by Patrick Allen | Apr 20, 2025 | podcast
We’re so used to the Easter story ending on a happy note, that it’s hard for us to make sense of the ending of Mark’s gospel–he ends by telling us the women who discovered the empty tomb were afraid. Why end on a note of fear? What is Mark...
by Patrick Allen | Apr 17, 2025 | podcast
On Good Friday, we sometimes ask: why did Jesus have to die? The short answer is that he died for our sins. Author and priest Fleming Rutledge poses a follow-up question: why did Jesus have to die by crucifixion? Jesus didn’t just die any old death; he died...
by Patrick Allen | Apr 10, 2025 | podcast
One of the practices held in common by all Christians is communion. Call it the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, or Holy Communion – we all believe something deeply significant happened when Jesus broke bread with his disciples on Thursday of Holy Week....
by Patrick Allen | Apr 3, 2025 | podcast
In the middle of Holy Week, Jesus holds up two models of discipleship: one is rooted in showmanship and status updates. Jesus is not impressed with this group. The other is embodied in the widow, who brought her two small coins. She comes and lays down her life;...
by Patrick Allen | Mar 26, 2025 | podcast
As Jesus enters the dog days of Holy Week, he is met with resistance. In response, he tells the parable of the vineyard to show how shocking and offensive it is to resist the son of God. We often speak of the benefits of receiving Jesus, and to be sure, there are...
by Patrick Allen | Mar 20, 2025 | podcast
The stage is set for Holy Week. Jesus entered Jerusalem as its king. He is about to overthrow the tables of the moneychangers in the temple. But on the way, he stops to curse a fig tree. Some complain that Jesus was being petty. Like so many things in the Bible,...
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