Sermons

1Kgs 21:1-10[11-14], 15-21a
Psalm 5: 1-8
Galatians 2: 15-21
Luke 7:36-8:3

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. AMEN.

This week on NPR I heard a piece about the Bank of America. It had been penalized for something about banking, lending, and mortgages. The report ended saying that Bank of America had been fined whatever the huge amount of money it was, but "had not admitted to any guilt." Guilt is not the same as wrongdoing.

1 Kings 17:8-16(17-24)
 Psalm 146
Gal 1:11-24
LUKE 7:11-17

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Stories about healing are this morning's lessons. I'm going to speak about them briefly and then do as our Bishops have asked us to do: consider the Archbishop of Canterbury's 28 May letter, with our Presiding Bishop's reply of Thursday, and some comments from various sources. It is not my way, but this is important material, and a way to think on it is with the material itself.

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Psalm 8

Romans 5:1-5

John 16: 12-15

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. AMEN.

Trinity Sunday is the first hinge Sunday of the church year, to link the biographical part of the church year to Christ the King Sunday, the other hinge, which links this teaching part back to the biographical new year, and then we roll along again. This hinge is theological, the other, biographical. Although this year we follow Luke's teachings, because this is a theological Sunday, we hear from John's Gospel today, rather than from Luke.

Sermon for Pentecost C, May 23, 2010

 Guest Preacher: Marie Harkey

 It's hard to prepare people for your own departure.

Acts 16:16-34
Psalm 97
Revelation 22:12-14,16-17, 20-21
John 17:20-21

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. AMEN.

This is the most isolated Sunday of the year. It follows Jesus' Ascension and precedes the gift of the Holy Spirit, so on this Sunday, we're on our own. Jesus has left publicly and has gone, as he said, to be with the Father. Next Sunday is Pentecost, and the Spirit is announced to be with us as comforter, advocate, and connector between the Creator and the ascended Jesus, the Redeemer. This week we're on our own, so the collect asks the King of Glory, "Do not leave us comfortless, but send us the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and exalt us to that place where Jesus has gone before. Then there are today's lessons...

Acts: 16:9-15

Psalm 67

Rev 21:10, 22-22:5

John 5:1-9

Queen of Heaven, be joyful, for the Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia. AMEN.

This morning's Gospel is both straightforward and dramatic. Among the many invalids waiting around the healing pool, was one who'd been waiting there for help for 38 years. Jesus asked him, whether he wanted to be made well. (Jesus didn't ask him whether he wanted to BE well, but whether to be MADE well.) The man explained, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, some one steps ahead of me." "No one helps me." (He implies it's their fault.) "What can I do? No one helps me. I've been waiting here nearly 40 years, 38 to be exact, and here I lie, wenh, wenh wenh."

Acts 9: 36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7: 9-17
John 10: 22-30

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

In Eastertide, Thomas is always the Sunday after Easter and today the 4^th Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday. We don't like the idea much. Sheep are stupid and follow along in herded manner, even sometimes led along by vapid Little Bo-Peep, a character of some silliness. Worse, lamb is one of our favorite Christian Easter meals. While it seems true the metaphor doesn't work for us particularly well, it might be that we're not paying good attention to the long, long biblical tradition of comfort, inspiration, and promise the good shepherd and the watched sheep offer us, even now. It may be that we need additional images, but let's hold this one too.

Acts: 1-6
Psalm 30
Revelation 5: 11-14
John 21: 1-19

My heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever." (Ps 30: 15)  AMEN.

Today's long Gospel has four separate episodes. There's 1) the disciples' fishing narrative; 2) the beloved disciple's confession/identification/announcement that it is the Lord he is seeing; 3) the conversation between Simon Peter and Jesus of "feed my lamb; tend my sheep; feed my sheep," and 4) Jesus telling John the way he'd die and Jesus' command to "follow" him. It's part of the postscript of John's Gospel, and offers many directions to consider about discipleship.

Acts 5: 27-32
Psalm 150
Rev 1:4-8
John 20:19-31

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. AMEN.

The Sunday after Easter is always this Gospel-Doubting Thomas- and is usually often called Low Sunday. Are those two names connected, that is, do we not show up because it's the week afar Easter and we're, so to speak, liturgically hung over, or do we remember (sort of) that it's Thomas again, and we so we don't come. Do we not come because the story is too familiar, or because we're ashamed of Thomas, a most rational man much like us, and so we're a bit ashamed of his doubt.  Skipping Low Sunday I can empathize with deeply- we did celebrate last weekend in high style, great detail, and glorious worship-one more thank you to each and all of St. John's; it was a remarkable and splendid communal set of liturgies.

Isaiah 65:17-25
Psalms 118: 14-17, 22-24
Acts 10:34-43
Luke 24: 1-12

Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia. Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen in truth. Alleluia. Alleluia. Christ is risen. AMEN.

Happy Easter! On this day, the Lord has acted. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Luke in both Acts and the Gospel sets Easter is as historical context as he can. What day was it? The first day of the week. When was it? Early in the morning. Why were they there? They'd prepared and were bringing spices to the tomb. What next? They found the tomb, but the stone had been rolled away from the door. How did they feel? Perplexed. Who was there? Two men in dazzling clothes. Then how did they feel?  Terrified. What did they do? They bowed their faces to the ground. Did the men speak? They did. What'd they say? Why do you seek for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.