1 Advent – November 29, 2020 Mark 13:24-37 It’s the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new church year. And here we are….at the beginning of Advent, still in the midst of the COVID crisis…bewildered, grieving, fearful, and exhausted. And so, it’s rather fascinating that we are given the gift of the […]
Last Sunday after Pentecost – November 22, 2020 Matthew 25:31-46 Today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, it’s essentially a liturgical hinge between the long “Season After Pentecost,” and the beginning of the season of Advent. So, we pause this week to reflect on the meaning of Christ’s reign over the Church, the world, and […]
23 Pentecost, Proper 27 – November 8, 2020 Matthew 25:1-13 Today is the day after the calling of a long, contentious presidential election and we are presented with the parable of the ten bridesmaids. This week we also honor our Veterans. So, today, with all of that, we talk about healing. I think we […]
All Saints Sunday – November 1, 2020 Matthew 5:1-12 How often, since the Covid-19 pandemic began, have you said, “I can’t wait until life gets back to normal?” Are you tired, are you weary? I admit that I am a bit weary. We’re going through a lot….there is the pandemic, the rioting, the need […]
21 Pentecost, Proper 25 – October 25, 2020 Matthew 22:34-46 Today’s gospel should be a familiar one. When asked what commandment in the law is the greatest Jesus says, ““You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest […]
19 Pentecost, Proper 23 – October 11, 2020 Matthew 22:1-14 So, this is a really difficult parable to understand. It’s an odd story about a king offering an extravagant banquet for his son’s wedding. Yet the invited guests do not come. Three times the king sends messengers out to bring them to the wedding […]
18 Pentecost, Proper 21 – October 4, 2020 Matthew 21:33-46 This parable begs the question, “whose land is it, anyway?” Culturally, in the first century, the leasing of land to tenant farmers was a common experience. Landowners could expect tenants to turn over a portion of the crop and those who failed to meet […]
17 Pentecost, Proper 21 Matthew 21:23-32 Jesus told a story about a man with two sons. The father asked the first son to go to work in the vineyard, and the son said that he would ––but he didn’t. The father asked the second son to go to work in the vineyard, and the second […]
15 Pentecost, Proper 19 – September 13, 2020 Matthew 18:21-35 “How many times do I need to forgive my brother or sister?” That’s the question which prompts the parable of the unmerciful servant that we hear today. This passage follows on last week’s reading, which Jesus concluded by assuring us that wherever two or […]
14 Pentecost, Proper 18 – September 6, 2020 Matthew 18:15-20 Wherever two or more are gathered….well, it can be really hard to get along. Right? Today’s gospel caused me to say Oh, no!, when I first read it. But then, I realized this is relevant to what we’re going through right now. This exhausting […]