Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A
Wayne Brouwer
His shrunken frame and age-diminished voice were almost lost at the front of our large church auditorium. He had been a medical intern at a small hospital in Arnhem when Hitler's war machine rolled through the Netherlands and set up a puppet Nazi government. Radios were destroyed to prevent BBC "propaganda" from demoralizing folks who needed nothing other than German "truth."
But among the clutter of equipment in one surgical suite, someone had managed to hide a shortwave set. At 5 p.m. each Sunday afternoon the doctors and nurses gathered secretly and tuned in softly to the worship service of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields on the edge of London. My friend could not remember a single sermon heard in those covert assemblies, but one thing he never forgot. At the close of each...
But among the clutter of equipment in one surgical suite, someone had managed to hide a shortwave set. At 5 p.m. each Sunday afternoon the doctors and nurses gathered secretly and tuned in softly to the worship service of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields on the edge of London. My friend could not remember a single sermon heard in those covert assemblies, but one thing he never forgot. At the close of each...
David Kalas
As I was driving home from the office the other day, I was waiting at a traffic light downtown, when I saw one of my parishioners cross the street in front of me. It's still my first year in my present appointment, and it occurred to me that I had never seen him outside of church. He is in church quite faithfully, but I had never seen him outside of that context. The sight of him in more casual clothes ... chewing gum ... and coming out of a store reminded me of a ridiculously simple fact: He has a life outside of that pew where I am accustomed to seeing him each Sunday morning.
That our people have lives outside of church, of course, is no great revelation. It may be an important reminder to some of us, however, since the church context is such a huge percentage of our...
That our people have lives outside of church, of course, is no great revelation. It may be an important reminder to some of us, however, since the church context is such a huge percentage of our...
Frank Ramirez
“Talk me down.” Have you heard that saying? The person saying this is unable to control their strong emotions by themselves and they need a good friend to talk them away from the figurative edge on which they’re standing, before they do something they’ll regret.
In the passage from Exodus God has had enough of these complaining ungrateful former slaves, and Moses has to talk God down before the people are destroyed.
The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the great things Paul accomplished with Lydia, the jailer, and others while answering the call that came to him in a dream to stop at Philippi and found a church. Now, from a jail cell, Paul has to talk down the two women who have split a house church into factions.
In the parable Jesus told about...
In the passage from Exodus God has had enough of these complaining ungrateful former slaves, and Moses has to talk God down before the people are destroyed.
The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the great things Paul accomplished with Lydia, the jailer, and others while answering the call that came to him in a dream to stop at Philippi and found a church. Now, from a jail cell, Paul has to talk down the two women who have split a house church into factions.
In the parable Jesus told about...
Mark Ellingsen
Celebrations with an awesome God, focusing on a God who defies our expectations.
Exodus 32:1-14
The First Lesson is drawn from the book of liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, likely the product of three distinct oral traditions. The text is a story of Israel’s breaking the covenant with Yahweh and his forgiveness. It seems likely that the lesson is the work of the ninth/tenth century BC oral tradition called J for its use of the name Jahweh/Yahweh when speaking of God.
Exodus 32:1-14
The First Lesson is drawn from the book of liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, likely the product of three distinct oral traditions. The text is a story of Israel’s breaking the covenant with Yahweh and his forgiveness. It seems likely that the lesson is the work of the ninth/tenth century BC oral tradition called J for its use of the name Jahweh/Yahweh when speaking of God.
Frank Ramirez
While Moses is up on Mount Sinai, his brother Aaron builds a golden calf. Paul is jailed in Rome, so he hears from a distance that there is conflict and not faithfulness among the Christians in Philippi. Jesus tells a story about a master who prepares a great wedding feast but when he sends out for his people to come join him in celebration they all make excuses and let him down. Moses, Paul, and the master in the parable must have wondered if they have to keep tabs on others all the time. Can’t they step away, even if for just a second?
Exodus 32:1-14
Exodus 32:1-14
Everybody loves a party. Children enjoy the festivities of a birthday party, especially if they are the guests of honor. Teens enjoy the excitement and high energy of dance parties, especially if the music is loud and dissonant. Young adults enjoy the sophistication of power parties, especially if the chances are good that business or social connections can be made. Older adults enjoy the quiet company of dinner parties, especially if the conversation is interesting. Seniors enjoy the beehive activity of family parties, especially if they can sit and watch and then leave whenever they want.
Parties are celebrative. Parties are commemorative. Parties are memorable. But mostly parties are just plain fun. However, not all parties are created equal. Some parties strengthen bonds...
Parties are celebrative. Parties are commemorative. Parties are memorable. But mostly parties are just plain fun. However, not all parties are created equal. Some parties strengthen bonds...
God's gracious invitations to people have always ruffled the feathers of those who would rather have picked their own company, especially when it comes to dining. We dine, after all, with our families -- at least once in a while. When we party, we look forward to an evening with friends. We might even resent the people at another table in a restaurant who are not at all like us.
But when God throws a party, all the people we would not necessarily choose will be there, too. It might even happen here and now at the table of the Lord when we receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Sharing the table is a given -- a God-given, actually. It's the consequence of having a God whose love is much larger than ours and whose banquet table is built to match.
...
But when God throws a party, all the people we would not necessarily choose will be there, too. It might even happen here and now at the table of the Lord when we receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.
Sharing the table is a given -- a God-given, actually. It's the consequence of having a God whose love is much larger than ours and whose banquet table is built to match.
...
With Moses absent for a brief time the people begin to doubt. They want a god they can feel and touch. In spite of all that God has done for them, they need more direct contact, something different from the God of lightning, thunder, and high demands they have met at Sinai. Aaron fills the void left by Moses by becoming what some have called "the apostle of the second-best."
At the heart of most sinning is the spirit of ingratitude. After all, those who are truly grateful, who admit that most of what they are and have is not of their own doing, who have something of a spirit of humility about them, are the people who are most unlikely to sin the sin of ingratitude.
In Deuteronomy 8 there is a word of warning given to God's people as they are readied to come to the promised land:
"Beware lest you say in your heart, ÔMy power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth ..."
The writer knows that all selfishness begins with an assumption that we are self-made and self-directed. It begins with forgetting that most of what we have...
In Deuteronomy 8 there is a word of warning given to God's people as they are readied to come to the promised land:
"Beware lest you say in your heart, ÔMy power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth ..."
The writer knows that all selfishness begins with an assumption that we are self-made and self-directed. It begins with forgetting that most of what we have...
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