God's Generosity and Abundance

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 12 (Year B)

John 6.1-21

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Our Gospel readings for the next five weeks are the “Bread of Life Discourse,” found in the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to John. In this discourse, Jesus repeatedly refers to himself as the “bread of life” and provides some explanation as to what this means. This discourse begins with the famous feeding of the 5,000 with a mere five loaves of bread and two fish. While Jesus does not use the term “bread of life” in today’s reading, bread does feature prominently, setting the stage for the discourse that is to follow. So important is this particular story that it is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. But while “the Synoptic Gospels call attention to Jesus’ compassion for the crowd, John’s emphasis is on leading the disciples to deeper belief and recognition of the power of Jesus as the one who brings life to the world” (Synthesis, Proper 12, July 29, 2018). As the one who provides and indeed is the “bread of life.” This is particularly emphasized in that John does not call this a miracle, but a “sign.” An event that reveals something significant about who Jesus is, and in turn, about who God is.

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Where's the Good News?

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 10 (Year B)

Amos 7.7-15; Ephesians 1.3-14; Mark 6.14-29

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Really? REALLY? This is what we’ve got to work with today? As if it weren’t bad enough that last week we had to tackle the story of Jesus’ being rejected and rendered powerless while visiting Nazareth, today we have two story that are, to say the least, real downers. The impending destruction of Israel, and the beheading of John the Baptist.

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Instructions for Ministry

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 9 (Year B)

Ezekiel 2.1-5; 2 Corinthians 12.2-10; Mark 6.1-13

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Well, that was awkward! Fairly early in his public ministry, Jesus takes his newly called disciples with him to his home town of Nazareth. He undoubtedly wants to show them where he came from. And he has some sense of pride in his hometown, wanting to share it with the disciples. He visits the local synagogue, where the hometown boy-turned-rabbi is invited to speak. The townsfolk have heard about all he has done and want to experience Jesus for themselves. At first there is enthusiasm. “Wow! Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands!” And then things start to head south. What they are hearing is a new message. He’s challenging them in ways that might be a little uncomfortable for them to hear. They start rationalizing. “Wait! Who does he think he is? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?” The initial sense of pride in the hometown boy-made-good turns to discomfort and then to offense when they realize that he is not the same little boy they remembered. “How could that little boy be up there now, spouting this new, radical interpretation of the Torah?” In their “we knew him when” mentality, the people of Nazareth are convinced of Jesus’ ordinariness and are therefore unable to believe in what he is teaching, in what he has accomplished . They knew too much about him to take seriously his wisdom and his gifts.

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Lesson from a "Nobody"

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 8 (Year B)

Mark 5.21-43

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

When it rains, it pours! At least sometimes it seems that way when you are engaged in ministry. Jesus goes across the Sea of Galilee on a pastoral mission to heal the Gerasene demoniac and no sooner does he return when he is hit with not one, but two, major pastoral emergencies. As we heard in today’s Gospel, Jesus is confronted with two appeals for healing—one direct and one a little more surreptitious. Two stories of healing that are woven together into one—indicating that the two accounts, while very different, together paint a picture of a greater truth.

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Peace! Be Still!

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 7 (Year B)

Job 38.1-11; 2 Corinthians 6.1-13; Mark 4.35-41

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

At this point in Mark’s Gospel, the disciples have not been with Jesus for very long. They’ve seen him cast out a demon or two, heal a few people, and heard him tell a few parables. They are really still getting to know him. But they are about to learn that life and ministry with Jesus is anything but predictable.

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What is the Kingdom of God Like, Here and Now?

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 6 (Year B)

Mark 4.26-34

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Today in our Gospel reading, we hear Jesus give two parables that are designed to answer a simple question – “What is the kingdom of God like?” Piece of cake. Jesus seeks to explain the kingdom of God using agricultural imagery. Imagery that would have been well-known to the people of his day. The first is the parable of the growing seed and the second is the parable of the mustard seed.

As an aside, it should be noted that neither of these short images are really parables. Parables are simple stories, with some sort of developed plot, that are designed to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. They are designed to challenge us to think about our lives, spiritual or otherwise, in new and transformative ways. Neither of today’s images really fit the bill. There is no plot. Neither address a moral or spiritual lesson. Neither seek to challenge us to new ways of living, at least on the surface. Rather, today’s images are actually similitudes – streamlined similes describing a key truth with no developed plot. They are meant to convey an image to help us understand a truth about our life in God. There is no challenge involved, except possibly the challenge of translating and understanding what is being conveyed. It may be splitting hairs, but, you know me – once and engineer, always an engineer. And we engineers want to make sure things are put in the right box.

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Is Blood Really Thicker Than Water?

Third Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 5 (Year B)

Mark 3.20-35

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

There’s an old saying. “Blood is thicker than water.” The idea that relationships and loyalties within a family are stronger and more important than all others. But listening to today’s Gospel reading, one might get the idea that Jesus would not have agreed with this idea.

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The Voice of the Lord

Trinity Sunday (Year B)

Isaiah 6.1-8; Psalm 29; Romans 8.12-17; John 3.1-17

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

For a number of years now, in the week between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, as I attempt to come up with a sermon on the Trinity, I watch a YouTube video that is part of the Lutheran Satire series. The video is called “St. Patrick’s Bad Analogies.” 

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"Pentecost is God in Us"

Day of Pentecost (Year B)

Acts 2.1-21; Romans 8.22-27

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

If you could pick one Biblical event to personally witness, what would it be?

Of course, there’s no right answer. There are so many to choose from. As a Christian, I would have to narrow my choice to the New Testament. But even then, there are just so many significant events.

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So, Let's Get On With It

Seventh Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Acts 1.15-17, 21-26; John 17.6-19

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Just one week before Pentecost, as we near the end of Eastertide, our Gospel selection loops back around to the last few hours of Jesus’ earthly life. The events of today’s Gospel reading actually take place on Maundy Thursday, mere hours before Jesus is arrested and eventually put to death by crucifixion. Why on earth, in the season celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection and our life post-Resurrection, would our lectionary seek to revisit the time before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion? We’ve been there and done that. So has Jesus. We’ve all moved on, haven’t we?

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