The readings for Sunday, March 30, 2025: First Reading: Joshua 5:9-12 Psalm: Psalm 32 Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Ah, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. We've heard it so many times that we may have forgotten pertinent details. We remember clearly the younger son, the one who squanders his fortune in a foreign land and becomes so hungry and desperate that he yearns for swine food. We understand this part of the parable. Even if we haven't been the wastrel child, who among us has not occasionally envied the ease with which some of our society just do the ..read more

Today is the Feast Day of the Annunciation, which celebrates the day the angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her that God had a vision for her and for the salvation of the world and invited her to play a huge role.  She asked a question or two and then said yes. I've spent much of my life thinking about this pivotal moment.  In my early years, I thought about consent.  In my childhood years, we didn't think much about consent as we discussed this story; we thought about the honor of being chosen.  In my teenage years, I thought about the burden of being the mother of the mes ..read more

Oscar Romero is now officially a saint, and today is his feast day.  On this day in 1980, he was killed, a martyr for the faith.  When I made this collage card years ago, I couldn't believe that he'd ever be canonized: Many scholars believe that he was chosen to be Archbishop precisely because he was expected not to make trouble. All that changed when one of his good friends, an activist Jesuit priest, was assassinated by one of the death squads roaming the country. Romero became increasingly political, increasingly concerned about the poor who were being oppressed by the tiny mi ..read more

 March 23, 2025 By Kristin Berkey-Abbott Luke 13:1-9 At first glance, it seems that we have another Gospel reading with parts that don’t go together--verses 1-5 don’t seem related to 6-9.  Verses 1-5 show people whipping themselves up into a righteous, or maybe self-righteous, anger.  Or maybe the people are trying to get Jesus to tell them that the time to launch a military resistance is right now—Pilate killed people in the Temple where their blood could mingle with the blood of sacrifices—what a desecration!  Historians of the time period tell us that Jesus moved in a ..read more

Yesterday, I made this Facebook post:  "I have been down to Spartanburg, SC to teach, and now we're about to leave Arden, NC to got to Bristol, TN to help Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church with tonight's fish fry. If we cross the line into Virginia, I'll have been in 4 states today. If you're in the Bristol area from 5-7, come on by to get the best meal deal: $10 buys a great dinner along with delicious desserts and a beverage. All proceeds go to fund local charities. It's so many wins I can scarcely count them." That post sums up my Friday; we did not drive into Virginia.  ..read more

It's been a hectic week, but I've finally had a chance to post my Sunday sermon to my YouTube channel.  You can view it here, and you can read a draft version here. I particularly like the way the sermon ends, and it felt even more powerful when I preached it: Jesus yearns to gather us under the shelter of his protective wings. Let’s agree to meet there, in the feathered softness, such a sanctuary from the sharp and hard edges of the world. Let us gather close to the one who will sacrifice himself to protect us. We do not need to fear the foxes of this world. We shelter under the wings of ..read more

 I have been going to lots of medical appointments.  Happily, nothing is wrong.  One gets to a certain age where preventive maintenance takes more time.  Plus, modern medicine requires more time.  For example, to get a colonoscopy, I have to have a referral from my GP, an initial consult with the Gastro doctor folks, some phone calls about scheduling both before and after the initial consult, and maybe I'll get a colonoscopy one of these days. Similarly, now we use better technology for mammograms; it all seems to be 3D now, when that technology used to be reserved for ..read more

Today is the feast day of St. Joseph, Mary's husband, the earthly father of Jesus. Here are the readings for today: 2 Samuel 7:4, 8-16 Psalm 89:1-29 (2) Romans 4:13-18 Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a I have done some thinking of Joseph, as many of us do, in the Advent season, when occasionally, we get to hear about Joseph. He thinks of quietly unweaving himself from Mary, who is pregnant. This behavior is our first indication of his character. Under ancient law, he could have had Mary stoned to death, but he takes a gentler path. And then, he follows the instructions of the angel who tells him of ..read more

 The readings for Sunday, March 20, 2022: First Reading: Isaiah 55:1-9 Psalm: Psalm 63:1-8 Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Gospel: Luke 13:1-9 In this week's Gospel, we get the parable of the fig tree, that poor fig tree who still hasn't produced fruit even though it's been 3 years. This Gospel gives us a space to consider our view of God and our view of ourselves. Which vision of God is the one in your head? We could see God as the man who says, "Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground ..read more

 On Sunday afternoons, we often watch recordings of livestreamed church services from churches where we have been members.  Once we've done that, we often go to the recording of the Sunday service at the National Cathedral.   Usually, each pastor is preaching on the day's Gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary.  But yesterday, the sermon at the National Cathedral was delivered by The Most Reverend John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland and Metropolitan, Church of Ireland.  His stole and cope did not match the purple of the others.&n ..read more