If you were ever going to have a “superheroes of the Bible” series in worship, this would be a great week to start! Esther saves the lives of an entire nation. And Harbona the eunuch gives a solid assist. A woman as a superhero with a queer sidekick? This Bible reading pushes more boundaries than… Read More
RCL – Proper 20, Year B – Resist
As I studied up on the readings for Sunday one common theme emerged: Resist. The resist I speak of is a resistance to the stuff we are told will make us feel better if only we can accumulate enough of it. A resistance to running after power, status and ambition; resistance to serving only ourselves.… Read More
RCL: Get it Together
Jesus thinks the time has come to truly teach the disciples who it is he is. After quizzing them about who he isn’t–John the Baptist, Elijah, or another prophet–Peter seems to indicate that they know the Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus then gets on to the heavier lifting of teaching what being a Messiah entails.… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party Sept. 5, 2021 Lectionary 23/Proper 18/15th Sunday after Pentecost
Rev Gals and Pals, School is back in session in my part of the world and I imagine the young people I know gladly said goodbye to summer vacation this morning as they boarded the bus more than ready to get back in the classroom with their friends; today, as these children were held in… Read More
RCL: The Be Opened Edition
I love this story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. Admittedly, it’s a love that had come in more recent years. We get to witness a moment of growth in Jesus’s life. Yes, he was a man of his times and schooled in all the prejudices and human foolishness of his day. He meets a… Read More
Revised Common Lectionary: As for me and my household…
The Revised Common Lectionary continues the theme of bread in this week’s reading from John. In today’s passage, Jesus calls his own body and blood the bread from heaven, which will grant eternal life. These words must have sounded strange to Jesus’ Jewish followers, who would have followed strict dietary laws regulating which types of… Read More
RCL: Proper 15 Year B – What is eternal?
I have a strange confession. I like thinking of Wisdom as God’s partner and companion. If I wanted to slide into my weird and hardwired gender language I could call Wisdom God’s wife, and yet a person apart from the Trinity. I am not entirely missing the mark, even if I am a bit too… Read More
RCL: Hungry
In the midst of these bread sagas, we get a narrative of what everlasting bread means from Jesus. Jesus promises to be enough for us. Jesus promises to be nourishment, to be what we need in John 6:35, 41-51. This follows the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. Everyone saw how Jesus fed the… Read More
Revised Common Lectionary: Hard to Believe
Three passages invite us to reflect on our “believing.” What inspires belief? What challenges it? What proves it? What disproves it? What, for us, makes it hard to believe the worst of truth or the best of it? What is hard for you to believe about the gospel? If any of those questions caught your… Read More
Revised Common Lectionary: Food For Thought
There is a lot of food for thought in this week’s Revised Common Lectionary lessons! And no matter how many people partake in that food, there will be leftovers – at least according to the readings from 2 Kings and John. So, in that spirit, here are a few tidbits to help get your sermon… Read More
