Pentecost 26 B: Beyond Spectacle

Mark 13:1-8 Dear Partner in Preacher, Most often, when I read Gospel passages that fall in or at least near the apocalyptic genre, I feel a significant burden to explain. To explain a bit about what the apocalyptic genre is like and why authors, including the Evangelists, found it useful. To explain the complex layering of the passages – pointing to both the narrative “face value” story as well as the likely historical context that the author was trying to address. To explain how we can hear passages that described “the end” nearly two thousand years ago when we simultaneously still have preachers proclaiming the end today and yet...

Pentecost 25 B: Pretenders to the Throne

Dear Partner in Preaching, Let’s just admit it up front: apocalyptic passages like this Sunday’s reading are more than a little weird, rather off-putting, and unfailingly difficult to preach to audiences unfamiliar with the genre. Actually, I should probably amend that slightly, as while our folks aren’t intimately familiar with the apocalyptic worldview, they have made its passing acquaintance. It was only a few years ago, after all, that most of us saw billboards or news stories carrying the predictions of Harold Camping regarding Jesus’ imminent return. And then there were articles and even big-budget films based on the Mayan...