Focusing on the Essentials

21^st Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 25 (Year A)

1 Thessalonians 2.1-8; Matthew 22.34-46

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

In today’s Gospel reading, we see the temple authorities spinning out of control, yet again. Last week we heard the Pharisees try to trap Jesus over the issue if one should pay taxes to the empire. Jesus managed to side-step that issue in a way that showed that such secular responsibilities are not antithetical to one’s faith.

Then, in a passage that was not included in the lectionary this year, the Sadducees try to trap Jesus in a discussion regarding resurrection. It is alluded to at the beginning of today’s Gospel, and I think it’s worth taking a brief look at, since it is part of a larger pattern in this part of Matthew’s Gospel.

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Whose Image Do You Bear?

20^th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 24 (Year A)

1 Thessalonians 1.1-10; Matthew 22.15-22

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Fasten your seatbelts! Jesus is getting political!

To be completely transparent, the Bible is inherently political. Not political as we tend to think about it – as in the art and process of governing. But political in the sense of relating to views about social relationships that involve power or authority. From the Greek polítēs, meaning citizen. Because frankly, we humans are political beings. Whenever there is relationship between humans, at some point the issue of power and authority, in whatever form that takes, will arise. Your workplace relationships. There are differences in power and authority. Your friendships, maybe not so much. Except when disagreements arise and then one or the other attempts to exercise authority. Your family relationships. Parents have authority over the children. And I’m not even going to touch the issue of authority in spousal relationships.

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Journey to Generosity

17^th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 21 (Year A)

Exodus 17.1-7; Philippians 2.1-13; Matthew 21.23-32

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

This being the first Sunday in October, that can only mean one thing. It’s time to begin our annual parish stewardship campaign. By now you should have all received, and hopefully read and pondered, my stewardship letter, in which I introduced the theme for this year’s campaign: “Journey to Generosity.” In which I shared some of my own experience of what this ongoing journey has been like for me. And hopefully, which prompted you to begin to think about your own Journey to Generosity.

Today’s Scripture readings each provide a key piece of the picture that ultimately leads us to a fuller understanding and appreciation of what this Journey to Generosity is about. An understanding that is based not just on the usual expressions of why we do our annual pledge campaign – that we need money to pay our staff, to maintain our facilities, to provide for our parish programs, to fund our various ministries in our community. Yes, these are all important. They are all true. Our readings for today provide a scriptural – even a spiritual – justification for why we will spend the next seven weeks focusing on stewardship in general, and pledging in particular. Each of our readings contain threads that when woven together reveal a beautiful tapestry of why we truly commit to giving financially to this parish.

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Loving Our Neighbors As Ourselves

14^th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 18 (Year A)

Romans 13.8-14; Matthew 18.15-20

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

  

The words of today’s Gospel reading are not quite what you would ordinarily expect out of Jesus’ mouth. Rather than his usual message of love and mercy, Jesus lays out what amounts to a disciplinary procedure for the church – a way of dealing with a member of the church who is problematic, who has gone astray, who has sinned against another member of the church or the church itself. This procedure contains a number of potential steps, starting with one-on-one discussion. If that doesn’t work, additional witnesses may be brought in. If that doesn’t work, the proceedings elevate to what amounts to a trial before the entire church. And if that doesn’t work, the offender is to be banished from the church. Seems kind of harsh. What happened to love and mercy?

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Get Behind Me

13^th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 17 (Year A)

Romans 12.9-21; Matthew 16.21-28

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Poor Peter! How the mighty have fallen! One minute Jesus is telling him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! . . . And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (Mt 16.17-18). Where he is being praised for having great insight in answering Jesus’ question, “But who do you say that I am,” to which Peter correctly responds, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16.16). Praised to the point of being given an exalted position in God’s Kingdom, of being the one who will, because of his great faith and insight, be the foundation of the Church and a model for all who follow Jesus. And the next minute, Jesus is telling Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” (Mt 16.23a).

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"Who Do YOU Say That I Am?"

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 16

Romans 12.1-8; Matthew 16.13-20

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Jesus asks, “Who do people say that I am?” (Mt 16.13). This question isn’t just directed to the disciples. It is really directed to all who would follow Jesus. There are as many answers to Jesus’ question as there are individuals who might offer a response. Some say Jesus is a prophet, a great teacher, a moral leader, a healer. After all, the Gospel accounts of Jesus, his words and his actions, certainly support each of these qualities. And all would be right. To a point. Because of these qualities – qualities shared by various prophets of old – Jesus is assumed by some to be John the Baptist or one of the other great prophets.

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"Things will work out; they always do"

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 14 (Year A)
Romans 10.5-15; Matthew 14.22-33
St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

My mother is a great listener. Whenever I have a problem or am having a difficult time, I know I can always talk to her about it. Sometimes it’s to seek her advice, but more often than not, it’s just to have a sympathetic ear. Most of the things I kvetch about to Mom are things that she can’t do anything about or advise me on. But just knowing that she is there and willing to listen is enough to make me feel better. Even if it doesn’t actually solve the problem. But for as long as I can remember, there is one thing that makes me want to scream whenever I talk to her about problems. After patiently listening and offering the appropriate “uh-huhs,” she always – ALWAYS – ends with “things will work out; they always do.” Aaagh!

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Transfigured!

Feast of the Transfiguration
Peter 1.13-21; Luke 9.28-36
St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Today we journey with Peter, James, and John, as they accompany Jesus up a mountain. Where they – where we –experience something extraordinary. The Transfiguration of Jesus. The Transfiguration is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels – in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These accounts leave little doubt about who Jesus is. Whereas Matthew and Mark put periods on the subject, Luke, the version we heard today, puts an exclamation point. Luke’s version, while conveying the same events as in Matthew and Mark, provides even more detail that further emphasize who Jesus is for the disciples. And for us.

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Living Into the Kingdom of God

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 12 (Year A)
Romans 8.26-39; Matthew 13.31-33, 44-52
St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

[N.B. In the parables in Matthew, Jesus says “the Kingdom of Heaven is like . . .” In this sermon, I chose to use the term “Kingdom of God” instead of “Kingdom of Heaven.” While the terms are synonymous in the Gospels, I think “Kingdom of God” is more accurate, as it feels more expansive, including not just the Kingdom of Heaven but also the Kingdom of God here and now.]

We humans are a naturally curious breed. We inherently want to know that which is currently unknown, and what the future holds for us. This means that as people of faith, as those who believe in the Triune God, as those who follow the Risen Christ, we naturally set our sights on the promise of the Kingdom of God. We want to know what awaits us in the life to come. Of course, since none of us have experienced that directly, we have a hard time fathoming such an unknowable mystery. But that doesn’t stop our questioning. Thankfully, Jesus provides some insight. But since we do not have a frame of reference, Jesus must use common, everyday imagery to paint a picture of that which has been promised to us.

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Embodying Thin Places

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 11 (Year A)
Genesis 28.10-19a; Romans 8.12-25; Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43
St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Jesus’ parable of wheat and weeds as being an allegory for good and bad in our midst should come as no surprise. One only has to look at the world around us to see that this is, sadly, the case. While we might like to think that it should be possible to easily identify good from bad, and therefore be able to separate out the bad so that the good may thrive, as do the Master’s servants in the parable, Jesus gives a realistic, albeit sobering, assessment. In theory, yes. But in actuality, this is not always the case.

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