Posts by Lori Leopold (Page 4)

This Sunday we’ll spend some time exploring what’s come to be known as the Messianic Secret.  We’ll see that Jesus consistently tells not only unclean spirits, but also people, including his disciples, not to tell anyone what they’ve seen or heard in their encounters with Jesus.  Why on earth would Jesus do this? 

In our passage for Sunday, Jesus is at the beginning of his public ministry and people (in addition to other powers) are discovering him as “one with authority.”  That authority was conferred after people not only heard Jesus’ teaching but witnessed Jesus exorcise an “unclean spirit” or a “demon” from a man who was present in the synagogue. Our focus on Jesus as “trusted authority” will guide us into a time of reflection about trusting Jesus as the one who stills the waters at certain times, bringing peace and calm, and who troubles the waters at other times. 

The earliest disciples, two sets of brothers, Simon/Andrew and James/John, were hard at work in their trade of fishing.  They seemed to drop everything and wordlessly follow after Jesus in response to Jesus’ invitation to, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

In our passage this week, we see the circle of discipleship growing wider and wider as one person invites another to join the journey, extending the invitation, “Come and see.”  We’ll spend some time on Sunday thinking about that simple invitation…what it doesn’t ask of us and what it does.

This Sunday we’ll spend time in Luke’s Gospel with the encounter between the angel Gabriel and Mary and ponder how God works in ways that are often contrary to what we expect and to what we even believe is possible! 

This Sunday we’ll spend time in Luke’s Gospel with the encounter between the angel Gabriel and Mary and ponder how God works in ways that are often contrary to what we expect and to what we even believe is possible! 

This Sunday is the third Sunday in Advent, the Sunday traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday or Joy Sunday!  We light the third candle in the Advent Wreath, the candle of Joy, not in denial of all that is heavy or difficult in our lives or our world, but as a sign of hope.

Our scripture passages during Advent remind us about other important and meaningful preparations during this season…the preparation of our hearts and spirits, our individual lives and our world to receive God once again, incarnate – in the flesh – in the person of Jesus. How are we to prepare?  According to John we prepare through confession and repentance of our sins.  And while that may not sound as fun as hanging Christmas lights or baking cookies or online shopping, it is the preparation that can release us from old wounds and patterns, that can clear a space within us for the gift of God’s presence and transforming grace.    

The season of Advent is rich with tradition. However we mark the days of Advent, my hope is that the journey through those days awakens our hearts, minds and spirits to the ways in which God responds to our deepest longings and comes to us anew this season.  Our gospel reading from Mark encourages us to “keep awake,” to pay attention because God is about to do a remarkable thing.

This king is not about the crown.  This king is not about the power.  This king is not about dominion.  This king and this kingdom are marked by values that are altogether different.