Text: Matthew 5:43-44 (“love your enemies”) Video of the complete service Jesus says we should love our enemies. So, I suppose this means I should love the U.S. President. As you may have noticed over the last four years, I’m not a fan. Nor is it just President Trump. More than 70 million Americans voted … [Read more…]
Texts: Ephesians 2:1-2 (spirit of the air) * Matthew 9:35-10:1, 10:7-10, 16 (Jesus sends out the Twelve) Video of the complete service Holding ourselves to account is part of the rhythm of daily life. Am I maintaining an exercise regimen? Did I pick up groceries on my way home as I had pledged? Did I … [Read more…]
Text: John 12:1-8 (Jesus is anointed for burial) Are you ready for Good Friday? Lent is a season in which we metaphorically journey with Jesus to Jerusalem and prepare for the passion of Good Friday. This morning on the fifth of six Sundays in Lent, we are almost there. The journey has taken Jesus all … [Read more…]
Text: John 18:33-38 (“What is truth?”) The conversation between Jesus and Pilate in today’s reading has a modern ring to it. Pilate is the Roman governor in Jerusalem, and he is interrogating Jesus on the day we call Good Friday. Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king. But instead of answering the question directly, … [Read more…]
Text: Mark 10:35-45 (a second baptism) Does spiritual growth have to involve suffering? Does following Jesus always imply pain and loss? In the conversation involving James, John and Jesus that we heard today, Jesus uses the metaphors of cup and baptism. He is not talking about an everyday drinking cup or about his baptism in … [Read more…]
Text: Exodus 1:8-17 (Midwives disobey the King of Egypt) As you may have noticed, I got my hair cut last week; and as always, I enjoyed chatting with my barber. Earlier this year, one of our monthly chats turned to the politics of racism. But that conversation didn’t get too far. My barber used the … [Read more…]
Text: Galatians 2:15-21 (“Christ lives in me”) Questions of identity often confront us. This summer, with the sacraments of the church in the background, we have reflected on physical, emotional, and intellectual identity. Do we base our identity on ancestral heritage? On feelings and desires? On how we articulate perspectives and ideas? For Paul, the … [Read more…]
Text: Luke 10:25-37 (“the Good Samaritan”) Do some lives matter more than others? The premise of the Black Lives Matter movement is that Black people in North America are not valued as highly as other groups. They live with more insecurity and poverty than people of European descent; and the police and courts too often … [Read more…]