How Does Jesus Build His Church?

By Justin S. Holcomb   And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. — Matthew 16:18 When reading this passage, many peo... Read More...

The Mission of the Church: Who Decides?

By John Hartnett Over the years I have observed many conversations about the Church’s mission. Recently it was common for parishes to write mission statements, most of which seemed fairly innocuous. (We are ... Read More...

Good News for the Whole Creation

 Mark 15:1-16:20 By Bryan Owen As we bring our journey through the Gospel according to Mark to a close, we come to the climax of the story, the destination to which Jesus has been traveling since he first walked through Galilee proclaiming the message: “Th... Read More...

Jesus is Full of Surprises

Mark 11:1-13:13 By Cole Hartin My wife sometimes reminds me of Jesus. Let me tell you what I mean: Based on years together, I have built up a picture of my wife, Amy, in my mind. This includes what I ... Read More...

Believing that the Good News is Good

Mark 8:27-10:52 By David Barr In this week’s readings for the Good Book Club (Mark 8:27-10:52), we see two of the most prominent expressions of Jesus’ divinity back-to-back. Our reading opens with Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 8:29), a... Read More...

Parables, Power, and Perseverance

Mark 4:1-6:29 By Jonathan Turtle In chapters four through six of Mark’s Gospel, the reader is introduced to the purpose of Christ’s parables, the nature of Christ’s power, and the perseverance required of C... Read More...