Sermons

Proper 23B Jesus said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” St. Anthony of Thebes, brought up in a wealthy Christian family, but orphaned at age 18, heard these words...

Proper 21B I’ve been reflecting this week on a story of drunken men, an inept and foolish leader, and the women who stand up to them. I’m talking about today’s Old Testament reading, the story of Esther. (What did you think I was talking about?) Several years ago our...

Proper 20B Sometimes I think the most amazing thing about Jesus is the patience he has with his disciples. Today’s Gospel reading is a good example. Jesus is trying to teach his friends, trying to tell them something important. He knows that his time on earth is...

Proper 19B Last Sunday our Jewish friends heard the sound of the Shofar, the blowing of a ram’s horn, to signal the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. When we think of a New Year’s celebration we probably think of parties, football games, brunches,...

Proper 18B Today’s gospel reading is one of my favorite scripture stories. In it Jesus is taught a lesson about what it means to be the Messiah. And his teacher is a lowly woman. You may remember from last week’s gospel reading that Jesus has just had yet another run...

Proper 17B Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in us the fruit of good works, through Jesus Christ our Lord....

Proper 16B For the last five weeks our Gospel readings have come from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, a very long and repetitive discourse from Jesus on the topic of bread. For week after week now we have heard Jesus saying essentially the same thing – that...

Proper 15B In a country that potentially changes its leaders every four years, or at most every eight years, it is hard to imagine a single person ruling a nation for four decades. But that is what Israel has had with King David, a 40-year reign. But now the great...

The Hebrew Scriptures have followed David into a mess. A moral mess. The fair-haired young king has revealed a side of himself that doesn’t measure up to his popular image. He has done a terrible thing and the prophet Nathan knows it. David has caused the husband of...

Today’s reading from the Hebrew Scripture is all about building a house for the Lord. In one sense the reading addresses Israel’s transition from a people of scattered nomadic tribes to a more centralized identity. Now there was a king who lived in a house of cedar...

Two of the readings we heard this morning are about dancing. We’re presented with stories of two kings and two dances. David danced before the arc to the music of lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals. David’s exuberant participation in the dance and...

Proper 9B It has been a successful run for Jesus lately. The carpenter from Nazareth has been making quite a name for himself. No one knew him at all on that day not so long ago when he laid down his carpenter’s tools to begin his ministry in Galilee after his baptism...

Proper 8B In a few days we will be celebrating our nation’s birthday. The Fourth of July is a festive holiday, full of parades, fireworks, and cookouts. It is a day to rejoice and give thanks for this great country in which we are privileged to live. I think one of...