Sermons

The Rev. Dr. Katharine C. Black, preaching
Baruch 5: 1-9
Canticle 16: The Song of Zechariah - Luke 1: 68-79
Philippians 1: 3-11
Luke 3: 1-6

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. AMEN.

On this Sunday, Luke's second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. However, both the reading from Baruch, and the Benedictus, Luke's hymn of praise that Zechariah proclaims, lean the action from darkness to light. "Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God." We'll consider darkness to light and repentance to forgiveness, but first a little context.

The Rev. Dr. Katharine C. Black, preaching
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25: 1-9
1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13
Luke 21: 25-36

Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love, for they are from everlasting. AMEN.

Happy New Year! Today as we begin a new church year, Year C, Luke's year, it is an occasion to consider time of various kinds. Stores, anxious economists would have this series of days be a simple and urgent time to spend for Christmas. (While for true life, stores have tried to bully us into considering Christmas shopping since Labor Day, the ads for Black Friday, the decorations, the too-early constant musack of Christmas music, and the daily bombardment from stores, radios, TV's, and more, hammer us with these days as shopping days to count down until Christmas.)

Mr. David Bresnahan, Preaching
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17
Psalm 127
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 23:38-44

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Proper 23
Sunday Oct. 10, 2009
The Rev. Dr. Katharine C. Black

Job 23: 1-9, 16-17
Ps 22:1-15
Hebrews 4: 12-16
Mark 10: 17-31

This is the day the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Amen.

Which man do you identify with more, Job or the rich young man? Which man do you think has a worse deal? Which man makes you, makes me, more uncomfortable? How does God come out in these stories? Does anything from this Gospel or others-or from the Church for that matter- persuade you to leave your house or brothers or sisters or mother or father for Jesus' sake and for the sake of the good news? Do we assume or are we resigned to being last, or do we this think this all really won't apply to us, and that our gifts to NPR, our college, or our church, will insure us as first into eternal life? Is any of this good news for us?

The Rev. Dr. Katharine C. Black, preaching
Esther 7:1-6,9-10; 9:20-22
Psalm 124
James 5:13-20
Mark 9:38-50

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

"Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will, by no means, lose the reward." The disciples were upset and whining that someone else was casting out demons in Jesus' name, although not following us." They were complaining that other people weren't like them, and being authentic followers. The others' way wasn't as special, as good, as brand-named, as just like us, or actually one of us, to count. This is a variation of the only way to be a follower of Christ is my way. Unless you are a real -here we fill in the blank with our own pet personal favorite discipleship group, one excluding other groups, and including us as right-actioned, right-discipled, and truly special in Jesus' eyes. Disciples to be right must be like me, just like me. In all eras, in all groups, in an eternity of people, we want to say that my team is better than your team. It's particularly prevalent among religious groups, but schools, organizations of many kinds, and other affinity groups, are as prone to this attitude. We know the best, rightest, most authentic, most whatever, and that's what makes my group, not only best, but surely better than your group. It gets old, that insecure over-bearing confidence, and Jesus apparently found it a tedious attitude as well.

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Year B, Proper 19
Sunday, September 13^th, 2009
The Rev. Dr. Katharine C. Black

Proverbs 1: 20-33
Psalm 19
James 3:1-12
Mark 8:27-38

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows God's handiwork. AMEN.

"Who do people say that I am?" And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah."

Three comments on this interchange, then thoughts about Jesus' observation and invitation to take up his cross, within a generalized thought about taking up a cross to follow Jesus.

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

The Gospel this morning has two healings, and they connect to three others, Matthew’s account of the healing of (presumably the same) Syrophoenician woman’s daughter and Mark’s earlier freeing the demoniac of the unclean spirit in him and the later healing of the blind man. Each of these five healings have some points in common and, together, Mark’s healings make one point which contrasts with Matthew’s point. These Mark healings say something about Jesus’ understanding of both his mission and how it expanded. Those tie in with the other themes of this morning’s readings. Together, then, they broaden Jesus’ growing perception of God’s work of justice for all.

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Year B, Proper 17
Sunday, August 30^th, 2009
The Rev. Dr. Katharine C. Black

Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Psalm 45: 1-2, 7-10
James 1: 17-27
Mark: 7:1-8, 14-15,21-23

Blest be the pure in heart, for they shall see our God; the secret of the Lord is theirs, their soul is Christ's abode. AMEN.

It's been quite a couple of days, of TV watching and listening to eulogies, commentary, and speeches, of watching image after image of Senator Kennedy's life. In many of the accounts, I kept hearing an apt example of the key line in this morning's Gospel, "There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." I usually read the lessons on Mondays, and then think about the phrases all week. This week it seemed to me there were stories or reports about excessive one things and another that the Senator ate and drank, but what came out of him was not defiling, but legislation, which changed the fairness component in this country. Of course, bad things come out of us all, and he was no exception- his bad things were just splashy, public, and to be regretted for a lifetime. The things that went in may have enabled some of the out-going defiling things, but none of them, those going-in substances, were, in fact, evil in themselves. He exemplified the vitality and goodness, that even things that might be considered defiling going in, could be transformed going out, instead, into things forever a credit to a person.

The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Year B, Proper 16
Sunday, August 23^rd, 2009
The Rev. Dr. Katharine C. Black

1 Kings 8:1, 6, 10-11, 22-30, 41-4
Psalm 84
Ephesians 6: 10-20
John 6:56-69

Happy are the people whose strength is in you! whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way. AMEN.

As Solomon dedicates his temple, he prays, "that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built." He was dedicating a physical temple, a huge and spectacular building, but even as physical as that dedication was, he seems to be issuing a challenge, hope, or commitment to a kind of unity of worshiping the One Holy One, akin to the collect's prayer that the Church being gathered together in unity by the Holy Spirit may show forth power among all peoples. This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept is, since we have every evidence that unity is not the hallmark of the church, and all people of the earth don't know or fear the same God.

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Year B, Proper 15
Sunday, August 16^th, 2009
The Rev. Dr. Katharine C. Black

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Psalm 111
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6: 51-58

Be filled with the Spirit, giving thanks to God at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.

Good advice about how to live, as is included in the story of Solomon. “Give your servant an understanding mind, remembering that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The first three readings tell people ways to live by wisdom, and then there’s the Gospel. Jesus says that he is the bread of life and those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will have life forever. I’m not sure it’s wisdom it takes to hear and understand that clearly or appealingly.