Sermons

In this first story of Jesus healing in Mark’s Gospel, we are confronted by “the unclean spirit” possessing and torturing the man in the synagogue. Whatever we make of it, unclean spirits live and reside in our own hearts and world. They manifest in harmful words and actions

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ ministry begins in earnest after the arrest of John the Baptist. Jesus calls his followers to repent (to turn around, to walk in new life) and to believe the good news. Christianity as a whole these days seems to contradict a belief of the good news, often presenting it

This time of year is often billed at the happiest season of all, and yet, this year feels different. The Psalmist tells us that “Thou weeping may last the night, joy comes in the morning.” We light the third candle of Advent for joy and the promise of the hard fought emotion of joy

We often define peace as the absence of conflict. In the Bible the word for peace, shalom, has a root word whose meaning is wholeness. The prophet Isaiah tells the story of a people journeying toward Shalom in some less than ideal circumstances. Peace is possible in any situation for at the end