Gospel of Matthew
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Beyond Empire: giving to the emperor
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2 min read
Today’s gospel: Matthew 22:15-22 This is one of my favorite moments for Jesus. He has just been hammering at the Jewish leadership and attacking the relationship between the religious leaders and the empire. He chased the moneychangers and now they have all had enough. They’re coming to get him. So they bring a trap. A…
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The wedding is the red herring
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5 min read
a Sermon for Proper 23A Text: Matthew 22:1-14 Give it up for weddings Raise your hand if you like weddings. All those happy people, the good food, a pervasive spirit of hope. Everybody dressed in their finest. The two, whose binding together we gather to support and cheer have never looked so beautiful and powerful. …
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Responsibility without possession
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5 min read
Proper 22A Text: Matthew 21:33-46 Like last week, the lectionary has us dealing with some pretty tough stuff. It should come as no surprise since this all takes place during Jesus’s final week. Jesus has entered Jerusalem in a mock triumphal entry with his merry band of misfits and enormous crowd of followers. The group…
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Forgiveness and 9/11
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1 min read
This morning I was at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Rome, Georgia. What a day to make one’s first appearance as supply! But they were gracious and welcoming and I think we made some good worship! Of course, preaching on such a day as this, it is impossible (or possible, but cowardly) to…
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What John really means by “eternal life”
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1 min read
Actually, this is a link to my last homily at St. Paul’s from a few weeks ago. I’d love to get some feedback on it, since I tried something new: I blended poetry and prose together and chose to describe the issues rather then answer them. Let me know what you think! And by the…