Sermons

"Are You Heading in the Right Direction?"

2 Advent.B.20
Mark 1:1-8
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Mark, the author of today’s Gospel, always seems to be in something of a rush. He writes at a break-neck clip, motering his narrative along through the use of his favorite Greek adverb, euthus, meaning “immediately”. Everything in Mark’s gospel happens immediately, right now, fast. If Mark were driving a car, I don’t think he would be keen to pull over to admire a scenic view, let alone pause to allow a passenger the use of a rest stop.

"Darkness is When you can See the Stars Shine"

1 Advent.B.20
Mark 13:24-27
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Have you ever spent an evening watching the stars appear in the night sky? Oh, not now, as we near the end of November—it’s darn cold out there. But perhaps on a spring or summer evening at a cabin in Maine, or as you lie on a blanket on the flat plains of New Mexico or Arizona. Here’s the thing, no matter where you are, stars don’t appear until it’s dark. Darkness is when you can see the stars shine.