August 23, 2020 - The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

O God, grant us always to remember who you are, so that we might know that we are your beloved children. Amen.

            Stories matter. Just consider the popularity of documentaries or how many times families reminisce about their shared memories. Stories are one of the few things that set apart human society from the animal kingdom – we analyze, celebrate, and remember the past. One theologian has noted that the problem of modern society is that we have convinced ourselves that the only story that we have is the story that chose for ourselves. The problem with choosing our own story to live by is that is simply doesn’t work. I might wish that I was a 10-time Wimbledon champion, I might even tell people that’s true, I could even buy replica trophies and put them on my fireplace mantle. But that wouldn’t make the story true. Instead of us choosing the story we live our lives by, we have been given a story by God. It is the story of our loving Creation, our grace-filled redemption, and our empowerment by the Holy Spirit. When we forget that story, we lose our guiding star, our hope, our purpose, our identity. And forgetting that story, we turn to other stories to tell ourselves and these other stories are called idols.

August 16, 2020 - Proper 15A

Lectionary Readings

O God, in the Holy Trinity there exists a beloved community in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We give you thanks for bringing us into that beloved community of divine love and pray that we might foster it on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

            This week’s Collect notes that, from Jesus, we receive the fruits of his redeeming work and are to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life. One of the fruits of this redeeming work of Jesus is the reconciliation that we are given with God and the opportunity for this reconciliation to be a rule of life for us as we strive to follow him as our Lord. A good shorthand way of talking about this is “beloved community.” Through the sacrifice of Christ, we have been brought into the beloved community by God’s grace and in following his blessed steps, we find our fulfillment in living as a beloved community. At St. Luke’s, we’ve been talking about and striving to become the beloved community. Using today’s Scripture texts, we’ll consider what exactly what the phrase “Beloved Community” connotes.

August 2, 2020 - The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Be with us, O Lord, for if you are with us nothing else matters; and if you are not with us, nothing else matters. Amen.

            One of the Psalms asks, “Can God set a table in the wilderness?” That’s the question, isn’t it? When we are deepest in our need and have nowhere else to turn, can we trust in God to provide? When we get a bad diagnosis, when the interview doesn’t go our way, when the addiction is taking over, when the bullies won’t go away – is God with us or not? And in this midst of this pandemic which is dragging on and leaving more and more death and disruption in its wake – in the midst of this wilderness, can God set a table of refreshment? I don’t know about you all, but for me, the Good News of the Gospel is that, indeed, God can and does set tables in the wilderness.

July 26, 2020 - The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

O God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change; the courage to change the things that we can; and the wisdom to know the difference ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            At the beginning of Matthew, we hear the proclamation: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” The life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus is the drama by which this Kingdom is planted on earth as it is in heaven. “And just what is the Kingdom?,” we ask. While we could try to define it by saying something like “The Kingdom is the reality in which God’s people are gathered in peace under his sovereign rule,” we’d still want to know, “But, yeah, what is the Kingdom like?”

July 19, 2020 - The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

O God, give us serenity to accept the things we cannot change; courage to change the things that we can; and the wisdom to know the difference ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            What do we do in the meantime? That’s one of the most basic questions of our faith and the vast majority of our conflicts arise from different responses to that question. The Lord who created all that is took on flesh and dwelt among us, taught us the way of love, died for the sin of the world, rose again on the third day, and ascended to reign on the throne of God. All has been accomplished. The work of salvation is done. And yet, the work continues. We still await the culmination of all things as we anticipate that day when, truly, all shall be well. So what do we do in the meantime?

July 12, 2020 - The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

O Lord, forgive the sins of the preacher, that only your Word may be preached and only your Word be heard ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

            You’ve heard the phrase “Good things come in small packages.” Well, the same might be said for wisdom – that it often comes in small packages. Most wisdom sayings are pithy statements that are chock full of meaning: “the early bird catches the worm,” for example. That simple phrase conveys so much meaning and actually makes the point better than if we tried to explain it by saying “Sometimes in life, there are opportunities that are only available if you are early and follow the natural order of things.” That’s clunky and not at all memorable. But, “the early bird catches the worm”? As they say, that’ll preach.

July 5, 2020 - The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

O God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things that we can, and the wisdom to know the difference ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Who among us is not burdened these days?