Well, my brothers and sisters, today is my last day with you as your seminarian. As such, this is my last sermon at Holy Cross. And, while there are several good readings to choose from on this occasion, I would be remiss if I left this place without having preached on the book of Revelation. […]
What is it that we humans love more than anything? Bling! I love bling. I think most of us do, even if some do not admit it. We love shiny things, things that sparkle and spark our imagination. Gold and glitter, silver bells, when we celebrate, we decorate with brightness, and color, and bling. We […]
There was a battle raging in the wilderness, but now it has come to the city. And not just any city, but Jerusalem: yeru-shalayim, the City of Peace. If you can remember back to the first Sunday in Lent, all the way back to the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, then you might recall […]
I have heard it said that once you leave home you can never go back. Apparently, my adult children didn’t get the memo! I believe this adage is partly true. You can never go back home without things being different. The act of separating out often triggers clarity as to what issues we own and […]
In looking at the Gospel it begged the question. How smart was Jesus? How intuitive was he? Did the divine in Him know the thoughts and intentions of others? How smart was he? I mean he had the basic education any carpenter would receive. He did not attend a university as many of us have—was […]
There is a battle raging in the wilderness. The temptation of Jesus in our Gospel reading this morning is not merely an assessment of Jesus’ self-control or his spiritual discipline; it is, in fact, the beginning of a war for the allegiance of humankind. The battle raging in the wilderness is between two kingdoms: the […]
Focus: In Christ, we find a new identity, our true identity. We must be ready to see with Christian eyes and love with Christian hearts. We must be ready to participate in what Jesus Christ is doing in the world—to live out the Christian drama. This may require us to let go of, and even […]
Imagine this scene if you will. You are on a city bus, its hot, you’re tired and you’ve had a tough day. A young man across the aisle is slumped in his seat, not paying attention to his two young children arguing loudly and running up and down the aisles. What is your first reaction? […]
All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. I was reminded of these words from Julian of Norwich when I read the Gospel. Julian is a Christian Mystic and theologian. She wrote Revelations of Divine Love after falling ill in 1373 at age 30, and having […]
From now on you will be catching people. Now, I was very excited to preach when I first saw our readings for this week: the calling of Jesus’ first disciples, the call of the prophet Isaiah, and Paul’s summary of the Gospel message to the Corinthians! I thought, “Here it is! This is my chance […]