Lection: Mark 7

September 8, 2024

James 2:1-9; 14-17
Mark 7:24-37

Children’s Message

Last Sunday, some of you will remember that we were talking about the wonderful Creation that God made. And I asked you what was your favourite animal, or plant, or place in the Creation.

This morning I want to find out what other favourite things you have:

What’s your favourite colour?
What’s your favourite food?
What’s your favourite activity?
What’s your favourite subject in school?
Do you have a favourite person? Maybe a best friend?

I wonder… Do you think that Jesus had favourite things too?
Do you think Jesus had a favourite person?
Do you think Jesus had a best friend? (Maybe Peter?)

There were people that Jesus spent more time with, for sure. His disciples who decided to leave their homes and go out on the road with Jesus spent lots of time with him, listening to his teaching and learning his ways. And I expect that Jesus loved them a whole lot!

There were other people Jesus met who maybe caused him more trouble – the Pharisees who challenged what Jesus taught, and other leaders who didn’t like how so many people were following Jesus.

And Jesus met people who were very different from him. He met people who lived in different towns, who had … Read more »

September 9, 2018

Mark 7:24-37

“Still Learning”

A friend of mine is working as a teaching assistant in a Montessori school in Ontario this year. When she shared some pictures of her classroom last week, it brought back good memories of my own experience attending a Montessori school forty years ago. It was a lovely big room with an open concept and all the different learning centres for the children to work and explore various subjects and gain skills. And she included a close-up of the mathematics area, with beautiful strings of beads for learning to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.

I felt thankful for the opportunity I had to attend a wonderful school as a young child, to continue through the Public School System, and go on to higher education as well. What a privilege it was to live in this country, to have education freely available to both boys and girls. And I know that I was doubly blessed because my parents could afford and chose to send us to a Montessori school when we were young. I believe that the teaching methods in that school equipped me well for continuing education, and work, and ministry.

We are blessed in our society to have access … Read more »

September 2, 2018

Song of Solomon 2:8-13
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

“What is our religion really about?

 

What does it mean to be a person of faith, a religious person, a spiritual person, or a member of the church? These are questions that I encounter and find myself discussing on a regular basis. From people outside the church, I’m often asked, “Why do people still go to church? What do they get out of it?” And with those inside the church – especially those who are actively engaged in leadership and decision-making – the discussion is usually around the question of what is most important in our faith. What is the foundation of our faith? What are the essential practices? What must we continue and emphasize, and what are the small “t” traditions that we can let go of at times as we move along with a rapidly-changing world.

As I read and reflected on the scripture readings assigned for today in our lectionary, it was these questions about the meaning and significance of our faith and religious practice that were swirling through my head. Because each of today’s texts contributes some significant ideas to such a discussion, helping us to answer for ourselves and for … Read more »

September 2, 2012

Song of Solomon 2:8-13
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

What does it mean to be a person of faith, a religious person, a spiritual person, or a member of the church? These are questions that I encounter and find myself discussing on a regular basis. From people outside the church, I’m often asked, “Why do people still go to church? What do they get out of it?” And with those inside the church – especially those who are actively engaged in leadership and decision-making – the discussion is usually around the question of what is most important in our faith. What is the foundation of our faith? What are the essential practices? What must we continue and emphasize, and what are the small “t” traditions that we can let go of at times as we move along with a rapidly-changing world.

As I read and reflected on the scripture readings assigned for today in our lectionary, it was these questions about the meaning and significance of our faith and religious practice that were swirling through my head. Because each of today’s texts contributes some significant ideas to such a discussion, helping us to answer for ourselves and for our neighbours … Read more »