God’s Unconditional Love
Once again, I stand before you humbled and honored to open God’s word and share it with you. Now may our Creator and the Creator of the universe who holds all things together show us how to apply these scriptures this morning to our daily lives. Please be seated. I learned a few weeks ago that September was creation care month. My first response was I can’t preach this month. What are the new scriptures passages? To my surprise the…
Doubt and Belief
Today, we encounter the final installment of the Bread of Life discourse in John’s Gospel. We see many of those following Jesus leave as they give in to their doubts about his teachings. Those remaining affirm their belief in Jesus, deepening their commitment to follow him.
Holy Flesh
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you, Holy One. Amen. Today we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ordination of Women to the Priesthood in The Episcopal Church. We’ve had a long history of women clergy serving here at St. Benedict’s. The ability of women to live out their full call as Priests in The Episcopal Church was an important step towards the open and inclusive church we have become and…
The 12th Sunday After Pentecost
May I speak in the Name of the Holy, Living, and Undivided Trinity, One God, now and forever, Amen. Good morning! It is a joy to be here with you and to worship here with you today. These Ministry or Liturgy of the Word services have marked a special time in our parish life, and I’m not saying or suggesting that we won’t still have them from time to time going forward, but I think it’s fair to say that…
Bread of Life
In today’s Gospel, we begin John’s Bread of Life discourse and are called to sit with the confusion of those who have gathered as Jesus begins to teach them what it means to be a people of faith, yet realize they are not ready to hear the full message so leaves them and us to wonder what might come next. Asking us to sit with the question, have we come only for the bread or to follow Jesus?
WOE!
Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6 Proper 11/B 7/21/24 By the Rev. Karen Faye Siegfriedt “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! Says the Lord.” (Jer. 23:1) WOE is the operating word in today’s reading from the prophet Jeremiah. Woe is translated from the Hebrew word HOY ( הוֹי). This word expresses dissatisfaction, pain, grief, affliction, wretchedness, calamity, or trouble. Woe can be used as an exclamation of judgment on others or misfortune on oneself. It can be used…
Travel Light
In our text for today, we find Jesus being rejected in his hometown, resulting in the authorization of his disciples to go on to continue their work in his place.
Mustard Seeds
There is so much to love about the parables. They are so on the ground. With the Parable of the Mustard Seed Jesus seems to want us to get the idea about the kingdom of God by using the most relatable elements – like seeds. Certainly, the people listening to him two thousand years ago would have first-hand experiences with yeast and salt and pruning and planting. We modern folks might feel a bit removed from the earthiness of his…