August 16, 2015 - Proper 15B

Lectionary Readings

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

            Jesus said, “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Whether it’s Ponce de Leon’s search for the fountain of youth or the latest miracle treatment, we’re all ears when it comes to eternal life. Over the past several weeks, the sermons have been focusing on the readings about King David that we had from 2 Samuel, but you may have noticed that the Gospel texts the last three Sundays have all come from John 6. This chapter of John is called the “Bread of Life discourse.” It begins with the multiplication of the loaves and fish and then Jesus talks about the implications of that miracle.

August 9, 2015 - Proper 14B

Lectionary Readings

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

            “Christianity is all about salvation,” is a phrase that you’ve probably heard. And it’s true, Christianity is about salvation. Sometimes, though, we use words that are so big and nebulous that they actually have very little meaning- and salvation is one of those words. Salvation from what? What happens if we are not saved? Who does the saving? These are all good and valid questions, but they are questions for another day. Instead, today, the question before us is what are we saved into? That is, what does it mean to be a recipient of salvation?

August 2, 2015 - Proper 13B

Lectionary Readings

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

            You’ll recall a few Sundays ago that I mentioned that the lectionary gives us three strikes against King David. The first was three Sundays ago, when David relocated the Ark of the Covenant for his own political gain. Two weeks ago, David built himself a very fine house of cedar before he thought about building such a house for God. Then last week, when I was on vacation, you all heard the story of David and Bathsheba. I understand that the guest preacher focused on the Gospel last week. So as an introduction to today’s reading from 2 Samuel, let’s quickly review the events of that third strike against David which we heard last Sunday.

July 19, 2015 - Proper 11B

Lectionary Readings

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

            Last week, you’ll recall, we took a look at King David. He is a flawed and tragic character, and yet, it is through his throne that the Messiah comes. We heard the story last Sunday of how David repeatedly used God for his own purposes, most notably in relocating the Ark of the Covenant to force those in opposition to him to support his new regime. If that was strike one, then today we get strike two. I’ll be on vacation next Sunday and won’t be here, but strike three comes next Sunday.

July 12, 2015 - Proper 10B

Lectionary Readings (expanded 2 Samuel text)

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

         So, obviously, I am not Fr. Mike Cassell who was scheduled to preach today. I don’t know the details, but he called me on Thursday night to tell me that he’s come down with some rather unpleasant illness that precludes him from travelling. To be honest, immediately after I got off the phone with him, I checked my computer files to see if I had a sermon on these texts that I might be able to adapt for this morning. But I’ve never preached on the seventh Sunday after Pentecost in the Mark cycle of readings. When I looked at the readings though, I was immediately drawn to this absolutely fascinating story about the Ark of the Covenant and David. So for the sermon this morning, I’d like to reread this passage from 2 Samuel, and as I do, I’ll stop periodically and make some comments about the text, putting it in context, and also reflecting on what the lessons this ancient and holy story have for us today.

July 5, 2015 - Proper 9B

Lectionary Readings

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

            At the back of the Book of Common Prayer, there is a catechism that lists several questions and answers about the faith. One question is “What is the ministry of the laity?” The answer is “The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.” If that sounds like a tall task, that’s because it is. Sometimes being a follower of Jesus can feel overwhelming, as there are countless ministries that could benefit from our support. There are always those in need, there are always things around the church that can be done, and there are always causes that could use a financial gift. And then there are systemic problems like racism and poverty that, quite frankly, seem like insurmountable issues.

June 28, 2015 - Proper 8B

Lectionary Readings

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

            I can’t imagine. Can you imagine it? We use those phrases when we encounter something that stops us in our tracks, whether it is good or bad. Sometimes when we rhetorically ask “can you imagine?” it is because in our horror and disbelief we, ourselves, cannot actually imagine it. We hear stories of the violent atrocities committed by ISIS and we shake our heads, saying “can you imagine that?” That reality simply does not fit into our frame of reference. But sometimes we lack this imagination in the positive sense of the phrase. “She donated a kidney to a complete stranger,” or we see a beautiful painting and say I can’t imagine. Sometimes we observe something that seems to be larger than life, full of more beauty or compassion than we thought was possible. When we hear this reading from Mark, a fitting response very well might be “I can’t imagine.”