“When my son, Elijah, was about 12, he decided to read the Bible…from beginning to end…The Bible is full of stories of God’s people doing very strange and wrong things. He would come down the stairs, slam his Bible on the table and say, “What the heck! What is this? Why is this in the Bible?!?”” begins Judy Kincaid, pastor of Little Elk Creek Lutheran Church and New Hope Lutheran Church in Menomonie, Wisconsin. She continues, “Today, we have the story of the beheading of John the Baptist from Mark 6:14-29. I feel like slamming my Bible on the pulpit and asking, “What the heck is this? Why is this story in the Bible?”…Where is the good news in this story?” The good news is that Jesus is having a party too, and we are all invited.

This sermon is from A Sermon for Every Sunday, a series of lectionary-based video sermons designed for use in worship, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school classes or for individual use.

For more sermon preparation help, check out Pulpit Resource, Will Willimon's weekly lectionary-based sermon resource, available online and through a print subscription.