Winnowing

Second Sunday of Advent (Year A)

Matthew 3.1-12

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Today we are introduced to John the Baptist—the poster child for Advent. Generally viewed as one, if not the, key image of the Advent season, namely because of his message to “prepare the way of the Lord,” which is, after all, what Advent is all about. Preparing the way of the Lord, preparing for Christ’s coming, be it at his birth in Bethlehem on Christmas or at the end of the ages with his Second Coming. John’s message applies equally to both.

 

Before we get to John’s central message, a bit about John himself. He is, as my mother would say, “a bit of an odd duck.” In more ways than one. We are told that he “wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” We also know that he hung out in the wilderness of Judea, in the region of the River Jordan. This paints an image of him, as is often depicted in artwork, as a sort of eccentric, scraggily, wild man living alone in the desert issuing his prophetic messages. To our modern-day sensibilities, it would be easy to dismiss someone like this as being just not quite right somehow. Raising the question: prophetic or delusional, if not downright crazy? The type that most of us would go out of our way to avoid. And yet, it is this same image of John that would have been very compelling to the people of first century Judea. The description of John—his physical appearance, his demeaner, his choice of habitation—would have all come together to create a completely different image of who John was. To the point that they sought him out.

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Invited into Hope

First Sunday of Advent (Year A)

Isaiah 2.1-5; Romans 13.11-14; Matthew 24.36-44

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Happy New Year!

 

Yes, today we begin a new liturgical year and a new liturgical season: Advent. The term Advent derived from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” The four-week season in which we anticipate and prepare for the coming of the Christ Child on Christmas.

 

Although, as we look at our readings for this, the First Sunday of Advent, there is nothing that even remotely points to the birth of Jesus, of God incarnate, of God in the flesh. Instead, in our Old Testament reading we get a lovely vision of a future Jerusalem and of universal peace. In our Epistle reading, we get a stern warning of the need to “wake from sleep” to prepare for some sort of battle, to “put on the armor of light.” And in our Gospel reading, we get even more and urgent warnings about the need to “keep awake” because we do not know when the Son of Man will come, and failure to be vigilant could result in our being left behind when he does come. All of these readings pointing not to the birth of the Christ Child, but rather to what is sometimes referred to as “the end times,” to the Parousia, to the Second Coming of Christ.

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No Kings . . . Except One

Christ the King (Proper 29C)

Jeremiah 23.1-6; Colossians 1.11-20; Luke 23.33-43

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. For those who are more politically engaged, the irony will not be lost that we celebrate this day at a time which has seen not one but two public calls for protest and action in what have been termed “No Kings” days—one in June and one in October. Protests against the increasing tyrannical actions of our current administration in Washington, DC. While organized as protests against an American president, these actions were actually international in nature, with protests occurring around the world—although, depending on the form of government in those places, the protests carried such names as No Tyrants Day or No Dictators Day.

 

Truth be told, the celebration of Christ the King Sunday on the veritable heels of international protests against kings, dictators, and tyrants is coincidental, although in keeping with the original intent of this celebration. Christ the King Sunday was established precisely because of concerns on the part of the Roman Catholic Church regarding the rise of nationalistic political movements and all that goes with them. Although, while still relevant today, those original concerns leading to the establishment of Christ the King Sunday were not raised recently, but rather 100 years ago.

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Toward New Heavens and a New Earth

Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 28C)

Isaiah 65.17-25; Luke 21.5-19

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

On any given Sunday, the scripture readings—especially the Old Testament and the Gospel readings—are generally in alignment thematically. The framers of our lectionary—the list of assigned readings for the day—have purposefully selected Old Testament passages that, to some extent, exemplify or enhance the Gospel reading. Or vice versa. But that certainly does not seem to be the case today. As we near the end of our liturgical year, both our Old Testament and Gospel readings point to visions of what is to come: to an “end time,” to an end of the present reality documented by Isaiah and by Luke. And yet, the entire theme of this metaphorical “end times” as it were—what that “end time” will look like—is thrown into a tailspin.

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Inheritance

All Saints’ Sunday

Ephesians 1.11-23; Luke 6.20-31

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

For a society and a people that seem to spend a fair amount of time denying our mortality, not wanting to think about the one event that we are all certain to experience—our own death—it is interesting that we devote not one but three days to remembering the dead. These three days are, of course, Halloween, All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2), in which we remember and celebrate all those who have gone before, including saints, martyrs, and all faithful departed believers. While secular society focuses primarily on Halloween, a time of reveling in and even poking fun at the more gruesome and normally terrifying aspects of death, the Church primarily focuses on All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day (also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed). On All Saints’ Day, we remember those whom we typically think of as saints, those who have been canonized, or specifically declared a saint, by the Church. These include the likes of our patron St. Gregory the Great, and other big names such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Patrick, the Blessed Virgin Mary, etc. On All Souls Day, we remember all the faithful departed—all the “ordinary” folks who have died. We remember our own loved ones who have entered into eternal life.

 

Some churches, including our own, combine All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day into one commemoration, remembering all the saints who have gone before—famous and ordinary, known and unknown. After all, in the truest sense, a saint is any faithful person—that is, all believers. In more recent times, the celebration of all these saints, both famous and ordinary, occurs on the Sunday immediately after All Saints’ Day, and is known as All Saints’ Sunday. Which brings us to today. So just why do we spend all this time and energy focusing on the saints who have gone before?

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Embodying Prayers for Justice

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24C)

Luke 18.1-8

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

In our society, we love stories about an underdog. One who, on the surface, has little to no possibility of winning in whatever situation they find themselves. And the more the odds are stacked against them, usually because of unjust or corrupt systems, the more we root for the underdog. Perhaps because we see something of ourselves in that particular person or the situation they are confronting. The underdog fighting the good fight and ultimately prevailing against all odds is a common theme in many books, movies, plays, television shows, and video games. A motif that continues to draw us in, because we can all relate in some way or another. And since, in most portrayals produced for mass consumption, the underdog does eventually prevail, we derive not only entertainment from the story, but also a sense of hope that, if the protagonist can prevail, so can we.

 

This motif is not new to our time or our society. Just because they did not have movies and video games in first century Palestine did not mean this theme of the underdog was not popular then, as well. We see an example of this in the parable Jesus tells in today’s Gospel reading. The parable of the widow and the unjust judge. Perhaps the first century version of such stories as Norma Rae and Erin Brokovich.

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Us and Them

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23C)

Jeremiah 29.1, 4-7; Luke 17.11-19

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

We are all too familiar with the phenomenon of “us vs them”. Dividing ourselves into groups based on perceived differences in attributes has undoubtedly been a “thing” for nearly as long as the human species has existed. Archaeological evidence indicates that such distinctions were likely at play at last as far back as the time when both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals shared our planet. We know these two species encountered each other and interbred. And yet, over time, Homo sapiens (us) thrived and survived while Neanderthals (them) did not. Most likely due to ongoing inter-species conflicts.

 

However, the eventual dying off of “them,” of Neanderthals, did not mean the end of “us vs them” thinking, of “us vs them” conflicts. In the intervening 40,000 years, the “us” that is Homo sapiens, the only remaining species of human beings, found new and innovative ways to categorize ourselves as “us” and “them.” Be it based on physical attributes, such as skin color or area of origin, or be it ideological, such as politics or religion. Look at our recorded history and you see that there was always an “us” and a “them.” Sometimes living together somewhat amicably, but more often than not, at conflict to one degree or another. If nothing else because one group had greater power and oppressed the other. Certainly, all the major conflicts throughout history have been based on an “us vs them” perspective that was rooted in physical or ideological differences, if not both. Even in the history of our own nation—a nation ostensibly built on the idea, the dream, of equality for all. And we see it played out with increasing vitriol in our own time: the “us vs them” of race, the “us vs them” of immigration status, the “us vs them” of gender identity, the “us vs them” of sexual orientation, the “us vs them” of political affiliation, the “us vs them” of religion.

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Increase Our Faith!

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22C)

Luke 17.5-10

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

“Increase our faith!” Strange words out of the mouths of Jesus’ disciples—out of the mouths of men who had at least enough faith in him and in their God that they were willing to give up their jobs and to devote three years of their lives following Jesus around the countryside proclaiming God’s love. How much more faith do you need?

 

Although, I suppose that is part of our nature. To always want more. To always want to do better. And no matter how good we are, it never seems enough. We are, after all, our own worse critics. Thinking we still are not where we should be. This applies to all areas of our lives. To our relationships—am I loving and caring enough? To our jobs—am I good enough, productive enough? To our physical well-being—am I healthy enough, fit enough? To our intellect—am I smart enough, well rounded enough? And yes, even to our spiritual life—am I faithful enough, do I love God enough, am I serving God enough?

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The Life That Really is Life

Sunday, September 28, 2025

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21C)

1 Timothy 6.6-19; Luke 16.19-31

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

There is something a bit off with today’s Gospel reading. Well, not with the reading itself, but with how it is sometimes interpreted. What Jesus says is spot on, of course. But even in what he says, we often focus on the wrong thing. His basic message is clear. What he asks of us is clear. How we get there—the mental process, the motivation—for choosing to do as he asks, is another matter.

 

At its core, this story is about money. Or rather, how we use our money. One of the common, if not central, themes in Luke’s Gospel is economic generosity and fairness. The disparity between rich and poor—something we hear so much about even in our own day. And particularly, in the parlance of our own day, how the “haves” are called to help the “have nots.” Today’s Gospel passage is in a long line of those that deal with this very subject. Presenting a morality tale that is intended to focus our attention on this pressing issue. One that was pressing in Jesus’ time and continues to be pressing—increasingly so—in our own day.

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Indebted

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 20C)

Luke 16.1-13

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

I don’t know about you, but I get whiplash trying to follow today’s Gospel.

 

So, to recap . . . a guy is being fired because of cheating his boss. After being given notice by his boss, he further cheats his soon-to-be ex-boss by going to his boss’ debtors and reducing the amounts they owe. When the boss finds out about this, he actually commends the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. And then, in the wrap up of the parable, Jesus effectively says, “go and do likewise.” His exact quote is “the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.” So, if I am understanding this correctly, when Jesus says elsewhere, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Mt 6.20), he is actually saying you should get those treasures by whatever means necessary, including by hook or by crook?

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