Sermons by Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall (Page 22)
Life in Death
Today’s parable comes from the final section of teaching material in Matthew’s gospel. It’s in a section that, had he used subtitles, Matthew might have called “Authority.” Jesus is already in Jerusalem, his triumphal entry on the donkey just happened and the religious leaders are doing everything they can to trap him and to diminish his authority in the sight of the people. It’s a plan that’s not going so well. So Jesus tells a very pointed story. The owner…
Wilderness
Today I’m going to break one of my own rules of preaching and start a sermon with a joke. So here it is: a boastful preacher, perhaps a Baptist but perhaps a Dominican since the Dominicans are a Catholic order who pride themselves in their preaching, anyway, a boastful preacher told his friends that give him any subject, any subject and he could come up with a biblical text and preach a full sermon, with no preparation. So of course,…
This land belongs to…
This land is your land, this land is our land; this land was made for you and me. When Woodie Guthry wrote this iconic song in 1944 it had a different slant. There were two verses that don’t appear in this version. In one, Guthrie challenges private property ; There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me; Sign was painted, it said private property; But on the back side it didn’t say nothing; This land was…
Forests
Today we start our annual celebration of Creation. From today through the first Sunday in October we will be focusing on God’s work and God’s presence in the created world. If I were to ask you what is the biggest living creature, some of you would say the blue whale, and some would debate what actually we mean by living. But I doubt that many of us would immediately say Pando. Pando is a forest, but all of its 47,000…
Living Sacrifice
When Paul wrote to the churches he had founded, he typically spent part of the letter talking about theology and then turned to its practical application. In this morning’s reading from Romans we heard the beginning of his practical section. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…
White Privilege
This morning I want to talk about white privilege. White privilege is a short phrase which encapsulates an enormous amount of social meaning. So let’s unpack it briefly. Privilege is anything that you have and take for granted that others don’t have. This may include finance, education, access to legal help, being able to vote, having a voice, being respected, being valued, freedom to move and to develop a career. If you are enjoying privilege, as we all are to…
Love in the Kindom
There is a similar focus in the Old Testament when God persistently calls those who are younger or in some way less important to lead the people. Israel itself was a small nation in comparison with its neighbors. St Benedict’s is a small church. The reign of God is here. The reign of God is very small; it is the mustard seed as well as the zillions of mustard plants that grow from that seed. It is also hidden. We…
Abundance in a world of scarcity
The parable of the sower is so familiar to us and yet also so problematic. Not only does Matthew tell us what the parable means, thus leaving little to our imaginations but he divides us, the ground upon which the seed lands, into the good, the bad and the ugly. Today I am continuing the sermon series on Slow Church. To be a Slow Church is to be a local manifestation of Christ, alert both to the diversity of gifts…
Time to Update!
Genesis 22:1-14 Psalm 13 Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42 Why did God tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? The traditional way to read this story that God wanted to test Abraham’s faith, to see if he was really willing to sacrifice his son to God… Does that sound like the God that Jesus talked about? Does that sound like the God who is love? Not so much. Many contemporary scholars read it rather differently. They see this story as a pivotal point…
Losing in Christ
Genesis 21:8-21 Romans 6:1b-11 Matthew 10:24-39 I am very grateful to have colleagues with whom to share the sometimes daunting privilege of preaching. When I looked at this morning’s readings, I wished that one of them had offered to preach today! These are tough readings. Our Old Testament readings this summer follow the saga of Abraham and Sarah, the great ancestors of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Today we heard the disturbing story of Hagar and Ishmael. Although God had promised…