Mark 1: 9-15 “Desert”
In September 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by Frank L. Baum was published. It has become America’s greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale. I’m sure you know the story of Dorothy whose Kansas farm home is swept up in a tornado with her inside of it. Dorothy is knocked unconscious. The house crashes to earth and shortly thereafter Dorothy awakens. When she opens the door to her house she steps into the magical land of Oz.
Matthew 6:16-21 “You are Dust…”
A friend of mine tells of going to New York when he was a young man with the goal of becoming a professional actor. One day he was walking with his girlfriend in Central Park when she turned to him and asked a question that changed Terry’s life. “Terry, do you really love the theatre or do you love the way you are in the theatre?” Terry realized at that moment that he was not destined to be a professional actor. He didn’t have a passion for the theatre. Rather, he liked the image of himself as a successful actor.
Mark 1: 40-45 “If you choose. . .”
A few years ago I was talking with someone about some of the differences and similarities between the Episcopal liturgy and that of the Catholic church. In the course of that conversation she said something I haven’t forgotten: “One of the things I don’t like in our church is that during the Lord’s Prayer we have to hold hands with the people on either side of us. One day this dirty, smelly street guy came in late and sat right next to me. I just about died because I knew that at the Our Father I was going to have to hold his hand.”
Mark 1: 29-39 ”Sharpening the Saw”
There’s a tiny, angelic woman from India named Mata Amritanandamayi who has touched the lives of millions of people. Literally. What she does, and has been doing for more than 30 years, is to hug people. She is affectionately called “Amma” or “Mother.” Her followers say she has embraced more than 20 million people all over the globe.