Author Archives: NextSunday Reflections

Psalm 27:1-4 Church attendance is on the decline in America. I suppose too many people are feeling like Tom Sawyer when he said, “Church ain’t shucks to a circus.” Meanwhile the psalmist prays to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life (v. 4). Now, that is wanting to go […]

Mark 9:33-37 When Jesus asks what the disciples have been arguing about on the way to Capernaum, they fall into an embarrassed silence. Like children, they had been arguing about which one of them is the greatest. Jesus’ question reminds them that they know better.  Let’s face it. We’re a lot like them. Despite our […]

Mark 9:30-32 For the second time, Jesus tells the disciples he will be betrayed and die, and they still don’t get it. How could they be so obtuse? Not only do they not get it, they’re afraid to ask Jesus about it. I can’t help wondering why they’re afraid to ask. I don’t know, of […]

Mark 9:2-8 The Transfiguration is a mystery, to say the least. But there are two kinds of mystery. One kind is mystery because we have not yet understood it. The other kind is mystery because we will never understand it. The Transfiguration is the second kind. Think about it. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John […]

Mark 8:31–9:1 When Jesus tells people he will be killed and rise again, Peter seems embarrassed. He takes Jesus aside to rebuke him. Jesus turns the tables and answers: Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed […]

Mark 8:27-30 When young John Wesley arrived in Savannah in 1735 to be a missionary to the Native Americans, August Spangenberg, a Moravian missionary who had arrived first, greeted him. He immediately asked Wesley, “Do you know Jesus Christ?” “I know that he is Savior of the world,” replied Wesley.  “True,” answered Spangenberg, “but do […]

Psalm 51:6-7 God wants us to be honest—with ourselves, with each other, and with our Creator. You desire truth in the inward being, the psalmist sings (v. 6). But discovering our true self that was made in God’s image, that rests in the deepest part of our being, isn’t an easy or instant act. It […]

Psalm 51:1-3 Several years ago, I was standing in my driveway fighting off a panic attack. I felt a great pressure on my chest, and the heaviness extended to my very soul. I was at the crossroads of a decision to become a minister or to remain in a thriving law practice. Many things in […]

Mark 7:17-23  When someone speaks from their heart, we know it without being told. We recognize their intense focus, that imperceptible shift in tone, and their vulnerable disclosure. When the heart speaks, it names what is most real within a person.  So, we may not let it speak much. We guard our hearts, wear masks, […]

Mark 7:14-15 “Listen to me, all of you, and understand” (v. 14). That’s what Jesus says. Listen to me. Say those words aloud, and imagine Jesus saying them to you. Listen to me. Say them each time your brain tells you it’s time to check your email/Facebook/Twitter feed again because you deserve a break. After […]