Readings and Reflections on the Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost
Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Psalm 8 Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 Mark 10:2-16 Dear Friends, The Book of Job raises the difficult question of the suffering we experience in this life. Why do…
Readings and Reflections on the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29 Psalm 19:7-14 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50 Dear Friends, In the reading from Numbers, Moses is overwhelmed by the demands of the people and cries out to God. …
Readings and Reflections on the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Proverbs 3:1-6 2 Timothy 3:14-17 Matthew 9:9-13 Dear Friends, Matthew 9:9-13 tells the story of Matthew’s call to follow Jesus. In a culture where rabbis recruited “the best of the best,”…
Readings and Reflections on the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 50:4-9a James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 Dear Friends, Isaiah here describes a servant who hears the words of the Lord and offers them to the people who are weary. However, the…
Readings and Reflections on the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 35:4-7 James 2:1-10; 14-17 Mark 7:24-37 Dear Friends, The prophet Isaiah speaks words of encouragement to a people who’ve been through disaster and see no light at the end of the…
Readings and Reflections for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Jeremiah 23:1-6 Psalm 23 Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Dear Friends, The prophet Jeremiah condemns the leaders of Israel who have failed to act as proper shepherds to the people. The Lord…
Readings and Reflections for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 7:7-15 Psalm 85:8-13 Ephesians 1:3-14 Mark 6:14-29 Dear Friends, Mark 6 contains the unpleasant story of Herod being tricked into beheading John the Baptist. Put simply, this is a reminder…
Readings and Reflections for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Job 38:1-11 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41 Dear Friends, Job 38 contains a small portion of God’s reply to the challenge of a suffering man. This “opening statement” from God clearly…
Readings and Reflections for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Ezekiel 17-22-24 2 Corinthians 5:6-10,14-17 Mark 4:26-34 Dear Friends, When the prophet Ezekiel tells the allegory of the cedar tree, he is speaking to the exiled people of Israel with a message…
Readings and Reflections for the Third Sunday of Pentecost
Genesis 3:8-15 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Mark 3:20-35 Dear Friends, In Genesis 3:8-15 we have the story of Adam and Eve when they disobeyed the command not to eat of the tree of…