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Tag Archives: Jesus
Humanity
It is a call not to lose sight of the humanity of Jesus at work in the most difficult situations, even among the demons. … Continue reading
Posted in homily, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged bias, humanity, Jesus, sin, Syro-phoenician woman, Year B Proper 18
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For the love of God
You have to wonder how the Song of Songs ever made it into the Bible. … The poem never explicitly mentions God, but if we read it as sacred story, then we affirm and proclaim that this is God’s love for us; this is God’s love song.
That’s what I wanted to preach about this morning. Then, the night before last, there was a mass shooting outside the high school down the street. Five teenagers were hospitalized. One of them has since died.
God loves these children too much for us to continue to let this happen. Continue reading
Posted in gun violence, homily, sermon
Tagged gun violence, James 1:17-27, Jesus, Mark 7, nonviolence, Song of Solomon, Song of Songs
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Hungry
Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.”
Now I could quibble and say that elsewhere Jesus said that a person does not live by bread alone – but since Jesus is, also, the very Word of God, I think he has that covered.
So what does it mean for him to say, “Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”?
Surely it cannot mean that I don’t need my electricity back on after all! Continue reading
Abundance
We live in a world, in a country and a community, hungry for love, starving for mercy, thirsty for good news. We have all that is needed to provide those essential nutrients to the people before us, around us, among us. And that is exactly where Jesus asks us to begin. Continue reading
Posted in homily, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged abundance, Ephesians 3:20-21, feeding, feeding five thousand, Jesus, John 6:1-21, politics, prayer, providence
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Let Jesus be Jesus
For us, and for the sake of our country, this is not a choice between the bullet and the ballot box. This is a choice between the bullet and our souls. Jesus had a choice: call down legions of angels or go to the cross, subvert the power of political violence by defeating death itself. Defeat hatred with the overpowering love of God. Overwhelm vengeance with the suffocating aroma of mercy. Break open the patterns of this world, and let in the kingdom of heaven. Continue reading
Posted in current events, gun violence, homily, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged Herod, Jesus, John the Baptist, mass shooting, political violence, Trump
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Pride
I think that the message that Jesus is sending here is that we do not need to deny that we are hungry, aching, withered, beloved and loving, marvelously (fabulously) made; but to know that God feeds us, heals us, restores us, loves us; that this is what sabbath is about: resting in the love of God. Continue reading
Posted in lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged God loves you no exceptions, Jesus, LGBTQ, love of God, Mark 2:23-3:6, Pharisees, pride, psalm 139, sabbath, Year B Proper 4
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Sabbath
Sabbath jubilee: release for the withering will, slow unfurling of a sharply-curved grasp to rejoice in defiant mercy, revolutionary rest; the gift and obligation to lie down like a branch strewn before the quiet feet of God After a hiatus, … Continue reading
Trinity Sunday: I and we
Have you ever been in a floatation tank? You know, one of those sensory deprivation set-ups filled with salt water that makes you float as though you were in the Dead Sea; or as though you were back in the … Continue reading
Posted in holy days, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged birth, Body of Christ, born again, community, Jesus, Nicodemus, rebirth, Trinity
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This world
When Jesus prays for his disciples, when Jesus prays for us, who will become his disciples generations later, when Jesus prays he casts the world as a dangerous place, even an ugly place in its tendency toward hate; and yet still, he sends his disciples into the world, just as Jesus himself was sent into the world, that all who know him and see God’s love in him might know the life that is eternal. That they may know the joy that God takes in the world, the joy that Jesus knew in this world, despite everything. Continue reading
Posted in current events, gun violence, holy days, homily, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged Ascension, discipleship, gun violence, Jesus, ordination, prayer
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Good Shepherd Sunday: no other Name
Let us not pretend that there is any name – Smith, Wesson, Glock, Remington – by which we may be saved, but only the name of Jesus. Let us not pretend that there is any power in us to save ourselves, except the power of love that Jesus has demonstrated for us, to lay down our lives, little by little, piece by piece, for our neighbours, for love, for the love of God. Continue reading
Posted in gun violence, homily, lectionary reflection, sermon
Tagged 1John 3:16-24, Acts 3-4, Good Shepherd, gun violence, Jesus, John 10:11-18, Lectionary Lab, Name of Jesus, Psalm 23, sheep, Year B Easter 4
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over the water 