A Sermon for the Third Sunday of Lent Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 63:1-8; I Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9 I don’t suppose it was really a surprise when, on January 12th, the day that a 7.0 earthquake devastated the island nation of Haiti, televangelist Pat Robertson issued a statement that suggested the earthquake was a result of a deal that Haitians had made some 200 years ago with the devil.  This indeed was not a surprise for those of us who keep track of such pronouncements by people like Pat Robertson or the late Jerry Falwell.  They issued a joint statement after Hurricane … Continue reading The Sin of Haiti

A sermon for the First Sunday of Lent, Year C Luke 4:1-13 Welcome to Lent, people of God!  My how the mood has changed!  Last Sunday we heard about Jesus, transfigured on the mountain in bright and shining glory, but this Sunday we hear of Jesus, hungry, alone and being tempted by the Devil.  A newcomer to the community who came last week may wonder if they stumbled into the wrong building this morning.   It’s often the punchline of jokes, some I make myself, how we Episcopalians are among the more affluent faith communities, and we do not deny … Continue reading Walking with Jesus through the shadows of Lent

A Sermon for the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 23A Matthew 22:1-14 There was a death in Blacksburg this week that wasn’t in the paper and didn’t make the news as far as I can tell.  Teddy died.  Some of you will ask, “Who is Teddy?”  Others of you will immediately know the name and know who I’m speaking of.  Still others of you will remember when I preached an entire sermon about Teddy some five years ago now. You see, Teddy was a homeless man who spent most of his days on the streets of Blacksburg.  He was the large … Continue reading A Death in Blacksburg

A Sermon for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 45:1-15 “I will be with you.”  God’s promise to Jacob had not gone unfulfilled.  God had indeed been with Jacob, and now God was with Jacob’s offspring – in this case, Joseph.  But what was going through Joseph’s mind during the encounter in our reading from Genesis this morning. Standing before him are his 10 brothers who betrayed him.  Because of their jealousy, they had faked Joseph’s death and sold him off into slavery, causing their father, Jacob, untold grief, not to mention the years of suffering Joseph endured.  And now, … Continue reading Joseph’s Grief Observed

A sermon for the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost — Genesis 32:22-31 A first-grade Sunday School teacher seated her students in a circle, and asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up.  One by one, each child announced, "I want to be a doctor, like my father," or "I want to be a pilot, like my mother."   All the students in the circle had shared their dreams, when the time came for the most shy and timid boy in the class to speak.  He said, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a lion tamer in … Continue reading Israel’s Limp

A sermon for the ninth Sunday after Pentecost — Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139 Over the past few weeks we have been hearing some of the great stories of our faith, and not just our faith, but that of Jews and Muslims as well.  Often called the stories of the Patriarchs, we certainly haven’t neglected the Matriarchs involved either.  This morning we have heard another quite familiar story from the Hebrew Scriptures, one immortalized in song and imagination – the story of Jacob’s ladder.  Now, the lectionary, or the schedule of scripture lessons we read from week to week, keeps moving … Continue reading Jacob’s Turning Point

A sermon for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Gen 21:8-21; Psalm 86: 1-10; Rom 6:1b-11; Matt 10:24-39) This morning we have a wealth of great texts.  This is not to say that the scripture we hear other mornings is somehow less important or inferior, but there is just so much that “will preach” here.  The calling of Abraham, Paul’s midrash on the calling of Abraham, the Exultate of Psalm 33, and then this gospel lesson of calling and healing – all very rich stuff. I want to mention the text from Genesis primarily because of the weeks ahead of us … Continue reading Jesus Heals Two Daughters

  A sermon for the second Sunday after Pentecost; Matthew 6:24-34 It was one of those images, something about it caught my eye.  While surfing the web I saw an image of a young newly married couple standing in front of a magnificent cathedral.  The caption read, “Wedding Photo Shoot Witnesses Earthquake’s Destruction.”  I clicked on the story and found a series of images documenting the aftermath of the massive earthquake in China’s Cheng Du province. It seems the cathedral was part of an abandoned Roman Catholic monastery, and it had since become a very popular location among local residents … Continue reading God Provides, from the Dirt Up

What’s Love got to do with Obedience? A sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter — John 14:15-21   If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Commandments/Love This juxtaposition of love and commandments repeated in Jesus’ teachings seems less like a paradox than a non sequitur.  It doesn’t follow. Love? / Commandments? Some would say, if Jesus was truly loving he wouldn’t have made so many demands of us – and he certainly would not bring up “commandments” in the same breath as love.  Still others would see these words as an example of Jesus establishing a holiness-code … Continue reading What’s love got to do with…obedience?

April 16 2008 A sermon for remembrance on April 16th, 2008Psalm 23; John 11:17-45 Did you hear the news? When did you hear? Our rector, Scott West, opened his sermon on Easter morning with these words. News travels fast these days, faster than Mary Magdalene or the disciples ever could have imagined on that first resurrection morning. When did you first hear the news on April 16th?  For many of us those will always be moments frozen in time. This was not good news, not the kind of news that was escaping fevered lips on that morning so long ago … Continue reading Good news amidst the bad