Lent II March 13, 2022 Genesis 15:1-18 Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 Luke 13:31-35 Whenever we come across the Pharisees in a reading from the Bible, we tend to think that they are all antagonistic to Jesus’ mission. They ask him difficult questions that are framed as a trap. They collude with people who conspire against…
Lent I March 6, 2022 Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Romans 10:8b-13 Luke 4:1-13 The ability to tell the difference between good and evil or the difference between truth and lies isn’t as easy as we often wish it to be. The current war in Ukraine is one of the most dramatic illustrations of this fact. It’s…
Last Sunday of the Epiphany February 27th 2022 Exodus 34:29-35 II Corinthians 3:12 – 4:2 Luke 9:28-36 Today is the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany; the season of light. It started six weeks ago in the light of a star and the visit of the Magi, and ends today with the light shining…
Epiphany 7 February 20, 2022 Genesis 45:3-28 I Corinthians 15:35-50 Luke 6:27-38 In the Greco-Roman world of Paul’s day, a debate raged between those who prioritized the physical world of what we can see, hear, feel and taste, and those who prioritized the spiritual world of what we can intellectually or ‘spiritually’ perceive. The Jewish…
Epiphany 6 February 13, 2022 Jeremiah 17:5-10 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Luke 6:17-26 When I first came to America, I was quite surprised by the widespread celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. In England, it was a rather embarrassing event. School crushes usually resulted in anonymous cards put on your desk. For older people it was a…
Fifth Sunday of the Epiphany February 6, 2022 Isaiah 6:1-8 I Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11 I want to begin by asking a question we have all asked at one time or another. Why is preaching a part of every Sunday service? We might think that the answer is obvious. Perhaps we think that the pastor…
Feast of the Presentation January 30, 2022 Malachi 3:1-4 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 It may not seem like it, but this coming Wednesday is the day when winter is officially half way over. We are almost mid-way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. All through history, calendar days that correspond to significant positions…
Epiphany III January 23, 2022 Nehemiah 8:1-10 I Corinthians 12:12-31 Luke 4:14-21 When you stop to think about it for a moment, the authors who contributed to the books of the Bible are a strangely mixed bag. Moses was a construction supervisor. Amos was a fruit-picker. Ezra was a secretary. Solomon was a king. Asaph…
Epiphany II January 16, 2022 Isaiah 62:1-5 I Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 Communication across different cultures has always been a challenge. That’s why one of the first gifts to be given to the church at Pentecost was the gift of tongues: the sudden ability to communicate in a language unknown and unlearned by the speaker.…
Sunday after the Epiphany January 9, 2022 Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 Last Wednesday evening, we looked at some of the background of the story of the arrival of the Magi to pay their respects to the Christ-Child. We discovered the significance of the kingdoms of Midian, Ephah and Sheba mentioned in our reading…