James Liggett Several years ago, one of the Public Opinion companies, it was probably Gallup, did a survey of Americans and asked a very interesting question. They asked several thousand people whether they had ever had what they would call “a religious experience,” a personal experience of whatever sort, that brought them somehow into the…
You may have noticed that the Gospel readings in Matthew 13 over the past three weeks have all been split apart. Two weeks ago, we heard the Parable of the Sower. Last week, we heard the Parable of the Wheat Among the Weeds. Today, we started with the Parable of the Mustard Seed, which is…
When I was younger, and even today – I must admit – I enjoyed watching Scooby Doo, the premise of which always involved a gang of teenagers and their dog chasing after a villain, foiling the villain’s plans, and ensuring that good prevailed. Today’s Gospel reading made me think of an episode when Scooby and…
A parable is a story – and it usually compares something to something else in order to make a point or teach a lesson. In the Hebrew Bible – what we often call the Old Testament – these stories are relatively rare. But in the New Testament, we hear them a lot from Jesus. In…
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). What does it mean to you to be “fatigued and burdened”? (Allow people to answer if desired) We might be tired of trying to live up to our own expectations. We might be tired…
Our Gospel reading this week is a fast one, so I’m going to start by reading it once more: Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a…
Thanks to Bruce Epperly for the seed for this sermon. God is faithful and invites us to look beyond our own resources and self-interests to a larger vision of life. When trouble surrounds us, we are not alone; God is with us. Keep these thoughts in mind as we journey through today’s readings… I’ll repeat…
Matthew’s Jesus journeys to built-up areas as well as the villages we hear about in Mark. Matthew’s Gospel is for those who live in towns as well as farmers and those who fish. In other words, Matthew’s Gospel is for the well-to-do pillars of society as well as for those who are on the wrong…
Being a Christian involves believing that certain things are true – especially, and most importantly, that God was incarnate in Jesus Christ, and that God raised him from the dead for us. But faith is something quite different from belief – it is not just a matter of “believing that…” or holding that certain things…
Today is Trinity Sunday, one of the few celebrations of the Christian Year that commemorates a reality and doctrine rather than an event – for example, the birth of Jesus Christ or the descending of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples – or person – like Saint Michael, Saint Paul, or even Johann Sebastian Bach….
“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Boy, it’s so easy to carry a grudge. It’s so easy to be upset about that little thing that someone did to you 4 years ago and never apologized for, but still gets to…
Death is never an easy reality to face. It is often unexpected, but some of the most challenging situations arise when a group knows that a beloved member of their community will die. Such a dynamic is depicted in Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, in which the family goes to great lengths to hide a terminal…
