Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 3:15-17, 21-22   Power   The Gospel of Luke has been building to this very moment.   John and Jesus: they are the miracle babies featured in the opening chapters of this book.   We know they are special; their stories dominate the seasons of Advent and Christmas.   And everything in those now ubiquitous stories tell us that these two are unique: angels and prophecies and immaculate conceptions and a host of inspired canticles.   Luke goes out of his way to show us that these two babies, Jesus and John, are a big deal – a cosmically big deal.   And so it is fair for us to expect, since the book does continue after the first two chapters, that those two extraordinary infancies will produce two extraordinary, noteworthy men.   And, that those two men will most likely feature at least somewhat prominently in the remaining twenty-two chapters of Luke’s Gospel.     Chapter three picks up decades ...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Mark 10:35-45 Passion Passion Passion Three times.   This has happened three times.   In the verses immediately preceding today's Gospel reading, Jesus predicts his passion and death for the third time.   And for the third time, his disciples just don't get it. After the first passion prediction in Mark's Gospel, Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him – which Jesus did not love.   You might remember Jesus gave Peter the less-than-desirable nickname “Satan” after that little encounter.   Peter expected big things from Jesus; that is why he was following Jesus.   He was sure Jesus was selling himself short.   Surely he could do better than death on a cross.   That was a pretty low bar. The first try didn't take, so Jesus tries again.   Still not successful.   After the second passion prediction in Mark's Gospel, the disciples argue about which of them is the greatest; they spent the road ...