This is the second Sunday in Advent. The reading is Zechariah’s prophecy at the presentation of his and Elizabeth’s newborn son (John the Baptist) at the Temple, the first time Zechariah had been able to speak since the angel came to tell him that they would bear a son, and he would turn many people to God. The prophecy speaks of what the child will grow up to do, but it also talks of “the tender mercy of God.” God’s mercy shows through the passage at several levels, and it is worth recalling in Advent as we look toward the arrival of the Christ child. We are all, collectively and individually, recipients of that tender mercy, bestowed on us by God, whether we’re deserving, whether our lives are in order. The question is whether we’re open, and, as recipients of God’s tender mercy, how does that direct our lives and our relationships with others?

This is the first Sunday in Advent. The reading is from the late chapters of Luke in which Jesus offers some warnings about things to come. With recent happenings – the pandemic, fires and floods – it has sometimes felt like the world is coming to an end. Jesus tells the disciples to be alert, but also to be sure their hearts are not burdened with concerns. We do need times for rest, but we also need to be sure we’re not checking out. Jesus warns them and us to be alert, to notice the signs. Advent is not only preparation for the birth of Jesus, but for the return of Jesus into our world and lives. Maybe we should take on an advent spiritual practice of taking time each week to write down a place or way or instance when we’ve seen God that week.

This is the last in a sermon series using selections from chapters 9 through 14 in the Gospel of Mark, and today’s reading has Jesus in the home of Simon the leper in Bethany when a woman, unannounced and defying all custom and convention, comes in and anoints his head with some very expensive ointment. Some of the guests complain that this was a waste and that the ointment could have been sold for money to help the poor. Today is “Christ the King Sunday” or “Reign of Christ Sunday,” and this could be viewed as a coronation, the coronation of a different king, one who, rather than establishing a “kingdom,” establishes a “kindom.” What are the implications for how we are to live in this kindom?

Nancy Parker was scheduled to preach today, but she was taken ill, and Carol Cavin-Dillon is preaching. We are in the midst of a sermon series using selections from chapters 9 through 14 in the Gospel of Mark, and today’s reading has Jesus and the disciples coming out of the temple, and the disciples are admiring the temple’s structure. Jesus, however, gives them warning that at some point the temple will be completely demolished. We, too, know the awe of experiencing certain things, and, especially since the COVID pandemic, we know that a lot of those things can be taken away suddenly. Jesus warns his disciples (and us) to keep watch and to rely on God rather than on those things that might impress us, as Herod’s temple did to the disciples.

Today is All Saints Sunday when we remember those members of our church who have died in the last year. We are in the midst of a sermon series using selections from chapters 9 through 14 in the Gospel of Mark, and today’s reading is the familiar story of “The Widow’s Mite.” Although we often hear the story as an affirmation and example of this poor woman’s offering of her gift of everything she had, it could also, in its context of the criticism of the scribes by Jesus, be considered a condemnation of the system wherein this poor widow was giving everything rather than was being cared for by the congregation and the community. If we can see both views of this story, both are lessons for us in our own time and situation.

This is the sixth in a sermon series on selections from chapters 9 through 14 in the Gospel of Mark. In today’s reading, a scribe, hearing Jesus debating with other scribes and appreciating his knowledge, quizzes him as to the greatest commandment. The familiar response from Jesus, who quotes two commandments and says there are no other commandments besides those two, is recognized by the questioner as exactly on point. In the midst of our own conflicted and polarized era, for us to focus on loving God and loving our neighbor as Jesus directed the scribe so long ago is an essential lesson for us. To love like this isn’t easy – it is the work of a lifetime.

This is our annual gathering to hear reports on the state of our church. Leaders of various groups in the church give updates, and those include specific areas of ministry and financial reports: the current status and the upcoming budget. It also includes a report from last week’s meeting in Kansas City about the issues surrounding the United Methodist denomination and what to do about maintaining unification. Senior Minister Carol Cavin-Dillon moderates the session and gives some of the reports. The Town Hall Meeting was held in the Fourth Floor Theatre during the Sunday school hour on October 31, 2021, and a number of people attended in person with others joining the Livestream.

This is the fifth in a sermon series on selections from chapters 9 through 14 in the Gospel of Mark, and today’s reading is about Jesus encountering a blind man, Bartimaeus, who is asking for healing. This man was off to the side, disabled, poor, unseen by most of the crowd, but the gospel writer wants to bring him forward as an example of discipleship. That the end the account says he “regained his sight” means that he had lost it at some point, and although his father is identified, he has clearly lost touch with family. Bartimaeus has been rejected and marginalized, but he is persistent in his appeal to Jesus. He shouts out to Jesus, and although the crowd tries to quiet him, he shouts louder. And when he is called, he springs up and runs to Jesus.

This is the fourth in a sermon series on selections from chapters 9 through 14 in the Gospel of Mark, and today’s reading has two disciples, James and John, asking to be on Jesus’s right and left in the kingdom. Rev. Brandon Baxter says posture matters and has a lot to do with our positions in the world. These two “Sons of Thunder,” clearly having some status, make a move posturing toward their places in the future. Jesus responds with a counterintuitive practice – to be first, one must be last, a servant. How good is our posture? Maybe we’re being invited to practice a different posture.

This is the third of a sermon series on selections from chapters 9 through 14 in the Gospel of Mark, and today’s reading is the familiar story of the rich man asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus’ response to the rich man can be a tough message for us: how hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. What do we do with this difficult message from Jesus? The rich man seems to be a good, upright person. Does this have to do with our wanting to be right rather than being in good relationship? What if we were to understand that all we have, not just the tithe we hear about, belongs to God?