Can you imagine God's chosen Messiah enduring suffering? The Son of God achieving triumph not through military might but through vulnerability? It’s simply too much, too hard to take in, too impossible to entertain.

So Jesus wants to know. Why are you following me? Why have you left everything you know? “Who do you say that I am?” This might be the most important question Jesus has ever asked them.

As far as stories found in the Gospels, this one is a doozy.

There’s a reason why this story is referred to as “walking on water” and not “mountain top prayer.” The whole Jesus and Peter thing, that’s kind of the point.

The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle story recorded in all four Gospels. And because it is the only miracle story recorded in all four Gospels, there must be something pretty important about it.

The whole point of today is to remind us that God shows up in our world and in our lives - and not just in long lists and immaculately wrapped presents; not just in the big, festive holidays we get stressed out over, no. God gives love now.

The Parable of the Sower always gives those listening a dirty mind.

Jesus sounds like a grumpy old man!

…there is one specific thing that Jesus mentions to pull us out of the unfocused, generic “welcome.” And that is a cup of cold water.

Today we hear the list of the Twelve disciples. And when we hear those names read aloud, we may wonder how in the world we fit into all this.

One of the best things about reading through Paul’s letter to the Romans for the past few weeks is that we see exactly how deep and robust the Christian faith is.

God has Cat Grace.

“Through faith, for faith.”

As we pick up the story here in chapter 10, many of you may be thinking, “what in the world does that mean?”