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1 Timothy 6:6-19
Proper 21C
Robert Frost entitled his arguably most well-known poem “The Road Not Taken.” It begins, famously, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” That phrase likely, in turn, helped inspire M. Scott Peck’s arguably most famous book’s title: The Road…
John 11:1-45: Just About Everywhere – Lent 5A
In one of her short stories the writer Annie Dillard has a scene in which a family is sadly gathered at a grave to commit a loved one’s body to the earth. At one point the minister intones the familiar words from I Corinthians 15, “Where, O Death, is thy sting?” Upon hearing that, one…
Luke 2:1-20: To You – Christmas Day A
Psychologist Jonathan Haidt once published some very intriguing data on what he calls “elevation,” which is the opposite of disgust. We all know that there are any number of things that disgust us or cause us to feel revulsion. When we witness hypocrisy, cruelty, betrayal, and the like, we recoil–there are even certain physical sensations…
John 1:43-51: The Child’s Leading – Epiphany 2B
Don’t you wish sometimes you could have been there, could have seen them in person? I mean the disciples and, of course, Jesus himself. You hear people say things like that once in a while. Wouldn’t it have been something to have been able to meet Peter, to shake Matthew’s hand? What if even now…
Luke 16:1-13
Proper 20C
This parable is one of the most difficult to get to the bottom of. Why is Jesus seemingly praising a shady businessperson? The ‘hero’ of the story steals from his boss in order to curry favour and ensure his future with other people all too happy to cheat the system! Though it is not part…
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Proper 20C
Most preachers are at least familiar with variations on some Christians’ refrain of “Prime Minister (or President) So-and-So is a turkey.” Or “Congressman (or Member of Parliament) Such-and-Such is trying to ruin our country.” I’m always a bit tempted to respond to such assertions by asking the complainant, “Do you pray for that leader as…
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Proper 19C
At first glance, 1 Timothy 1:17 may seem like a strange place to put such a stirring doxology. After all, while we profess the Spirit inspired its placement, it’s only a relative handful of verses into Paul’s letter to his “true son in the faith” (1). While there are, of course, exceptions, we generally find…
Luke 15:1-10
Proper 19C
These two parables—even without the more often read story that follows them—have a bit of a bite to them all on their own. More likely than not, we come to them with hearts and minds more like the Pharisees and scribes than we do like the tax collectors and sinners. Many of us sitting in…
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