Dear Partner in Preaching, Let me suggest a totally different way to approach this text. I’ve written it on it from the perspective of how Mark’s “divorce text” relates to questions of marriage before, and there are certainly excellent commentaries available on this theme. But what strikes me this time around is that perhaps we don’t need to read this as addressed to individuals but rather as something descriptive of, and helpful to, a community. Bear with me a moment while I explain. When this passage is read at church, we tend to hear it in an intensely personal way. This is particularly true, of course, if you have gone through...

Dear Partner in Preaching, Who are you? Really. Take a moment to ponder that question…and then ask yourself how you came to that answer. Do you, that is, define yourself by your accomplishments, or your history, or particular critical experiences, or your relationships, or some combination of the above? Another way to get at this question might be to ask, who gets to tell you who you are? Who, that is, has the most influence in shaping your self-image? Is it your parents, your partner or spouse, your friends and colleagues? Or perhaps it’s the world of advertising, which constantly tries to overwhelm us with ads picturing perfect people...

A quick reminder, Dear Partner, about 4 upcoming events at LTSP that you won’t want to miss: 1) It’s not too late to register for this year’s free Ministry Resource Day this Thursday, Sept. 17. 2) On Tuesday Sept. 22nd we are celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Urban Theological Institute with a lecture by the renowned Dr. James Forbes at 11:15 and a celebratory worship service at Enon Tabernacle Church that evening at 7:00. Both events are free and open to all. 3) Professor of Reformation History Emeritus Timothy Wengert offers a convocation lecture on Tuesday, October 6 on the post-Reformation relationship...

Dear Partner in Preaching, Before jumping to Mark’s intriguing, elusive, and utterly captivating text (appetites whetted, yet?), I wanted to let you know about two events coming soon to the campus of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. 1) Next Thursday (Sept. 17), we’re holding our second annual (and free!) Ministry Resource Day. I’ll be offering two presentations on “Digital Pluralism and the Death and Resurrection of the Church” with worship and lunch in between. Co-sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Theological Institute, and the Southeastern PA Synod of the ELCA, the event is...

Dear Partner in Preaching, A lot rides on how you interpret Jesus’ surprising reaction to the request of the Syrophoenician woman. Okay, “surprising” is an understatement. How about down right rude? After all, she comes to him bowed down, in the posture of worship, begging that he cure her daughter of an unclean spirit, something we already know he can easily do. And yet he brushes her off, refusing her request and casting her aside, throwing in an ethnic slur just for good measure. And the haunting question is, why? Here’s the traditional answer to this question: He is not actually refusing her but rather testing her. That is,...

Dear Partner in Preaching, Welcome back to Mark! After six weeks in John’s “bread of life” chapter, you’re probably more than ready to come back to the extended story Mark is telling about Jesus. But what an odd place to land: right in the middle of an argument so routine it feels peculiar to read about it in the Bible. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I’ve not only overheard this argument before, but actually participated in it. About washing your hands before dinner, that is. In fact, it was a fairly routine part of the day when my kids were younger (and only occasionally – but still! – a part of our...