Sermons from August 2020
Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
It was a quick turn of events in today’s episode. If you recall, last week, Peter named Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus described that statement as a “rock.” Today, the very next thing Peter said, Jesus called that statement a “stumbling block.” It was a jarring move from rock to stumbling block. But, for me, the most memorable part of the Gospel was Jesus’ phrase “Get behind me, Satan.”…
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
“Who do YOU say I am?” This is the question that comes to us today in the gospel. A question just as relevant today as it was the first time it was spoken. If you are like me, you probably first think of the Sunday school answer: “Jesus!” Because that’s the answer to everything, right? Then, you may think about who the CHURCH has said Jesus is over the years- sometimes a tame carpenter from the Middle East, sometimes a radical rebel-rouser challenging an empire. You may also think about how Jesus has impacted YOUR faith and the way you live over the years…
The Feast of Mary, Mother of Our Lord
Today we honor the life and witness of Mary, Jesus’s mother. And, one of my more memorable experiences with Mary was at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. In this massive Roman Catholic church, there are a variety of side chapels. And, each chapel has a different aesthetic and many of the chapels depict Mary in a different manner. There was Our Lady of Hungary Chapel with a Hungarian mosaic of Mary; there was Our Mother of Africa Chapel with a bronze statue of Mary portraying the African-American story from slavery to today; and there were chapels portraying Mary as Filipino, Mexican, Indian, Croatian, Chinese, Irish, and so many more. I think that was my first foray into idea that social location influences and directs our understanding of scripture. That is, I never realized that an individual’s gender, race, social class, age, ability, sexual orientation, and background could impact or even influence someone’s view of Scripture. Sure, I was only an eighth grader, but I cannot believe it took me fourteen years to realize that…
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