Proper 15/Year C Jeremiah 23:23-29 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 Over the last week I listened to a podcast from professors at Luther Seminary about the readings this week aimed at preachers, and one of them somewhat facetiously said if the preacher had not already scheduled his or her summer vacation, this might be a good … READ MORE…
Hello! What a blessing it is to be here with you. Thank you for welcoming me and Laurel so graciously back into the St. Paul’s family. We thank God for you, we thank God for this stunningly beautiful space, we thank God for our incomparable choir. Speaking of which, one of the moments I most … READ MORE…
“Lord, teach us to pray,” the disciples say, and in response, Jesus gives them a model: what to our ears sounds like a version of the Lord’s Prayer that has been stripped of all its Matthean poetry. While it is not petty, it is stark, demanding, without elegance. “Father, your name be made holy. Your … READ MORE…
Whoa Hosea! That’s quite a way to begin a prophecy, not to mention a book of the Bible! “Take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom”?! So he does, and then he names his children crazy things like Not-My-People and I-Will-Not-Pity. (It’s tough to be a prophet’s kid.) As you’ve noticed, … READ MORE…
Welcome to the Rev. Colin Mathewson, who preached at the Misa this week! Here’s his sermon, in both English and Spanish. Sunday July 14 1pm Does everyone know what a plumb line is? Gravity enables the plumb line to draw a vertical line from the point at which it is held, making it an … READ MORE…
Proper 10/Year C Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37 There was a cartoon in The New Yorker a couple of years ago which featured what looked to be a middle aged man talking to an elderly woman in the mail area of their apartment building, and the man is saying to the woman, “Technically, my … READ MORE…
Proper 5/Year C 1 Kings 17:8-16 Galatians 1:11-24 Luke 7:11-17 Some of you may remember my speaking of my dear friends Steve and Andrew. Steve and I originally met when we both started attending seminary at what is now called Bloy House, an Episcopal program for commuters, associated with the School of Theology at Claremont and part of … READ MORE…
Easter 7/Year C Acts 16:16-34 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 John 17:20-26 About a year ago I saw a post on Facebook which said something like “Live Your Life in Such a Way the Westboro Baptist Church will Picket Your Funeral,” which I thought was pretty great so I shared it on my timeline. For those … READ MORE…
Easter 5/Year C Acts 11:1-18 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35 It has continued to be a difficult week in the news. With the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, along with news footage of the funerals of those killed, and those injured, along with the pictures, good Lord the pictures, from the Boston Marathon bombings, many of us … READ MORE…
Lent 5/Year C Isaiah 43:16-21 Philippians 3:4b-14 John 12:1-8 Pure Nard Today’s Gospel reading from John paints an uncomfortable picture. To begin with, in the context of our 21st century minds, touching someone else’s feet is something many of us are uncomfortable with. For those of you who have participated in the foot washing we do … READ MORE…