Proper 17A
-
Tough Questions
•
6 min read
When Jesus asks the disciples who people say he is, he invites his followers to dig past identity. And into what they have seen. what is Jesus inviting all of us into?Proper 16A | Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus asks his followers a pair of tough questions in this gospel. They aren’t complex, of course. Jesus isn’t…
-
Repent of Power
•
9 min read
In Matthew 16:21-28, we see not just a simple rejection of Peter for being stupid, but a rejection of the historic seducing power of power. Proper 17A | Matthew 16:21-28 Before he foretells of his death, Jesus warns his followers about the Pharisees. While it’s direct, it’s also cryptic and difficult. It’s a warning we’ve struggled to…
-
How to Not Be a Stumbling Block
•
4 min read
A re-imagined sermon for those that have missed church recently After calming the storm, Jesus and the disciples come to shore, bombarded by people looking for healing. It is from here that Jesus takes his disciples aside and asks them who they think he is. Peter’s declaration: “Messiah!” is followed by his fear for Jesus’s…
-
Confronting Death
•
7 min read
Jesus’s turn toward Jerusalem, following where we don’t want to go, and facing our own fears a Homily for Proper 17 A | Text: Matthew 16:21-28 Fearing Responsibility We are in the middle of a conversation. We always are. The passages of our lives are always small segments of a much longer story. A common place…