Sermons by Rev. Jason S. Glombicki (Page 31)

Well, that was some gospel reading. Good thing we all have no place to go right now, and, frankly, you all could have walked away if Dr. Jordan being Jesus was more than you could handle. But, really, sharing that story with you via Livestream is probably one of the better ways to experience the story in the 21st century…

Every Ash Wednesday, we hear the same readings. While they’ve become familiar to me, this year, the readings from Isaiah and Matthew struck me more than ever before. You see, earlier today, Vicar Paisley and I stood outside in the cold and snow smearing ashes on people’s foreheads at the Damen blue line stop while others watched. Tonight, we gathered and heard Jesus say, “Beware of practicing your piety before others…” Well, crap. What were we doing out there? Should you all really come forward in a few moments to have ashes placed on your forehead? And, who picked this darn reading for tonight anyway?

Today’s gospel reading picks right up where we left off last week. And, we’re about a third of the way through Jesus’s famous “sermon on the mount.” And it’s so very important to remember the context; otherwise, we’ll miss the meaning or come to believe in alternative facts. So, we’re going to do three things: first, dig into the context; second, dive into the examples; and third, find out what this all means for us…