Sermons (Page 58)
Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost
In our text today, we see that political debates haven’t changed much. Taxes have long been a hot button issue and seemingly innocent questions hold hidden agendas. Today, we find Jesus not on a debate stage, but he does find himself in a type of debate with two groups of religious leaders. The Pharisees and Herodians both feel threatened by the large crowds following Jesus, and so they team up to entrap him with a question about paying taxes to the emperor…
Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost
This parable is hard to digest. If you are like me you find yourself cringing at every turn of what should have been a straightforward wedding party. It’s important to remember that this parable is actually a response to a question. Jesus is responding to religious leaders who had asked him, “By what authority do you do these things.” By “these things” they are referring to the clearing of the money changers in the temple, as well as the healing sick and stigmatized individuals at the temple…
The Feast of St. Francis
At first glance, today’s gospel reading seems insensitive to the realities of 2020. After all, we’re living in the midst of a pandemic that has led to record unemployment, surging deaths, economic uncertainty, and an anticipated doubling of worldwide food insecurity. In the midst of all of that going on, we heard Jesus say, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Actually, Jesus, at this point, “no.” We are in survival mode. With the travel industry and many others facing mass layoffs and furloughs, we know that food and drink matter. With countless leaders of the United States and even our president testing positive for COVID, we know the importance of the breath of life. And, with that virus potentially looming with every breath, we know that the clothing on our faces known as masks do matter…