Pentecost XXI October 30, 2022 Habakkuk 1:1-2:4 II Thessalonians 1:1-12 Luke 19:1-10 Our story about Jesus, Zacchaeus and the fig tree is set in Jericho. It’s the same town where the Canaanite walls fell down at the sound of the invading Hebrews’ trumpets. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. It…
Pentecost XX October 23rd, 2022 Joel 2:23-32 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14 Did you know that self-help books published in the United States of America account for one billion dollars per year? I’m sure that the Bible isn’t counted as one of those books, but perhaps it should be! They are more likely to…
Pentecost XVIII October 9th, 2022 Jeremiah 29:1, 4 –7 II Timothy 2:8-15 Luke 17:11-19 Whenever I hear the story of the ten lepers in the Gospel of Luke, I am always intrigued by the nature of the healing or ‘cleansing’ they received at the hands of Jesus. I once worked for several weeks in…
OKTOBERFEST October 2nd, 2022 Lamentations 1:1-6 II Timothy 1:1-14 Luke 17:5-10 I think we celebrated our first Oktoberfest at St. Esprit in 1998, in response to the fact that we had several German members and German speakers at the time. It might be that some people find it a bit strange that we celebrate…
Pentecost XVI September 25, 2022 Jeremiah 32:1-15 I Timothy 5:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 This past week, the United Nations has been holding its annual General Assembly here in New York City. It is a moment in the news cycle when we become painfully aware of the enormous chasm that exists between the peoples of the richest…
Pentecost XIII September 4th, 2022 Jeremiah 18:1-11 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33 I have always felt an affinity for today’s reading from the prophet Jeremiah, because I was born in an English town well known for its pottery industry. This is the only reference to a potter’s wheel in the entire Bible. On my mother’s side…
Pentecost XI August 21, 2022 Isaiah 58:9b-14 Psalm 103:1-8 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17 Have you ever asked yourself how we are to know what God expects of us, as Christians? Once we have been baptized or we decide to follow Jesus, what comes next? As we begin to dive into Christian thinking and teaching, study…
Pentecost X August 14, 2022 Isaiah 5:1-7 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 About fifteen years ago, I bought a grape-vine for the little roof garden above my apartment. I bought it with high expectations: I imagined sitting in the shade under its branches, making delicious stuffed vine leaves and harvesting a modest bunch of grapes or…
Pentecost IX August 7th, 2022 Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40 “Don’t be afraid, little flock,” says Jesus, “for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Though this is one of the most reassuring and encouraging sayings of Jesus, it is also one of the hardest to understand. What is…
Pentecost 8 / Afrique fête July 31, 2022 Hosea 11:1-11 Colossians 3:1-11 Luke 12:13-21 Our Afrique Fête is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. It’s not just the conviviality of the occasion, and our celebration of, and support for the members of our church with deep connections to Africa that moves me. This…