Pentecost XXIII November 17th, 2019 Isaiah 65:17-25 II Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19 When I encountered the breadth of Christian spirituality in the United States first-hand, I was astonished at the importance that many Christians gave to thinking about the end of the world. Televangelists, book sales, entire denominations were dedicated to interpreting the book of…
All Saints Sunday November 3, 2019 Daniel 7:1-18 Ephesians 1:11-23 Luke 6:20-31 For centuries it was the custom in Christian countries to give children the name of a saint. The principle is even written into the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church: “Parents, sponsors and the priest are to take care that a name…
Pentecost XIX October 20, 2019 Jeremiah 31 :27-34 II Timothy 3 :14- 4 :5 Luke 18 :1-8 Nobody likes a complainer, and very few people like having to complain. But I’m sure I’m correct in thinking that everyone here has been in a situation of having to complain about incompetent service: (banks, phone companies, insurance firms to name but…
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost October 13, 2019 Jeremiah 29:1, 4 –7 II Timothy 2:8-15 Luke 17:11-19 In 597 BC, a calamity befell the southern Jewish state of Judah. About one hundred and thirty years before, the Assyrians conquered the northern state of Israel and dispersed its people forever. In 597 BC, the Babylonian king besieged…
Oktoberfest 2019 October 6, 2019 Lamentations1:1-6 II Timothy 1:1-14 Luke 17:5-10 There’s something oddly appropriate about a mustard seed appearing in the Gospel on the day when we celebrate Oktoberfest. What would German cuisine be without its Senf? The mustard plant belongs to the same family of everyday vegetables as cabbage, broccoli and swede. In…
St. Michael and All Angels September 29, 2019 Genesis 28 :10-17 Revelation 12 :7-12 John 1 :47-51 Jacob’s ladder is probably one of the best-known dream stories in the whole Bible. It might even be one of the best-known dream stories in the world’s literature. It has inspired the imagination of story writers, poets, artists…
Pentecost XV September 22, 2019 Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1 I Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16 :1-13 Over the past decades, it has become the vogue amongst those who study the growth and development of parishes to describe each parish in terms of its size and ministry. There are supposed to be four or five stages of…
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 15, 2019 Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28 I Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10 One of my favorite aspects of the changing of the seasons from summer to autumn is the necessity of going through my wardrobe to find coats or trousers more suitable for the change in the weather. I have…
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost 8th September 2019 Jeremiah 18:1-11 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33 There was a curious piece of publicity being shown on the television which was intended to advertise an investment or an insurance company – I forget precisely which. It showed two people at a table sitting across from each other. An older…
Pentecost +12 September 1st, 2019 Jeremiah 2:4-13 Hebrews 13:1-8 Luke 14:1-14 I am always puzzled by the programs that public television chooses to show during a fund-drive. In order to solicit contributions from viewers, the managers of the stations concerned invariably air some guru or other who tells us how we can change our lives…