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Category Archives: sermon
Christ, the king we need
At the end, as at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus was subjected to the taunts and contempt of the tempter. The voices that surrounded him invited him to abdicate his position as one of us, Emmanuel, God with us; … Continue reading
Posted in Holy Days, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged Christ the King, kindness, way of the cross
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A crown of thorns
They twisted together a crown with which to anoint his brow. They thought to make a mockery,but had the pliant green twigs not yielded of their own accord, their obeisance and homage to their king, then their hands would have held only dust rubbed into the … Continue reading
Posted in Holy Days, lectionary reflection, poetry, prayer, sermon preparation
Tagged Christ the King, crown of thorns
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All Saints 2022
All Saints’ Sunday 2022; Luke 6:20-31 _____________ According to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Laurentius (St Lawrence) was the “principal of the deacons” serving in Rome in the middle years of the third century, when yet another round of persecutions of … Continue reading
Posted in current events, Holy Days, sermon, story
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Come, let us argue it out
A sermon for October 30, nine days before the US midterm elections. The readings are for Year C Proper 26, Track 2, and include Isaiah 1:10-18 and Luke 19:1-10, the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. ______________________________ What does repentance look … Continue reading
Posted in current events, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged gun violence, Isaiah 1:10-18, Jesus, Luke 19:1-10, repentance, salvation, Zacchaeus
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The cost of mercy
Raw thoughts on the parable of the good Samaritan, heard at Morning Prayer Mercy does not come cheap at two denarii, a night’s unpaid delay, the physical labour of lifting a grown man onto a donkey, walking with bags of … Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, poetry, prayer
Tagged Daily Office, Good Samartian, Luke 10:29-37, mercy, morning prayer
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Nevertheless, God persisted
To persist in prayer, at its foundation, is to persist in our relationship with that God. It is not to lose hope that God’s will will be done, not to turn away to other, more immediate but more corruptible resolutions. This call to persistence is the call of the prophets, to do justice, to love mercy, to walk humbly beside God, deep in conversation, or indeed in a conversational silence, knowing that our faith is not misplaced. Continue reading
Who am I to judge?
The judge of the parable had no regard for anyone, but the God who will pass judgement upon me so loved the world as to become Emmanuel, God with us, to suffer under our unjust judgement, and to die. The God who will, I pray, have mercy upon me hears the cries of the widows to whom I turn a cloth ear, and continues to importune me with opportunities for penitence. Continue reading
Unashamed
If I deny the love that Christ has even for my enemies, I become like the people at the dinner table where Jesus sat, who prided themselves on being in his presence, while he only had eyes for the weeping woman at his feet. I become like the nine who were healed, who received mercy, who went on their way happy, no doubt, and whole, but who missed out on the profound and deep joy of the Samaritan who saw more clearly than any of them the depth and breadth of God’s grace, and fell on his face before Jesus in gratitude for the limitless love that he embodied. Continue reading
Of faith, tides, and tables
Paul writes to Timothy (in so many words), “Do not be ashamed of the faith whose testimony I have given”; faith is a gift, but not one to be locked away in a secret safe, nor set on the shelf for later, nor even hung as a piece of art, an installation, or an exhibit. Like a musical instrument, like a precious crystal flute, as it were, faith is designed to be taken out and played, not merely looked upon, but heard, heeded, acted upon, perhaps even danced with. Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged Cnut (Canute), faith, hurricane, Luke 17:5-10
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The chasm
There is no chasm that Christ cannot and has not crossed for us.
However, we can divide ourselves from one another pretty effectively, and in doing so create hell on earth for some. Continue reading
over the water 