The organizer of a congregation’s adult forum asked me to present a talk in a series on “hospitality.” I was asked to reflect from my pastoral experience on “hospitality toward the clergy.” Here was an unusual opportunity to bring attention to organizational and spiritual development at a critical inflection point in their story.
In the first ten days of my ministry here, two people died. Of course, I had no knowledge of either or of their families–I was completely new to the town. And completely new to pastoral ministry! Very quickly, I learned something about pastoring quite unusual and worthy of remark: it works!
Our theme today is stewardship. We’ll ask what it is, where a spirit of generosity comes from, how we can grow in it, why it matters, and what’s at stake for a church of generous givers–or one that’s not.
We are taking time this Lent with each of the temptations of Jesus. One Sunday, we felt after what can happen when, like Jesus, though we hunger, we wait upon the Lord to receive what is given.
Today, the devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem and places him on the pinnacle of the temple. Notice that Jesus has no power over what is done to his own body . . .
To humble you and test you. . . by letting you hunger. Have you been there? Have you not been there? Who is “you” anyway?
Mark calls Jesus Son of God. But here Jesus comes onto the scene already a grown man. No shepherds, no kings, no angels, no star, no story at all. Neither Mary nor Joseph are ever mentioned by name in Mark’s gospel. So when does Jesus become son of God? At the baptism in the Jordan,
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