challenging passage for us this week. Two separate stories, combined with the theme from the Epistle and Hebrew Scriptures makes for a three-part sermon that points us in the direction of self and community transformation.

In Mark 7:18, 14-15, 21-23, we enter into a conversation Jesus has with the religious leaders of his day. Those leaders criticize the disciples for not following the rules around hand washing. Jesus speaks on behalf of the disciples and taught them and the religious leaders: "For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come...." Henri Nouwen reflects about the heart with the following: "...By 'heart' I mean the centre of our being, the 'place' where were are most ourselves, where we are most human, where we are most real. In that sense the heart is the focus of the spiritual life." Jesus taught the disciples, and us as modern day disciples, to be real and authentic in ministry. They continued on as do we. Episcopal writer, academic and musician Sandra T. Montes has a provocative book entitled Becoming REAL and Thriving in Ministry. REAL is an acronym meaning Respectful relationships, Excellence, Authenticity, and Love--four ingredients she sees as an essential framework for all relationships whether individual or in ministries. She challenges us, just as Jesus challenges us, to be better and to open our hearts. How can we be conscious of transforming our tongues and words and actions to heal and build relationships?

In 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14, we hear the story of God coming to Solomon in a dream and saying, "Ask what I should give you." Solomon replied, "Give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil." Of all the things of earth Solomon asked for wisdom. There are so many ways for us to look for wisdom--in Holy Scripture (both Hebrew Scriptures and the Gospels), in the experiences of life, in the quiet times with God in reflection and prayer, in listening to the voices of those around us. Experiments such as The Human Library can open our hearts and minds to others who are so different from us while giving us a chance to see how we might not be so different. The Human Library began in Denmark and is an event hosted by librarians where one can check out a human book--a human being for a period of 30 minutes to be in conversation asking questions about the individual's uniqueness. It's a modern day version of gaining wisdom to break down walls and build relationships--wisdom that opens eyes and hearts to the wideness of God's creation. Be aware of the many and varied ways to seek understanding of God's wisdom.

Paul writes to the people of Ephesus: "...be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us." (Ephesians 5:1-2). He then gave the Ephesians practical advice on ethical behaviors, many of which are rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. Our Christian ethics point back to Jewish ethics. As Christians we also have our baptismal covenant that leads and directs our lives in community. In the newly edited book by Westina Matthews This Band of Sisterhood: Black Women Bishops on Race, Faith, and the Church, we hear modern day brave voices encourage people to be authentic, vulnerable, inclusive, spirit-filled, truth-telling. These are the voices of women of color elected as bishops in the past three years. Along with Paul, they invite us to be the church in new ways--to be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us.

In Ephesians 4:1-16, we hear Paul's teaching to a widely diverse group of peoples: "I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." These are gifts that we learn and develop in community--a new kind of life in Christ. The themes of unity and truth and love and peace rise mightily in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Toward the end Paul writes, "As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace." (Ephesians 6:15). We learn and practice in community and then take these gifts out into a world that needs us one and all.

John 6:1-21 gives us the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. A large crowd had gathered with Jesus and his disciples who were hungry for healing and teaching. At some point they became hungry for food. Andrew finds a little boy with five barley loaves and two fish. Right before the eyes of the crowd and the disciples, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks for it, and then distributed it to the 5,000 gathered folks. All were fed and there were even leftovers. A miracle happened in the sight of all. A little boy gave all that he had to help feed the hungry. What does the story tell us about how we can make a difference?