Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28 Jesus begins our narrative this morning by offending a group of Pharisees, after which he doubles down and expands on the message that first triggered controversy. Shortly after, and somehow in an entirely different place, now in Gentile territory, Jesus dismisses a woman who has come to him for aid. WhenContinue reading “Great Was Her Faith”
Category Archives: ordinary time
A Little Faith Is More Than Enough
Matthew 14:22-33 I have in my office an icon of this scene from Matthew’s Gospel. It depicts Peter’s fear, the water up to his waist, Jesus standing on the surface and reaching down to pull him from the waves. In Greek, the words of Peter run along the top of the icon: Lord, save me.Continue reading “A Little Faith Is More Than Enough”
Hold Nothing Back
Matthew 14:13-21 Taken. Blessed. Broken. Given. This is the formula of the Eucharist, the actions that must take place in order to transform simple offerings of bread and wine into something bigger, something deeper and more satisfying. Different denominations define the blessing differently, different churches use different types of bread and wine, we have differentContinue reading “Hold Nothing Back”
Misplaced Flowers
Matthew 13:24-30,36-43 In the television show Call the Midwife, a group of Anglican nuns works beside secular nurse-midwives to provide maternal healthcare to a crowded and impoverished neighborhood in East London. Based on a real convent with real nuns who did this crucial work, the show is punctuated with scenes from the daily life ofContinue reading “Misplaced Flowers”
Chaos Gardening
Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 The parable of the sower, the seeds, and the soil is so perfectly timed for this season when many plants are struggling in the heat, some are bent and bruised from the hard rains that hit one county but not the next, and some are just starting to bear fruit while others areContinue reading “Chaos Gardening”
In the Sight of Infants
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Ben and I were blessed during our travels last week to meet the families of many colleagues and friends, including children from 6 months to 16 years old. The teens were busy as most young people are these days, but the little ones were exceptionally hospitable hosts to us. Our friend’s sixContinue reading “In the Sight of Infants”
Grace Abounds
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”
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”
Happy New Year
Luke 23:33-43 I was reminded by a mentor from my fellowship this week that today is the New Year’s Eve of the church calendar, a threshold between the year behind us and the new year ahead of us. This is the last Sunday of Year C, and next week on Advent 1 we begin theContinue reading “Happy New Year”
Mother A Writes 