Readings: Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12: 1-2; Matthew 16: 21-27 Click here to download this reflection Preacher: Joan Sobala, SSJ If you’ve ever looked at the ancient Chinese document called the Tao of LaoTse, you’ll remember finding in it such apparently contradictory statements as “To be strong, one must be soft,” “To stand straight, one must bend,”… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 22:19-23; Romans 11: 33-36; Matthew 16: 13-20 Preacher: Dr. Denise Mack Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” When I raised the question to residents of two nursing homes I was not surprised to hear, repeatedly, “My Lord and my Savior” and “The Son of the living God.” “You are the Christ, the Son of the… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28 Preacher: Gee Gee Micoli In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is curiously far from Galilee, in a pagan area close to the towns of Tyre and Sidon on the Mediterranean Sea. In the context of earlier events in Matthew’s gospel, we can see both Jesus’ humanity and his divinity. In the… read more →
Readings: 1 Kings 19:9A, 11-13A; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:2-23 Preacher: Kathi Piehler I remember coming home from elementary school to find my mom taking a break from her homemaking duties to watch Johnny Carson host the TV game show, Who Do You Trust? The show had three couples competing for the grand prize of $500. During the quiz portion of… read more →
Readings: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9 Preacher: Amanda Rayburn What a gift it is to proclaim and ponder the account of the Transfiguration on this first Sunday of August! Remember the last time you heard this Gospel proclaimed? It was Lent, the second Sunday, it was snowing out and temps were in the 20s. The mountain we… read more →