discipleship

Blind Bartimaeus is healed in Mark 10

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The gospel lectionary reading for the so-called Last Sunday after Trinity (or Trinity 22) in Year B is the story of the healing of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10.46–52. This reading has an appeal at two levels. First, it is in Mark’s usual lively and direct style, and has a similar feeling to some of … Continue Reading

How big should local churches be?

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Some years ago, one of the fringe meetings at a session of the General Synod focussed on the needs of ‘mid-sized churches’, in this case defined as worshipping communities of 20 to 60. The reason for this was a question that William Nye, Secretary General of Synod and the Archbishops’ Council, had raised: Without meaning … Continue Reading

What is Jesus’ challenge to the ‘rich’ ‘young’ ‘ruler’ in Mark 10?

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The gospel lectionary reading for Trinity 20 in this year B is Mark 10.17–31, the story of the so-called ‘rich’ ‘young’ ‘ruler’. But two of these terms are supplied by Matthew and Luke, and Mark has some significant unique elements to the way he tells the story. We continue to read sequentially through this section … Continue Reading

What is Jesus’ challenge to the ‘rich’ ‘young’ ‘ruler’ in Mark 10? video discussion

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The gospel lectionary reading for Trinity 20 in this year B is Mark 10.17–31, the story of the so-called ‘rich’ ‘young’ ‘ruler’. But two of these terms are supplied by Matthew and Luke, and Mark has some significant unique elements to the way he tells the story. Why does Jesus appear to challenged someone who … Continue Reading

The kingdom is both desperately serious and delightfully accessible in Mark 9 video discussion

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The Sunday lectionary gospel reading for Trinity 18 in this Year B is Mark 9.38–50. It is a rather unusual reading; it completes the collection of sayings that we began last week, and there is some continuity across the two passages; and it does belong (as we noted last week) to a section of teachings … Continue Reading

Jesus’ radical inversion of our community values in Mark 9

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The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for Trinity 17 in this Year B is Mark 9.30–37 (the reading for Trinity 16 three years ago because of where the weekends fall). In our reading of Mark, we have leap-frogged from the confession at Ceasarea Philippi, over the Transfiguration (which is considered at other times in the lectionary) … Continue Reading

Jesus’ radical inversion of our community values in Mark 9 video discussion

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The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for Trinity 17 in Year B is Mark 9.30–37. In our reading of Mark, we have leap-frogged from the confession at Ceasarea Philippi, over the Transfiguration (which is considered at other times in the lectionary) and the following deliverance episode, to a short cluster of sayings, though stopping short of … Continue Reading