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Sixth Sunday of Pentecost, 9 July 2023: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Psalm 45: 11-18 or Song of Solomon 2:8-13; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am…

5th Sunday of Pentecost, Proper 8: Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13; Romans 6:12-23;Matthew 10:40-42 Everytime the story of the binding of Isaac comes up in the lectionary, I get upset. It is a story of child abuse: the fact that Isaac in the end is not sacrificed does not make up for the terror he experienced.…

4th Sunday of Pentecost, Proper 7, June 25,2023: Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39 In the flurry of book banning in the last year or so, an atheist requested that a library remove the Bible from the school library, because of its depiction of sex and violence. It was clearly a mischievous…

3 Pentecost, Proper 6: Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7); Psalm 116:1, 10-17; Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8 Abraham is hanging out at the entrance to his tent. It’s hot, he’s not doing much. Three men appear, and he bows to them: he knows they are important. He invites them to rest under the tree with some refreshments, and…

6th Sunday of Easter, May 14,2023: Acts 17:22-31; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21; Psalm 66:7-18 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” My first response to reading this was that this is a transactional relationship, not one of love. It continues, assuming that you do these things, then God will do these things…

Fifth Sunday of Easter: Acts 7:55-60; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 “Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe.” The psalmist is concerned about shelter and safety, the things we hope for in the places we live. The psalmist wants a refuge to protect him. The castles that I have…

Second Sunday of Easter, April 16, 2023: Acts 2:14a,22-32; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31; Psalm 16 As someone who has lived their life in the northern hemisphere, Easter has always coincided with spring. The celebration of Easter, from the Alleluias and trumpets to the extravagance of flowers, has always been joyful and exuberant. But the…

Sunday of the Passion/ Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023. The Liturgy of the Palms: Matthew 21:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; The Liturgy of the Word: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 27:11-54; Psalm 31:9-16 Today takes us from the highs of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (but on a donkey, so don’t get too excited) to the lows…

Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 26, 2023: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45; Psalm 130 The Lord instructs Ezekiel to tell the bones, “I will cause the breath to enter you, and you shall live”. Today’s passage from Ezekiel makes the process of bringing bones to life very graphic. There’s nothing abstract: first the bones…

Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 19, 2023: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41; Psalm 23 Today’s readings all circle around what we see, and how we understand what we see. We are repeatedly reminded that, in the words of 1 Samuel, “the Lord does not see as mortals see”. “Who sinned, this man or…