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Category Archives: sermon preparation
Raising the dead
They say that Elijah raised a fatherless child, stretched out corpselike over his body, breathing for him, with him, breathing until his new life began. His mother, from then on, developed a habit of peering over his shoulder into the … Continue reading
Scary monsters at play
This may be irreligious, but… Have you ever had that person in your life (perhaps you are that person) who thought that it was funny to jump out from behind the sofa and yell “Boo!” at the climactic moment of … Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, sermon preparation
Tagged creation, God, horror movies, joke, Leviathan, Loch Ness monster, Psalm 104:26, sea monsters
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For Thomas
Thought for the second Sunday of Easter: when you are doubtful, uncertain; when you stumble through grief and tears cloud your vision as they fall; be kind to yourself. Remember, Jesus came back especially for Thomas.
Posted in lectionary reflection, sermon preparation
Tagged doubt, Easter 2, Jesus, kindness, Thomas
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The spiritual gift of doubt
Blessed are those who can live with certainty, who can bear the burden of sureness. Because in certainty there is no need for hope; sureness has no need for trust. Some of us are not so strong. We cannot live … Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, meditation, sermon preparation
Tagged certainty, Comforter, doubt, fear, hope, John 20:19-31, Thomas Sunday, Year C Easter 2
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Hungry
My brother was one of those children – maybe you were, or maybe you had one like him – who would, from time to time, express his displeasure at his parents by leaving home. He would pack up his little … Continue reading
Posted in sermon preparation
Tagged childhood, family, hungry, Luke 15, the prodigal son, Year C Lent 4
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Prodigal
“The Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” So Jesus told them a few stories, about things that were lost and then found, about a boy who got a little lost then found … Continue reading
Posted in sermon preparation
Tagged Jesus, judgement, language, Luke 15, Pharisees, the prodigal son, Year C Lent 4
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Jerusalem, Jerusalem
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” The chicks scatter, competing instead of complementing one another, straining to grow despite one … Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, sermon preparation
Tagged foxes and hens, holy city, Jerusalem, Jesus, Luke 13:31-35, peace
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Year C Lent 1: temptation and perfection
Notes for the sermon that won’t be preached tomorrow: Was there never any danger that Jesus would succumb to the temptings and promptings and proddings of the devil? We tend to trap ourselves in our language of perfection and innocence, … Continue reading
Year C Epiphany 4: Early reflections on Luke 4:21-30
Once upon a time, a boy was born, and he grew up in a regular-sized town, and the people who knew people knew him – the teachers and the coaches and the librarians, the grocers and the beat cops, his … Continue reading
