Readings: Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine “Who do you say that I am?” I wonder why Jesus posed this question to his disciples. Was he acting the part of a teacher springing a pop quiz on his students to test how well they were doing? Jesus was pretty aware he had chosen a bunch of… read more →
Readings: 1 Samuel 26: 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 Corinthians 15: 45-49; Luke 6: 27-38 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine “Love your enemy!” I have enough trouble loving the one who is good to me. Little irritations push my buttons and send me off. Insignificant disparities offend my sensibilities. Too often I sit and stew, licking my scratches, silently scripting a drama where I… read more →
Readings: Numbers 11: 25-29; James 5: 1-6; Mark 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine How appropriate that these Scripture passages are proclaimed on the last Sunday of the Season of Creation, whose theme this year is To Hope and Act With Creation. Thomas Aquinas stated: “Sacred writings are bound in two volumes—that of creation and that of Holy Scripture…“Creation is the… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12: 5-7,11-13; Luke 13: 22-30 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine Full disclosure: I didn’t like this gospel. Jesus is asked a simple question: “Will only a few people be saved?” Can’t he just say, “Yes” or “No.” That’s wishful thinking on the part of my western trained dualistic mindset. Jesus’ answer is messy, confusing, even contradictory, not really an… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 11: 1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine There is a famous painting, The Peaceable Kingdom, inspired by this week’s first reading. It depicts a child embracing a lion and traditional natural enemies of the animal kingdom gathered together in peaceful company. The painter, an American folk artist, Edward Hicks (1780-1849) spent 29 years of his life… read more →
Readings: Acts 13:14,43-52; Revelation 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine Jane Goodall, the noted anthropologist, who has spent her life living with, learning about, protecting, and advocating for chimpanzees in the wild, describes an experience she had with a chimp who was being released back into the wild. There was a distance to travel and the caged chimp was… read more →