Matthew 22:1-14 As many of you know, my little sister is getting married this week. You probably also know that I’ve been a guest at a lot of weddings over the past couple of years. Ben and I are in our late 20s, so it is just that season of life for us, and weContinue reading “Disrupting the Lie”
Author Archives: amcaudill27
We Believe Together
Philippians 2:1-13 When I was a teenager, I was asked to stand up for what I believed in. And I mean that literally. During a Christian Education session at my beloved church camp, the chaplains asked us all to stand up or raise our hand. They told us they were going to read aloud theContinue reading “We Believe Together”
The Unfair Kingdom
Matthew 20:1-16 “That’s not fair!” “Well, life’s not fair!” I don’t know about y’all, but that is a very familiar exchange from my childhood, and every year that I’ve been alive has been another opportunity to learn just how unfair life really is. The parable of the generous landowner, as it is known, is aboutContinue reading “The Unfair Kingdom”
Claiming Her Crumbs
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28 “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” “Lord, help me.” “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” When we studied today’s GospelContinue reading “Claiming Her Crumbs”
Lost at Sea
Matthew 14:22-33 Yesterday, some members of our two parishes gathered at Trinity Episcopal Church in Arrington to take part in an ancient mode of prayer. On Trinity’s beautiful campus, set a little apart from their cemetery, is a labyrinth, a circuitous path laid in the ground for the purpose of prayerful walking. Those who haveContinue reading “Lost at Sea”
What God is Like
Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 At some point, likely a very difficult point in your life, you might have heard someone say that “it’s all a part of God’s plan” or “Everything happens for a reason.” You might have even said these things yourself, in a truly well-meaning and kind-hearted way. You would not be alone. There areContinue reading “What God is Like”
Funeral Homily for Edward Meeks Hopkins, Ed.D
One thing that I am sure of, beyond any reasonable doubt, is that I am just one of many of Dr. Ed Hopkins’ students. Ed Hopkins never stopped being an educator, and from what I understand from his twin brother he started teaching in imaginary classrooms from a very young age, with Bill as hisContinue reading “Funeral Homily for Edward Meeks Hopkins, Ed.D”
God’s Harvest in God’s Timing
Matthew 13:24-30,36-43 This past early spring, when we were still waking up to frost on the ground and the rains had not come, I started sowing seeds. In tiny starter pots, I planted tomatoes, and bell peppers, basil and dill and chamomile and zinnias and sunflowers. In each little pot, I planted more seeds thanContinue reading “God’s Harvest in God’s Timing”
God Loves an Underdog
Genesis 25:19-34 One of the great gifts of studying the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel is the lesson that nothing is ever what it seems on the surface. The covenant between God and Abraham is not simply a supposed morally upright man being rewarded for good behavior. The relationship between Isaac and Rebekah is notContinue reading “God Loves an Underdog”
Telling Rebekah’s Story
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 Today in our lessons we take a pause from tests of loyalty and the divisiveness that the way of the cross brings. We have this momentary breath of fresh air, a part of the Hebrew Bible we often breeze right by because it is not particularly contentious or gory or scandalous.Continue reading “Telling Rebekah’s Story”
Mother A Writes 