John 5:8. “Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’” I sometimes need to get up and get going. At times, I have put my life on hold. I’ve pushed the pause button. I’ve filed my life in a folder labeled “Action Pending.” These moments mostly happen when I’m waiting for something or someone to change. In those times, I’m as blind, … Continue reading Getting Unstuck
From Blessed Paul Giustiniani as quoted by Dom Jean Leclerq in Alone with God (p. 113); ‘The Lord lifts up those who fall’ [Ps. 145:15]. I never tire of repeating this word, which is the foundation of all my hope. I have fallen, Lord, but You are my God and my king: According to your infinite Majesty and boundless Goodness, lift me up and I … Continue reading Lift Me Up and I Shall Live Again
A priest was visiting with a new parishioner and asked, “How’s your relationship with God?” The parishioner says, “There’s not much to tell. I like sinning. God likes forgiving. We get along just fine.” That story is an adaptation of some lines from W. H. Auden’s poem, For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio. In the poem King Herod’s responds to the magi’s news of … Continue reading No More Admirably Arranged Lives – A Sermon on Romans 6:12-23
Most commentaries or sermons about today’s gospel, the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13; Proper 20, Year C), either begin with or quickly make the point that is it just a strange and difficult text; and it is. It doesn’t make sense. A dishonest employee is commended by his boss? That’s not how we want the world to be. That’s not what we teach … Continue reading The Grace of Accounting for our Life, A Sermon on Luke 16:1-13
“This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them” (from Luke 15:1-10; Proper 19, Year C). That’s what the Pharisees and scribes said about Jesus. So how does that strike you? What do you hear in those words? Are they words of complaint and disagreement or ones of hope and invitation? At one level the words of the Pharisees and scribes are simply a statement of … Continue reading When We are Good and Lost – A Sermon on Luke 15:1-10
He did not shun; he chose. He did not shun the virgin’s womb; he chose a mother. He did not shun the human body; he chose flesh and blood. He did not shun the angel’s name; he chose a destiny. He did not shun the circumciser’s knife; he chose purity. He did not shun God’s law; he chose obedience. He did not shun John’s baptism; … Continue reading The Life of Jesus: God’s Extreme Consideration for Humanity
The collect and reading for today may be found here. The appointed gospel is Matthew 20:1-16. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others … Continue reading Grace in a Wage Based World – A Sermon on Matthew 20:1-16, Proper 20A
