Last week we heard the story of John the Baptist appearing in the desert to proclaim repentance and announce the coming of the Messiah. I have always admired this portrait of John the Baptist. He is courageous and fiery. He is as “prophety” as you can get. He’s a prophet’s prophet you might say. But […]
Here we are at the end of the season of Pentecost. For many months now we have been walking with Jesus during his earthly ministry. We have seen him teach, preach, pray, heal, and challenge. Next week we begin again with Advent as we wait in hope and expectation for Jesus’ birth and when we […]
“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. . . . The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox. . .” This passage from Isaiah is one of my favorite passages in […]
In preparation for a clergy day this past Thursday, we were asked to read the book, The Gatherings: Reimaging Indigenous-Settler Relations. Through a series of interviews, the book recounts the experiences of people who participated in a program called the Gatherings. This program took place for more than a decade and ended over 30 years […]
“Zacchaeus was a wee little man And a wee little man was he He climbed up in a sycamore tree For the Lord he wanted to see.” How many of you learned that song as a child? It is the soundtrack that plays in my head every three years when the story of Zacchaeus turns […]
The parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee. On its surface this is such a simple parable. The tax collector is humble and recognizes his need for God, so he is good. The Pharisee is arrogant and recognizes only his need for himself, so he is bad. Moral of the story: be humble and […]
As for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. So, as we’ve entered the official stewardship season of the church, I’ve been thinking […]
Jesus and the healing of the ten lepers. This may be a short story, but it is not shallow. There are so many messages in this brief narrative, so many things I could preach about, and have preached about over the years. There is the very evident theme of gratitude. Or I could talk about […]
“Faith.” That is our theme for this morning, as it is clearly the focus of our Gospel Reading. To be frank, I actually wish Jesus had not used the metaphor of faith and the mustard seed, as it has so frequently been co-opted and misused in modern western Christianity to suggest that if you can’t […]
There was a rich man who had more wealth and possessions than he could ever use in 100 lifetimes. He wore the best clothes. He ate the best foods. Every day his servants would pile his table high with food, and he and his wealthy friends would gorge on the piles of food laid out […]