the rev'd mark david johnson. blog'd.
Today is a special day in the Church Year, as we commemorate the apostle Bartholomew. Not much is known about his life, although the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke list him among the disciples. Some scholars think he is … Read more
One of today’s readings is an awesome chunk of Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome. Here’s part of it: For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are … Read more
My second year in seminary, I wrote an exegetical paper on this week’s Isaiah reading. This is such a delicate piece of scripture, and yet it’s more powerful than we can imagine. It’s a bit long, but here is a version I … Read more
Today is a special festival in the life of the Church. It’s today that we celebrate Mary: the human mother of Jesus; the theotokos (“god-bearer”). We usually remember Mary as the teenage girl kneeling next to a bale of hay in … Read more
This week’s gospel reading is another gem. Here’s part of the story: [Jesus] said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning … Read more