Mark Whittall

Have you ever looked for the territories of Zebulun and Naphtali on a map? If you have a smartphone you can try it if you like. Type in Zebulun or Naphtali to see what you get. Actually, to save you some time, I tried it with Google Maps last night. You know what you get? Nothing! Nothing, except for one archaeological dig. Because the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali haven’t appeared on a map for over two thousand, seven hundred years. They used to be there. These were

“What are you looking for?” These are the first words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John. What are you looking for? What do you want out of life? What’s the purpose, what’s the meaning of your life? Or to use the words of the poet Mary Oliver, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” It’s a question we all ask ourselves sooner or later. I think it’s just part of what it means to be human. I think that God created us this way, to be alw

It’s a little awkward isn’t it? Jesus comes from Galilee to be baptized by John at the Jordan river. But John doesn’t want to baptize him. You get the sense from reading today’s gospel that Matthew wasn’t all that comfortable with Jesus going to John to be baptized. Nowadays, I don’t think it bothers most of us that Jesus was baptized by John. In some ways it serves to reaffirm the humility of the man Jesus, and to underline his willingness to stand in solidarity with all