October 27, 2013 - Proper 25C

Lectionary Readings

In the name of God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            What will be your legacy? In the final chapter of the pastoral epistle known as 2 Timothy, St. Paul writes “through me the message might be fully proclaimed.” As I reflected on our readings for today, that one line jumped out at me as I wondered, “what message am I proclaiming?” When we began hearing from the letters of 1 & 2 Timothy a few weeks ago, I mentioned that these letter were written to churches that were already established and were meant to encourage the believers, keeping them on the right track. 2 Timothy is a letter about community and passing the faith along to future believers and generations. And so the sort of message that was being proclaimed was of great importance to Paul and his audience.

October 13, 2013 - Proper 23C

Lectionary Readings

Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyrs triumph over suffering and are faithful even to death: Grant us, who now remember them in thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with them the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

            Let’s begin with some audience participation. Please raise your hand if you can name the prophet Muhammad’s mother. No one? I had to look it up, it’s Aminah bint Wahb. And if any of us had been in the Westland mall in Nairobi, Kenya two weeks ago, our inability to answer that question would have gotten us a bullet in the head, as it did our brother in Christ, Joshua Hakim. He was just one the nearly 70 people who were killed in that attack by the Boko Haram terrorist organization. And this attack, which specifically targeted non-Muslims and Christians, is just but one example of the plight that our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing around the world.