A few weeks ago, when we were still in the Easter season and reading from Jesus’ teaching in John about the vine and branches, I mentioned the advice given by a preaching professor that a sermon should not chase down a horticultural rabbit hole. I wasn’t too tempted that last time because I admittedly don’t know much of anything about growing vines. This week, as we hear the parable about a growing seed, I’m sort of tempted to fall down that hole, because my 3rd grade Brevard County Science Fair award winning project was titled “Are cotyledons necessary for the growth of baby bean plants?” The early growth of a seed is right up my alley. Or it was… at a 3rd grade level… close to 40 years ago.
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Losing the labels: A sermon on Mark 3:20-35
The worship video for this sermon can be found on YouTube.
It’s always a little strange when we jump into the middle of a gospel story, but this one, probably a less familiar story, seems particularly confusing. I mean, there are some quotable one-liners that we could likely quote or summarize, “a house divided against itself… will not be able to stand.” But Jesus being restrained by his family? Them thinking he’s out of his mind? An argument with religious officials about whether or not he’s in cahoots with the devil?
How did things escalate so quickly? It’s only chapter 3!
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For Some Reason 