Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - A
Wayne Brouwer
Psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, often wrote about the meaninglessness of his patients' lives.
He was able to sympathize with them in a powerful way, since he spent part of World
War II in a concentration camp. He remembered the dark weeks of 1944 vividly: the
numbness of the gray days, the cold sameness of every dreary morning.
Suddenly, like a bolt of bright colors, came the stunning whisper that the Allies had landed at Normandy. The push was on. The Germans were running. The tide of the war had turned. "By Christmas we'll be released!" they told each other.
Suddenly, like a bolt of bright colors, came the stunning whisper that the Allies had landed at Normandy. The push was on. The Germans were running. The tide of the war had turned. "By Christmas we'll be released!" they told each other.
A few years back, the religious media was filled with reports of "holy laughter." Some charismatic churches saw what proponents called a new manifestation of the Holy Spirit, as their members were seized by fits of uncontrollable laughing. Advocates insisted that this was an indication that God was doing a new thing among believers. Critics countered that this new thing was a manifestation of the wrong sort of spirit, and brought about by New Age doctrine and mind control techniques. Outsiders looked at the whole controversy as yet another dumb thing fundamentalists do.
Whatever it was, it was nothing knew. "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me," said Sarah (Genesis 21:6). Laughter is a gift from God, and comes naturally when there is...
Whatever it was, it was nothing knew. "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me," said Sarah (Genesis 21:6). Laughter is a gift from God, and comes naturally when there is...
Mark Ellingsen
All the lessons proclaim collectively God’s promise on which he always delivers. But the texts also remind us what our response looks like.
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
In the First Lesson from the Bible’s book of origins (the reason why we name it Genesis), the product of four distinct oral strands, we read the story of the Lord’s visit to Abraham and Sarah. Given the account’s use of Yahweh as designation for God it is likely that this account is the product of the J strand, the oldest of the four oral traditions.
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
In the First Lesson from the Bible’s book of origins (the reason why we name it Genesis), the product of four distinct oral strands, we read the story of the Lord’s visit to Abraham and Sarah. Given the account’s use of Yahweh as designation for God it is likely that this account is the product of the J strand, the oldest of the four oral traditions.
Sandra Herrmann
Here is the good news: God loves us. God loves us in spite of everything we have done to push God away. God loves us when we’re throwing a tantrum, being mean to our brothers and sisters, shouting at the top of our lungs. God loves us even when God is angry at our behavior. God is good to us when we are doing things we know are wrong. God loves us so much, even in the midst of our sins, that God took on our humanity and set us free from our enslavement to putting ourselves as the center of the creation, demanding that we get everything we want, right this minute.
Frank Ramirez
Our lives are filled with a combination of physical, emotional, and spiritual landmarks. Some landmarks are recognizable and guide us on to the next step. Other landmarks are only recognizable in retrospect.
This week’s scripture passages include spiritual landmarks for three individuals engaged in either a literal or spiritual journey -- Abraham, Paul, and Jesus. Because of who they are, their landmarks are important benchmarks for our journeys as well.
Abraham’s landmark is the oak at Mamre, where a seminal event occurred -- a meeting with the divine. But perhaps the real landmark is the opportunity for hospitality. Hospitality is the portal through which all that was promised by God begins to be fulfilled.
The apostle Paul might have been writing a...
This week’s scripture passages include spiritual landmarks for three individuals engaged in either a literal or spiritual journey -- Abraham, Paul, and Jesus. Because of who they are, their landmarks are important benchmarks for our journeys as well.
Abraham’s landmark is the oak at Mamre, where a seminal event occurred -- a meeting with the divine. But perhaps the real landmark is the opportunity for hospitality. Hospitality is the portal through which all that was promised by God begins to be fulfilled.
The apostle Paul might have been writing a...
The events of September 11, 2001, still have folks acting in disturbing ways. Where once we were oblivious to the foreigner among us, we now look at these same persons with suspicion and fear. Xenophobia, once thought to be a relic of the 1920s and 1930s, is making a comeback. We are in danger of replacing the global village with tribal fortresses, basing membership in the tribe not on national loyalties, but on national origin.
Other-ness is becoming a threat to be guarded against rather than a difference to be celebrated. In all of this where is the church? Where are the voices of those who worship the One who has broken down the dividing walls of hostility? Why do we no longer hear the children sing, "Red and yellow, black, brown, white; all are precious in God's sight"? Why...
Other-ness is becoming a threat to be guarded against rather than a difference to be celebrated. In all of this where is the church? Where are the voices of those who worship the One who has broken down the dividing walls of hostility? Why do we no longer hear the children sing, "Red and yellow, black, brown, white; all are precious in God's sight"? Why...
In our society, full as it is of rugged individualists, we tend to highlight the superstars of any field rather than give credit to the team or to the community. Indeed, Robert Bellah's well-known book of 1985, Habits of the Heart, indicates that as Americans we are so possessed with the language of individualism (self-awareness, self-analysis, self-determination, and so on) that we scarcely own a vocabulary that focuses our attention on commitment to community.
Our first lesson, on the other hand, focuses on the role God gives to the community of Israel encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai. Our Gospel tells of Jesus' commissioning of the twelve apostles, not as individuals (even though they are named) but as the new community called the church. The privilege and the...
Our first lesson, on the other hand, focuses on the role God gives to the community of Israel encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai. Our Gospel tells of Jesus' commissioning of the twelve apostles, not as individuals (even though they are named) but as the new community called the church. The privilege and the...
Lewis Carroll's Alice bragged that she could believe in impossibles; why, she could believe in six impossible things before breakfast. Her profession did not make her a candidate to be a heroine of faith, but it might have made her worthy to be mentioned in the presence of this Sunday's readings.
The strange world of the Bible often calls us to suspend disbelief; to be upset by realities that differ from our own; to be knocked off balance by stories of miracle healings. But our practice at such suspension sometimes gets pushed very far. Not so much in the wonder stories like the stilling of tempests. We are hit hardest when it comes to the demands made on people to produce faith and hope and respect for the promises of God.
The strange world of the Bible often calls us to suspend disbelief; to be upset by realities that differ from our own; to be knocked off balance by stories of miracle healings. But our practice at such suspension sometimes gets pushed very far. Not so much in the wonder stories like the stilling of tempests. We are hit hardest when it comes to the demands made on people to produce faith and hope and respect for the promises of God.
Lectionary Commentary and Sermon Illustrations
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For each week, Emphasis writers delve into the heart of the lectionary readings, providing you with several fresh, solid ideas -- based squarely on the lectionary texts -- for creating sermons that speak powerfully to your audience. They look for overall themes that hold the readings together. Then, they zero in on the themes and the specific scripture links, suggesting directions for the sermon and worship service. Since a single idea each week may not provide what you are looking for at that particular time, writers suggest several, giving you the opportunity to select the one that matches your specific needs.
