by jakeowensby | Feb 23, 2018 | grace, Lent 2 B, Mark 8:31-38
Mary’s polished demeanor and conservative business attire identified her as one of the many employees in the finance sector of a city I once lived in. Married with two elementary-school-aged children, Mary—which is not her real name—is the picture of reliable,...
by jakeowensby | Feb 2, 2018 | 2 Epiphany, 5 Epiphany B, Mark 1:29-39
Portions of my morning walk with Joy and our dog Gracie take us through the Kisatchie National Forest. In the winter months we wear headlamps to light our way, because we return home before the sun rises. Eyes gleam back at us from the woods. Owls announce their...
by jakeowensby | Oct 20, 2017 | Matthew 22:15-22, Proper 24 A
Some Christians are making political commitments that Jesus would hesitate to call, well, Christian. Let me explain by way of a political run-in that Jesus had with a group called the Herodians and some Pharisees. We don’t know much about the Herodians. Their name...
by jakeowensby | Sep 2, 2017 | Exodus 3:1-15, Proper 17A
The story of the burning bush is our call narrative. Yours and mine. It is our call to be part of the resistance. This might take a little explanation. Moses was tending sheep. Not his sheep. His father-in-law’s sheep. Moses was neither rich nor powerful. Adopted as...
by jakeowensby | Aug 17, 2017 | grace, Matthew 15:21-28
Sometimes you have to remind God to be God. At least, that’s what some bible stories appear to be saying. As we’ll see in a minute, these stories are reminding us to act like the children of God. For instance, God confides to Abraham that Sodom is about to be toast...
