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“He Is Risen: No Fooling!” (Mark 16:1-8) Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!) Yes, it’s true! This is no April Fools’ joke. Jesus really is risen from the dead! Just like he said he would. Just like … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Mark
“Annunciation, Acclamation, Crucifixion” (Luke 1:30-33; Mark 11:1-10; 15:1-39) Today is a day in the church year that goes by two names, “Palm Sunday” and the “Sunday of the Passion.” This is Palm Sunday, the day when our Lord Jesus Christ … Continue reading
“Set Free to Serve” (Mark 10:32-45) I want to start out our message today with a little quiz. Multiple-choice. Which of these two statements is true: a) “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none,” or … Continue reading
“Passion Prediction, Passion Production” (Mark 8:27-38; Romans 5:1-11) Most of you probably remember a movie a few years back called “The Passion of the Christ.” It was about Jesus’ suffering and death. That’s what the word “Passion’ means in that … Continue reading
“Out of the Water, into the Wilderness” (Mark 1:9-15) Today is the First Sunday in Lent, which means that the Holy Gospel is an account of the temptation of our Lord. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this episode that … Continue reading
“Where Is the Healing?” (Mark 1:29-39) Every year during the Epiphany season, we get Gospel readings in which Jesus is doing the activities of his public ministry. We see Jesus busy with things like preaching, teaching, and healing the sick. … Continue reading
“The War of the Worlds” (Mark 1:21-28) Have you ever heard of “The War of the Worlds”? No, I’m not talking about H. G. Wells’s classic novel about Martians invading Earth. Nor am I talking about Orson Welles’s radio version … Continue reading
“The Heavens Being Torn Open” (Mark 1:4-11) How many of you know when your baptismal birthday is? Mine is September 10. What’s yours? It’s good to take note of and remember the day of your baptism, that happy day when … Continue reading
“A Baptism of Repentance for the Forgiveness of Sins” (Mark 1:1-8) Well, here comes John the Baptist again. He always shows up around this time of year. Always with kind of a depressing message: “Repent! Get your life straightened out!” … Continue reading
“You Will Have Treasure in Heaven” (Mark 10:17-22) Today we have the story of the rich young ruler. It’s a story of idolatry, repentance, and faith–the declining of repentance and faith, actually, even though Jesus lovingly calls this young man … Continue reading
“Receive the Kingdom of God like a Child” (Mark 10:2-16; Hebrews 2:1-18) How would you like to enter the kingdom of God? I know I would. After all–literally, after all–the kingdom of God will be the only thing going. It … Continue reading
“It Is Better for You” (Mark 9:38-50) You don’t hear a lot of people talking about hell. It’s not a very popular topic. Modern ears are too sensitive to hear any talk of God actually judging people and sending them … Continue reading
“The Rhythm of the Christian Life: Repentance, Faith, and Servanthood” (James 3:13 – 4:10; Mark 9:30-37) As I was reading through the lessons for this day, I was thinking, “What would make a good message for us to hear today, … Continue reading
“The Deaf Hear and the Mute Speak” (Mark 7:31-37) Maybe you’ve seen the videos on YouTube or through your Facebook feed. They’re videos of deaf people who hear sounds for the first time. It’s really quite remarkable. You see, there … Continue reading
“Prophets without Honor” (Ezekiel 2:1-5; Mark 6:1-13; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10) “Prophets without Honor.” That’s what we see in our readings today, in the lessons from Ezekiel, Mark, and 2 Corinthians. “Prophets without Honor.” That’s what we see in our world … Continue reading
“A Flow of Blood and a Rising from the Dead” (Mark 5:21-43) Two women, forever bound together in Holy Scripture. Two women, one an adult, suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years; the other a young girl, twelve … Continue reading
“Keep Calm, Jesus Is in the Boat” (Mark 4:35-41) “Be still, my soul.” Oh, really? You don’t know what I’m going through! My life is a wreck! My finances are in free-fall. My health–oh, don’t get me started! It’s just … Continue reading
“Different Opinions about Jesus–and His Followers” (Mark 3:20-35) In the Holy Gospel for today we encounter people expressing a couple of different opinions about Jesus. One is a temporary misunderstanding about him. The other is a hardened rejection of Jesus. … Continue reading
“Just as He Told You” (Mark 16:1-8) Alleluia! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!) And you say that with such conviction! As you should. The announcement of Christ’s resurrection elicits from us a hearty response of faith and … Continue reading
“Eloi, Eloi, Lema Sabachthani?” (Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12; Psalm 22; Mark 15:1-47) “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” This is one of the seven words from the cross, that is, one of the seven times Jesus spoke during his crucifixion. “Eloi, Eloi, … Continue reading
“Blood of the Covenant” (Exodus 24:3-11; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; Mark 14:12-26) “Blood” and “covenant” go together in the Bible pretty much all the time. Whenever God establishes a covenant with people, generally it is sealed with blood. And tonight is … Continue reading
“Your Committed and Determined King” (Mark 11:1-10; 14:12-26) Today is a Sunday that goes by two names, “Palm Sunday” and the “Sunday of the Passion.” As such, we get readings for both of these emphases. There is the Palm Sunday … Continue reading
“To Serve and to Give His Life as a Ransom” (Mark 10:32-45) These boys just don’t get it. The disciples, I mean. There’s a whole lot of misunderstanding going on in our text for today, the Holy Gospel from Mark … Continue reading
“The Transfiguration: The Bridge between Epiphany and Lent” (Mark 9:2-9) Today is the Festival of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, remembering that day when our Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured, that is, his appearance was changed, up on a mountain. … Continue reading
“Jesus Comes Today with Healing” (Mark 1:29-39) Well, look at all those people Jesus healed! On a Sabbath afternoon, Simon Peter’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and Jesus healed her. And then that evening at sundown, after the Sabbath … Continue reading