"Perhaps you have a teacher or (God forbid!) a preacher that as much as you listen to them you just don’t understand? Well, you are not alone. In our gospel passage today, the disciples hear a booming voice from above and it is not the first time. You may remember back to Jesus’ baptism, there is also a booming voice from above declaring “You are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” The voices connect these passages, connect these moments of revelation and epiphany about who Jesus is..." The post Transfiguration of Our Lord appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

"Today’s story picks up where last Sunday’s left off. And Jesus is up to the same old thing again–that is, healing. Last week, it was a man with an unclean spirit. This week, we hear about a woman with a fever and many people who were sick or possessed being healed. Yet, Mark isn’t the only gospel to speak of Jesus’s healings. In fact, every single gospel talks about these acts. Jesus heals women and men, young and old, rich and poor, Jewish and Samaritan. The gospels show the breath and the depth of Jesus’s healing. So too, these healings show us something about humanity..." The post Fifth Sunday After Epiphany appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

Our passage this morning tells us of one of the first public acts of Jesus’ ministry, in the Gospel of Mark. This scene in the synagogue may be the first time many people were hearing his teachings about love and were wondering: can this guy be trusted? Will he practice what he preaches?... The post Fourth Sunday After Epiphany appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

One of the things I love most about Mark’s gospel is how it’s written. It’s short and to the point. It’s very matter of fact. It’s like a quick tweet or burst of information. And we see that in today’s reading because we get two nuggets of information paired together in a short reading... The post Third Sunday After Epiphany appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

"Violent insurrection. Deep divisions. Widespread unrest. This is the world in 70 AD that Mark is writing his gospel in. He was writing during the Jewish-Roman war, when a group of Judeans rose up against the Roman empire, and tried to take back control of their towns..." The post The Baptism of Our Lord appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

Today’s gospel is an all-too-common story. It’s a story that we read each Epiphany. And the story begins with the phrase “in the time of King Herod.” This phrase sets the tone for what is to come. It’s revealing to us what the world looks like at Jesus’s birth... The post Epiphany Sunday appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

With today’s gospel passage, we start to understand the cosmic proportion of what happened at the nativity. What it meant for Jesus- who was with God at the very creation of the universe- to be born in a fleshy baby human body... The post Second Sunday of Christmas appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

Each year, we hear the same story. But, this year, verse 19 grabbed my attention. That is, “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” When I hear this phrase, it’s usually with an image like the one we see on the screen. Where Mary seems so peaceful with her hands folded, and Jesus looks oh, so clean…just after birth. To me, this doesn’t seem like a scene directly after a teenager gave birth to a bastard child in an animal shed. Just saying... The post Christmas Eve appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

"Last week you may remember Mary was singing a song of praise to God about what God was doing in her and the world. Well, This week, we find her at quite a different place, we find her BEFORE those rebelliously joyous words of the Magnificat even occurred to her. She has just received a visit from Gabriel, a messenger of God, and before she says “let it be” she is wondering, “ How can this be?!” She is at the cross section of confusion and fear of what this news means..." The post Seventh Sunday of Advent appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

Listen as Vicar Bethany and Pastor Eddie (Trinidad Lutheran) discuss today's gospel. The post Sixth Sunday of Advent appeared first on Wicker Park Lutheran Church.