July 21, 2019 - Proper 11C

Lectionary Readings

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

            Earlier this month, while on vacation in Atlanta we went to watch a Marlins’ baseball game. Now, I’m a huge baseball fan, and so though this was the first Major League game that our children had been to, they’ve seen baseball on television at home plenty of times. After a few innings, Ellie mentioned how neat it was to be able to see the entire field of play, not just one little part of it that the television camera captures. And she’s right, part of the beauty of going to a baseball game is that you can watch the fielders position themselves prior to the pitch, you can look to see which fan caught the foul ball, and you can watch both the runner rounding first and the outfielder preparing to throw the ball to second. When you’re at the baseball game, you can see the entire landscape of the game and not just one slice of it as you would on tv; and this vantage point allows us to see connections and appreciate the beauty of the game in a fuller way.

October 21, 2018 - Proper 24B & Feast of St. Luke

Lectionary Gospel Text (Feast of St. Luke Readings)

In the name of the loving, liberating, and life-giving Trinity. Amen.

            What difference does it make that you are a follower of Jesus? I’m sure you all know people who aren’t people of faith and yet they live lives similar to yours – they are nice people, they give to charity, and they’d be there to help you in a time of need. Certainly, we’re here this morning and they’re not, so that’s a difference. But the way they might view our religious practices is that it’s a nice hobby for us. It gives us a sense of purpose and meaning, and they might find that same sort of thing when they walk in nature, or practice yoga, or listen to music. When it comes down to it, what is the difference between a devout Christian and a compassionate atheist?

May 10, 2018 - Feast of the Ascension

Lectionary Readings

In the name of the Risen ☩ Lord. Amen.

            It’s a joy to be with you all this evening to celebrate the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. You all are here, so I don’t need to explain why it is so crucial to our faith to mark the Principal Feasts of the Church with solemn worship. But I do thank you for being here to help us in being the Church and marking sacred time.

August 27, 2017 - Proper 16A

Lectionary Readings

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

            “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” These opening sentences of the 12^th chapter of Romans are grand, poetic, and inspiring, but also quite dense. Paul exhorts those hearing his words to be transformed. But what does it really mean to be transformed?

July 23, 2017 - Proper 11A

Lectionary Readings

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

            What if I told you that your debt had been forgiven? All of it – the mortgage, the car, the student loans, and the credit card. Well, I don’t actually have the ability to forgive that debt, but as we continue working our way through Romans, we see that St. Paul is suggesting that Jesus Christ does liberate us from being debtors to the flesh. Our faith is supposed to be transformative, to radically change the way we interpret and live in the world. I can’t promise you that faith will cancel out what you owe the bank, but faith can make it so that what you owe is just money, not your entire life.