Intersections

Have you ever met a polar bear? I don’t mean one of those giant furry things that you can see at the zoo in Columbus or other places. I mean - a person who willingly flings themselves into a body of water on the 1st day of January, regardless of the temperature? I have to admit, I’ve thought about doing it - to engage all my senses; momentarily feel a little more alive. Let’s be honest, frostbite doesn’t look good on anyone!   But when those crazies are in the water, what might they tell their onlookers? “Come on in, join me - the water’s fine!” Just because they’re freezing doesn’t mean they’re not having a good time. It’s all a matter of perspective. And maybe that’s how it looks on the outside to non-churchgoers. Ask someone to join you for church, and if you don’t know that person particularly well they may raise an eyebrow at you and wonder if they should call someone to take you home. It’s not the standard that it used to be - I’m gonna say something you might disagree with...

       We are blessed to have teachers and former teachers in our congregation, so let’s try a quick experiment. Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Think about a time when you learned something new, whether a skill or subject. It could have been at home, here at church, or anywhere.      Now, I want you to imagine teaching someone whatever that was. How would you teach what you had learned?      Ok - let’s come back now.       Our scripture today comes from the gospel of Mark, and let’s set the scene quick. Our reading chronologically happens after Jesus’ final arrival into Jerusalem, so this is after Palm Sunday. Since we’re not in that Lenten headspace, I just wanted to frame the story up. He’s at the top of his popularity, riding the wave through the streets of the city. During the week this is happening, he’s been confronted by religious leaders, whether Pharisees or Sadducees, and GENERALLY, they ...