Romans 6:1b-11 In the verses just preceding today’s passage, Paul is attempting to explain in clear terms the impact of sin and the overwhelming reality of God’s grace. He says that after the fall, after humanity chose to turn from God and began to experience death as the ultimate consequence of sin, “where sin increased,Continue reading “Grace Abounds”
Author Archives: amcaudill27
Our Commissioning
Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23) Yesterday the Church welcomed the 7th Bishop of Southwestern Virginia, the Right Reverend Karin MacPhail, into the historic episcopate. Of course 7 is an auspicious number, but another number was mentioned several times during the service. Bishop Karin is the one thousand one hundred and seventy eighth bishop in the American apostolic succession.Continue reading “Our Commissioning”
What God Desires
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners. Although by biblical standards it is an exceptionally brief story and it is snuck into the middle of a lot ofContinue reading “What God Desires”
Returning to the beginning
Genesis 1:1-2:4a As I was tending to the overgrown mess my garden has become in the aftermath of all this rain and the months I have not been able to care for it as I usually would, I was thinking about Genesis 1 and 2. As my hands held tender seedlings and robust cuttings, IContinue reading “Returning to the beginning”
The Waiting
Acts 2:1-21 There is a little bit of Bible math that I want to share with you today as we begin unpacking this strange and glorious feast of Pentecost. Pentecost itself means fiftieth in Greek, the name used by Greek-speaking Jews in the ancient world to describe the fiftieth day after the Passover. This feast,Continue reading “The Waiting”
Searching for an Unknown God
Acts 17:22-31 A few years ago, as many of you know, I had the great privilege of embarking on a pilgrimage to follow the footsteps of Paul through Greece and Turkey. As part of that journey, we spent some time in Athens, a city that looms large in history and our imaginations but was inContinue reading “Searching for an Unknown God”
How do we trust?
John 14:1-14 During this past Lent, I was invited to speak at Ben’s parish in Lynchburg for their weekly Lenten program. A committee of St John’s members had come together to discern what the community needed most, and they came out with a program entitled “In Spite of It All: Spirituality For When Life GetsContinue reading “How do we trust?”
Worth Fighting For
John 20:19-31 There is a story, a bit of a parable, that is attributed to the Irish. A man dies, and when he arrives at the gates of heaven, he asks to be let in. St Peter is more than ready to open the gates to him, but first he says “Show me your scars.”Continue reading “Worth Fighting For”
Jesus the Gardener
John 20:1-18 She thought he was the gardener. In her grief and confusion, in her desperation, Mary saw Jesus standing there and mistook him for a stranger, a laborer come to tend the garden where she stood sobbing. I have heard someone speculate that maybe she saw calloused hands with dirt under the fingernails becauseContinue reading “Jesus the Gardener”
Choosing Presence
John 13:1-17, 31b-35 If today was your last day on earth, how would you want to spend it? If you knew, without a doubt, that you were about to die a sudden death, what would you want to do? Most people, most of the time, think of the loved ones they would want to spendContinue reading “Choosing Presence”
