Some of you may have heard the story of the wise woman’s stone: A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the…
So I have to admit that today’s readings didn’t seem to fit together to me at first. Sometimes there is an obvious theme that hits you over the head when you read the readings, and this week isn’t that week for me. We’ve got kings, prisoners, sharing and sacrificing, and a wedding banquet. But take…
I want to begin by acknowledging the Reverend Dr. Matthew Skinner for his published information on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s book “Why We Can’t Wait”, from which some of the content for my sermon today is drawn. Today we get another gem of a story from Luke — a gem which shows up in…
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What is treasure? I have to admit, that when I hear the word treasure, two images come to my mind: The first image is of a big cache of goodies. As a kid, my aunt, who was a school teacher, had something called the “Goodie…
Midsummer is often a time for family vacations and leisurely coffee hours. It’s tempting to assume that the imperative of our Christian life can be relaxed a little bit while people settle into the welcome routines of rest, recreation, and travel. But this week’s Gospel reading sizzles and spits like a hamburger on a backyard…
I suspect that, to most of us, prayer is a puzzle. I’m not sure that most of us even know why it is that we pray. Many people pray as a form of sanctified wish fulfillment. It’s like we think of prayer as a way of having all our dreams come true… if we pray…
Today’s Gospel story often attracts interest because it is one of a limited number of stories that offer an obvious integration of women in the participation of all facets of Christian discipleship. A woman sits and learns at Jesus’ feet — possibly in the process breaking down cultural expectations — and Jesus approves. This implies…
In Matthew, when Jesus is approached by the rich young ruler who asks, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” the answer Jesus gives is pretty stunning: “Keep the commandments: You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and…
“Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’” (Lk 10:5) May peace be among us and remain with us. Amen. It seems like whenever we turn on the news lately, we hear of some massacre. And those are just the tragedies that make the news. There are others that don’t make the headlines,…
What’s God been doing in your life lately? Today’s readings were a struggle for me as I tried to come up with a sermon response. I tried and tried to get them to fit together into a sermon that made sense to me as a unit that would inspire us all to action based upon…
In just a few short weeks, many of us will stand and sing that we live in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Our patriotic celebrations are just around the corner. But I struggle to say that most of us in our little corner of the world are “free”. People…
Did you notice the oddities of today’s readings? A most unusual character steps forth as we listen to the words of scripture — so unusual that no one seems to be able to explain who (or even what) she is — except that she is definitely a she, this woman called “Wisdom”. Some authors note…
