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Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 17 (Year C)

Luke 14.1, 7-14

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 18:25)

 

What would Miss Manners or Emily Post say? Probably that the whole situation could have been avoided if the host had simply used place cards. Of course, 2,000 years ago, place cards at dinner parties were not a thing.

 

Jesus is at a dinner party hosted by a leader of the Pharisees. Which, in some ways, seems strange in and of itself. After all, the Pharisees spend a lot of time criticizing Jesus and his message. And Jesus spends a lot of time condemning the actions of the Pharisees and the temple authorities. And yet, this particular leader of the Pharisees invited Jesus to dinner. And yet, Jesus accepted.

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Active Faith

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 14 (Year C)

Genesis 15.1-6; Hebrews 11.1-3, 8-16; Luke 12.32-40

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 5:40)

 

What is faith? What does it mean to be a person of faith? What does it mean to live a life of faith? These are the fundamental questions we continually seek to answer every time we gather together as a worshiping community—what we sometimes refer to as a “community of faith.” And while we touch on these all-important questions every Sunday (or at least we try to), while we explore various aspects of the life of faith every Sunday (or at least we try to), it occurs to me that we don’t spend a lot of time talking about the broad, overarching questions I just posed. Perhaps because we take it for granted that we all know what we mean by “faith.” What we mean by “person of faith.” What we mean by “life of faith.”

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