January 19, 2020 - Epiphany 2A

Lectionary Readings

O Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

O Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

O Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, grant us your peace. Amen.

            Generally, when someone calls you an animal name, it isn’t a compliment. Bird-brain, dog, pig, scaredy-cat, mousy – these are not names we want. For every positive one, like “stallion,” there are many more with a negative connotation. It seems, then, that perhaps John the Baptist did not consult with a public relations firm before deciding to give Jesus the moniker “Lamb of God.”

May 12, 2019 - Easter 4C

Lectionary Readings

Grant us, Lord, always to sit at your table and dwell in your house for ever. Amen.

            Think for a moment about the best meal that you’ve ever had. Maybe it was a home-cooked specialty made by your grandmother or perhaps it was at a high-end steak house. Think back to what made that meal so special. The food was probably good, the atmosphere was likely nice, but I bet that with more certainty than telling me what food you ordered or what music was playing in the background, you can tell me who you were with. What makes a meal sacred is the people gathered around the table with you. I’ve had some really lousy food, but the meal ended up being a good experience because I was surrounded by loved ones. This truth is what makes the Holy Eucharist such a special meal, because in it we are gathered with the dearest of people.

April 19, 2019 - Good Friday

Lectionary Readings

Jesus, Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. Amen.

            It doesn’t always work out this way, but this year our celebration of Good Friday falls on the Jewish Passover. Tonight, Jews around the world will gather with family and friends for a Seder dinner to remember the saving events of God that occurred at the Passover. You’ll recall that when the people were slaves in Egypt, God sent a series of plagues to get Pharaoh to let the people go free. The most severe of these plagues was the killing of all firstborn children in the land. However, to protect the Jewish firstborn, God instructs the people to get a lamb, eat it, and use its blood as a marking on the door post. When the plague of Death sweeps through the land, it will pass over the homes marked with the blood of the lamb. It was this event that led Pharaoh to tell the Hebrews to leave Egypt, and at the Red Sea, God ushered his people into freedom. Since then, Jews have gathered each year to remember the Passover.