Sermons on Social Justice
It’s All About Power!
Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Luke 23:33-43 It’s all about power! Who has it! What it looks like! And how it is executed! On this Feast Day of Christ the King, power is the subject of today’s sermon. On October 31, 1922, Benito Mussolini and his Black Shirts marched into Rome. Mussolini was a fascist, meaning someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others, and is willing to use violence…
WE ARE THE 99
Homer Simpson says “Beer, the cause and solution to all our problems.” I’d like to modify that to say humankind may be the cause of many of our problems, and we are also the solution.
THE WAY OF BENEDICT
There are many legendary stories about St. Benedict of Nursia, and one of my favorites is the one about an encounter between Benedict and twin sister Scholastica one stormy night. As the story goes … (Tell the story) As I mentioned, there are many legendary stories about the life of Benedict, a man who developed a monastic Rule of Life that has endured for over fifteen hundred years and has been a primary source of inspiration for western monasticism since…
Baptism
The opening remarks of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry at the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, on June 25, 2021. These remarks have been lightly edited for clarity. “Toward Truth and Reconciliation” Let me start with a scripture that you know well; it comes from Galatians, Paul, who wrote and I quote: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free,…
Disagreeing is also Love
Yesterday I spoke at a rally in San Luis Obispo protesting the probable end of Roe v Wade. This is some of what I said, “In the ancient stories we hear that God gave humanity free will. God gave us the power to choose, and God rejoices when we use that power for the highest good of all beings. God also gives us consciences and it is in the interplay of conscience and freewill that God gives each one of…
Holy Living
Are the beatitudes in Luke still relevant? If Jesus were teaching us today would he leave any out? or add anything? I suggest that he would focus more on social justice and creation care.
Disciple, Apostle, Prophet
What is your calling? Are you called to be a prophet like Isaiah, a disciple like Simon, James and John, or an apostle like Paul? I think we are called ot be all three – to learn form Jesus, to share God’s grace with others and to be active in working for social and racial justice.
Hold the Vision
Ephesians 2:11-22Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Today we see two different pictures of the followers of Jesus. In the Gospel we heard how the apostles gathered around Jesus and told him how their mission trips had gone. You may remember that a couple of weeks ago we heard Jesus sending them out two by two without any extra provisions or clothing. Now they’re back, excited about their experiences. This is very immediate and personal, and then all the people are rushing about…
Rushing past the margins
In 1973 researchers conducted an interesting experiment. They asked a group of seminary students to go from one building to another to complete a task. Some of them were told they would be preparing a talk on the Good Samaritan, others that they were to prepare a talk on seminary jobs. Some were told they were late, others that they had plenty of time. On the way between the two buildings, the students passed a man sitting slumped in an…
Question Authority
Mark 1:21-28 Remember the bumper sticker that was popular for a while – “question authority”? The founding of this nation comes out of rebellion, out of questioning the authority of the British and the French and it is a strong strand in our collective psyche. Here in Los Osos we questioned the authority of the Regional Quality Water Board for decades, and even St. Ben’s once challenged the authority of the diocese. So questioning authority is nothing new to us.…