Readings – Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Psalm 119:137-144; II Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10 This morning I will focus on the well-known passage from our Gospel according to St. Luke. It occupies an important position in this Gospel, being placed just before the final approach of Jesus to Jerusalem, and the Holy Week narratives that begin…
Readings – Joel 2:23-32; Psalm 65; II Timothy 4:6-8,16-18; Luke 18:9-14 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. … the first day…the second day…the third…
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost Readings – Galatians 6: 14-18, Psalm 121, & Matthew 11: 25-30 In the tradition of St. Francis, the twelfth-century saint, there are three elements that are crucial. First, to know God, we just need to step into nature and soak in all the beauty, the majesty, and the glory. Second, everything…
Readings – Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; Psalm 91:1-6,14-16; I Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31 The Tortoise and the Hare, who remembers Aesop’s Fable? The Hare races forward, way ahead, and then he stops and takes a nap. The Tortoise lumbers toward the finish line, slow and steady. He passes the sleeping Hare and crosses the finish line…
1 Corinthians Paul founded the church in Corinth but discovers after he leaves that they have fallen into sin, error, and internal disputes. Paul writes this letter hoping to correct these problems. Come join the Bible Study Wednesday mornings at 10:30 am. 14 September Session One Paul opens with friendly greetings and then…
Readings—Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14; I Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10 Today I will begin with the word “vengeance”. Webster defines vengeance as “punishment given in return for an injury or offense”. In ancient times it was not unusual for the offense of one man to be avenged by wiping out his entire family, or even…
Readings– Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33 One of my favorite images of God at work is the image from Jeremiah of a potter, shaping clay. The image works for me because many times throughout my life I have been shaped by those loving, powerful hands, shaped and re-shaped, again and again. …
Jeremiah 2:4-13; Psalm 81:1,10-16; Hebrews 13:1-8,15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14 Part I Additional readings from the Old Testament Exodus 23: 9 You shall not oppress a stranger; you know the heart of a stranger for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Leviticus 19: 33-34 When a stranger sojourns with…
Readings – Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:1-2,8-18; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56 From the Penitential Order found in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, p, 351: Jesus said, “The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all…
Readings- Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50: 1-8,23-24; Hebrews 11: 1-3,8-16; Luke 12: 32-40 From the Gospel according to St. Luke Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit… for the Son of Man [Jesus] is coming at an unexpected hour… First, “have your lamps lit…”. In the heat this summer we are constantly encouraged to…