16 Pentecost, Proper 21 – September 25, 2022 Luke 16:19-31 My friend Barbara says that “each of us has things we tell ourselves to protect us from the pain of those around us. For example: we’ll say things like, well, if only he had not dropped out of high school. If only she had […]
13 Pentecost, Proper 18 – September 4, 2022 Luke 14:25-33 I don’t know about you, but I see today’s reading as quite challenging. Hating father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even life itself. What’s that about? Here is another case in which context is important. The phrase “to hate” […]
12 Pentecost, Proper 17 – August 28, 2022 Luke 14:1, 7-14 This morning we are ushered into a room where a dinner party is in progress. At the head of the table is the host, a Pharisee, a leader of the local community. The leaders were watching Jesus closely. But, as the guests arrive […]
10 Pentecost, Proper 15 – August 14, 2022 Luke 12:49-56 Oh my! Our gospel passage for this morning is unsettling to say the least. Jesus coming to bring fire to the earth, division, calling us hypocrites. Where is the good news for us in this message? This is certainly one of those readings where […]
9 Pentecost, Proper 14 – August 7, 2022 Luke 12:32-40 This week’s gospel reading is full of shifting identities. For example, it seems to describe a thief as both a threat (verse 33) at the beginning of our passage and then as creation’s salvation at the end (verses 39-40). How do we account for metaphors […]
8 Pentecost, Proper 13 – July 31, 2022 Luke 12:13-21 As is often the case the case with Jesus’ parables, there is more here than meets the eye. At first read, we could look at this and say, why is the rich man a fool? Isn’t it wise and responsible to save for the […]
7 Pentecost, Proper 12 – July 24, 2022 Luke 11:1-13 Our passage from Luke’s gospel today begins with Jesus “praying in a certain place.” When he has finished praying, one of his disciples asks, “Lord, teach us to pray…” . In response, Jesus offers a three-part teaching, including a model prayer, a parable about […]
5 Pentecost, Proper 10 – July 10, 2022 Luke 10:25-37 The story of the Good Samaritan is one of the most well-known of Jesus’ parables. This can make it difficult to really hear what Jesus might be trying to tell us, today. So, let’s try our best to re-imagine this story in different ways […]
4 Pentecost, Proper 9 – July 3, 2022 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Jan Richardson tells the story of a church trip to the Anchorage Museum of History and Art in Alaska. It held an exhibit entitled A World of Maps. These maps were unlike any she had ever seen. Artists from across the United States […]
Trinity Sunday – June 12, 2022 John 16:12-15 So, today is Trinity Sunday, when we celebrate the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the three and one. Trinity Sunday asks us to embrace an idea, a theological abstraction, a doctrine. The Trinity is Christianity’s most unique, defining, incomprehensible and awesome mystery. It is […]