Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Exodus 3:1-15; Romans 12:9-21; From “Who Are We?” to “How Do We?” – Who is Moses, really? The vulnerable baby found in bulrushes and raised in the very courts that tried to kill him? Runaway refugee? Or successful business and family man? There’s an old Hebrew table of a rabbi…
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost – Genesis 45:1-14; Matthew 15:21-28; Faith Supreme – I wanted to talk about Joseph’s journey into a foreign land, today. It’s a beautiful story. It’s one of the moving narratives in all of Hebrew Scripture. It’s about death and resurrection, in much the same way that is echoed throughout the New Testament.…
Tentth Sunday after Pentecost – Gemesis 37:1-4; Mattthew 14:22-33; Coming Home through the Storm – It’s good to come home. You may know that I was away for a time of study leave and vacation. It began with a week at the St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota. I went longing for a bit of peace, quiet,…
Eight Sunday after Pentecost – Exodus 20.8-11; John 14.25-27; The Peace We Need Is Given – I recently celebrated my 68th birthday. As I got to see my grandchildren on that occasion, it occurred to me that one of the many things grandparents and grandchildren share is their delight in birthdays, albeit for different reasons – grandchildren…
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – Genesis 28:10-19a; Romans 8:18-25; Surely the LORD is in This Place and I Did Not Know It – I am a parent, as are many of you. Really anyone who has spent a significant amount of time around very young people knows all about developmental stages and the hope and despair…
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – Matthew 10:29-31; Ezra 2:1-35; Making Lists – When I turned sixteen, my dear Aunt June wanted to do something special for my birthday. My two requests were to visit Washington D.C. and have dinner at a French restaurant. She obliged both. While I found I enjoyed chocolate mousse much more than goose…
Third Sunday after Pentecost – Genesis 22:1-19; Matthew 10:24-396; Sent by Jesus: Sharing the Cost – I love it when I get a good deal. Clothes at an outlet on clearance, or my recent favorite TJ Maxx(!), at a fraction of the “normal price”—often leftovers, unpopular styles, rejects. My favorite muesli cereal on a big…