Category Archives: Uncategorized

Asking the right questions of our season of disruption.

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Mark Love

I know that being a church leader during this pandemic has been brutal. The smooth, well-worn ways of being a “church” have been disrupted and we are right to feel like things may never be the same. We have stepped … Continue reading →

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In the power of the Spirit, A brief meditation on Jesus and what it means to be human

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Mark Love

In Luke’s gospel, the Spirit descends upon Jesus at his baptism, and full of the Holy Spirit, he is led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan. He then returns to Galilee “filled with the power … Continue reading →

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Third Sunday of Advent—A sermon on joy

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Mark Love

Isaiah 61 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and … Continue reading →

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Ministry in Mark, part 2

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Mark Love

I visited, several years after having left, the first congregation I served. They asked me to preach, and so I did, a sermon from the gospel of Mark. The congregation was generous in their praise afterward. The young preacher had … Continue reading →

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The heavens were torn asunder: ministry in Mark, part one

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Mark Love

In my estimation, there is no more beautifully crafted, enigmatic treatment of the life of Jesus than the gospel of Mark. From the packed introduction, to the passion predictions occupying the middle of the gospel, to the abrupt ending that … Continue reading →

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The gospels, the practice of theology, and the tasks of ministry

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Mark Love

If you will allow me an overly general observation, there are fundamentally two kinds of theology with two corresponding ways of thinking about ministry. One is a theology from above which moves from revelation to experience, context being secondary and … Continue reading →

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Music, and then theology

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Mark Love

I’ve had the opportunity over the last few years to make several presentations on the intersection of popular music and theology. I’ve decided to write an introduction that explains the “what” and “why” of what I do and to collect … Continue reading →

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Ministry in the shape of a story

Posted on November 21, 2020 by Mark Love

“We tell stories to live.” So begins the great book, Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals (Anderson and Foley). I feel like I don’t even need to explain this statement because it’s so self-evident to us. We are a story telling, story … Continue reading →

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The Gospels and Ministry

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Mark Love

I took Theology of Ministry from my father while working on my MDiv at Pepperdine University. He taught the course completely from the gospels. While Paul and other NT writers undoubtedly have some very important things to say about ministry, … Continue reading →

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Discovering Luke’s Story of the Ascension

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Mark Love

Yesterday, one of the lectionary readings was from Acts 1:6-11. My worshipping community typically practices Dwelling in the Word instead of having a sermon, and so Acts 1 was the text we all shared around. It’s Luke’s longer account (he … Continue reading →

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