Sermons on Mark
Palm & Passion Sunday – Some disciples follow Jesus and pay the ultimate price.
Palm & Passion Sunday – Some disciples follow Jesus and pay the ultimate price. Mark 14:40 Our saint for today is Jimmie Lee Jackson. He was the youngest deacon of St. James Baptist Church in Marion, Alabama. In 1965 he was shot by an Alabama State Trooper and died 8 days later in hospital. At a voting rights march, the state troopers clubbed the marchers. Jimmie Lee, his sister, mother, and 82-year-old grandfather fled to a restaurant. They were pursued…
God is Not Scary! – Mark 13.1-8
God is Not Scary! – Mark 13.1-8 The text we read today is scary. The temple will be destroyed, nation will rise against nation, earthquake and famines will occur, and that is just the beginning. The birth pangs. It is clear from this text that something big and monumental will come to an end and something new will begin. And I am sure this will give rise to all kinds of visions that the world will end next Tuesday at five, or the week after…
Justice for Poor Widows 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Mark 12: 38-44
Psalm 146 calls for justice for the poor in the form of a song of praise. How does that go together? Beth L. Tanner, Professor of Old Testament in New Brunswick, New Jersey, offers the following insight in her commentary on Working Preacher: Here is the first lesson of this psalm. Praise of God is sometimes an act of discipline. Under the circumstances of war and destruction, praise is not the result of external happiness, but stubborn belief in the face of…
Thunderstorm
Thunderstorm Have you ever been in a thunderstorm that was so bad that you thought this could be the day that your journey on this world ends? The weather in Germany is usually quite moderate, but sometimes the weather makes up for the usually good behavior. And then it feels like an angry deity is throwing around thunderbolts. They often hit old trees and split them apart with a force that was unknown to medieval people before humans started experimenting…
The Blind Beggar’s Faith – Mark 10: 46-52
The Blind Beggar’s Faith – Mark 10: 46-52 In the Gospel Story today, Jesus heals Bartimaeus on the spot with the words; “Your faith has made you well.” Do you sometimes feel pressure, when you read a healing story like this? I do. What if I need urgent healing, and my faith is not strong enough to initiate the mystery of healing? It was good for my soul to review some of Luther’s writings in this respect this month! In…
The Three Treatises of 1520 that Split the Church – Mark 10: 35-45
The Three Treatises of 1520 that Split the Church – Mark 10: 35-45 In 1517 Martin Luther nails the 95 theses to the church door. And in 1520 he writes three treatises that blow up the medieval church. In the first Martin Luther writes his address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation. It’s an all-out attack on all that the pope and the church hold dear. They hide from reform behind three symbolic walls. The next treatise that…
The Rich Man – Mark 10:17-31
The Rich Man – Mark 10:17-31 Seek good and not evil that you may live. (Amos 5:14) In the month of October, we are uplifting some of our reformation teachings, leading up to Reformation Sunday on Oct. 31. This story from the gospel of Mark tells us about a rich man who wants to do everything right in the eyes of God, but feels that he cannot do what Jesus asks him to. As you read this text, ponder the…
Some Things Never Change – Mark 10: 2-16
Some Things Never Change – Mark 10: 2-16 We are living in times of great changes. But God put us here now for a reason. When major change leads to major confusion, we are here to proclaim God’s everlasting word and truth. God gave us the great commandment to love God and neighbor as ourselves. This was true for our ancestors, it is true for ourselves, and it will be true for our grandchildren as well. Rev. Olaf Baumann, sermon,…
How to be a Servant Leader
How to be a Servant Leader In the Gospel Passage, Mark 8:27-38, Jesus asks: “Who do people say that I am?” My answer this Sunday is: Jesus is a servant-leader. How can we follow Jesus on that path of service? Participating in God’s Work our Hand is a great way to do it. But ultimately service-leaders should be who we are, rather than what we do. Rev. Kristin-Luana Baumann, sermon, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Port Angeles WA. Check out our…
You are the Prophets! – Mark 6:14-29
You are the Prophets! – Mark 6:14-29 You are the prophets who have to enter the mission field when this service is over. Here we equip you to preach the gospel of love. We believe that this gospel of love will change everything. Love describes the true character of God. Love explains the mission of Jesus Christ. Love is what the spirit infused our hearts with. But the world often mistakes love for weakness, because much of the world is…
The Parable of the Mustard Seed – Mark 4: 26-32
The Parable of the Mustard Seed – Mark 4: 26-32 The mustard seed that Jesus talks about in this parable is small and it became large. But it is also invasive. A noxious weed that is hard to get rid of. It is a plant that was banned by law from the gardens of the ancient Mediterranean world, and it is classified as a noxious weed in many places today. When you plant mustard, it will take over your garden.…
Holy Violence?
Holy Violence? – Mark 1:1-11 Season of Creation, River Sunday Some Christians today, when they imagine the second coming, it sounds like Jesus is going to do what he failed to do the first time around. Instead of being meek and humble and obedient, and full of love, the Jesus of the second coming is thought to be harsh, hard and violent. – A messiah with an iron fist, that was also the concept of many of John the Baptist’s…