Sermons (Page 16)
Third Sunday of Advent
So I’d already made up my mind I was going to preach on the Jerimiah reading, and I opened it up and started reading and instantly felt super guilty because…last time I preached I told you all that “woe” means like yikes. And…that continues to be true, when it’s a New Testament reading and the word is being translated from Greek. But Jerimiah’s in the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament so we’re translating that word from Hebrew. And when it’s coming from Hebrew it’s more…an audible sigh, dismay, lament even. These are the feelings bestowed on those shepherds this morning…
Second Sunday of Advent
Today’s gospel has an apocalyptic tilt to it that seems to tell of the end of the world. We heard of wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines, and plagues. We might easily relate with that vision as we watch Russia slaughter innocent people in Ukraine, and as we relive our collective trauma during the investigation of the January 6 insurrection. So too, we continue to live with the medical plagues of COVID and RSV along the social plagues of racism and sexism. As inflation grips the globe and once generous donors tighten their pocketbooks, the most vulnerable go hungry and homeless. And, the impacts of climate change caused by wealthy nations have brought destruction on the most vulnerable nations. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think we are living in apocalyptic times and the end is near…
All Saints Sunday/Advent 1
One aspect of the gospels that brings me particular delight is how accounts kind of differ between the gospel writers. And there’s a lot of reasons for that but usually it’s because they were all written for different audiences during different time periods and so the focus shifts depending on the specific social and political context. And sometimes the variation is barely even noticeable, but then for some other it’s like ooh yeah that story does hit a little differently when you put it that way instead…