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The Public Id
The problem with demagogues is never their action. By the time they have the power to act, it is much too late to stop them. The problem is their speech. It intoxicates and infuriates. It draws all the moths to its fiery substance and burns us with its hatred. [bctt tweet=”‘The danger is in the…
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Blessed To Make Peace
For our darkest hours Jesus gives us a vision of the Kingdom of GOD and the blessed community. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the…
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The Blessed Community
Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, and all of the saints a Homily for the Feast of All Saints | Text: Matthew 5:1-12 For us, this principal feast we call All Saints is not so much about honoring the dead, but honoring the community: the whole community: past and present and future. For honoring only our…
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On Perfect Christians
a Sermon for Epiphany 7A Text: Matthew 5:38-48 Rebelling against Jesus You’ve probably seen this phrase on a book cover or on a church sign. It reads: “no perfect people allowed.” Kind of catchy, isn’t it? We don’t want perfect. We don’t really want to be perfect, do we? The phrase also has a sly…
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To Break Free From Ignorance and Pain
a Sermon for Epiphany 6A Text: Matthew 5:21-37 A most unreasonable request We’re following Jesus up the side of a mountain and we’re hearing His most famous sermon. A sermon that begins with blessings: (blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek…). A sermon that highlights all the wondrous things that GOD…
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On the Mountainside
a Sermon for Epiphany 5A Text: Matthew 5:13-20 Going up the mountain Jesus begins walking up a mountain. He invites His disciples to join Him. Finding Jesus up a mountain. We would be hard-pressed to avoid that image here of the holy man and a mountain-top experience. We’ve seen this in books and movies: people…
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Preparing in Advent is not about shopping or avoiding Hell
Those of us who live in the north are reminded this time of year to put together an emergency kit. We put in a flashlight, hand warmers, something to kneel on, jumper cables, and more into a box that we keep in the trunk for the next few months. Because we never know when…
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Priorities
a Homily for Thanksgiving Text: Matthew 6:25-33 An Unthankul Story Tonight we’ve gathered to give thanks. More specifically, to give thanks to GOD for all of our blessings and all that we have to be thankful for. To give thanks to a GOD for so much wonderful stuff. But we know not everyone feels that…