Readings: Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12: 1-2; Matthew 16: 21-27 Preacher: Ruth Marchetti The life of a prophet is racked with hardship. The Old Testament stories show us that God sends prophets when God’s people have lost their way; they’ve forgotten the God of love and justice. Getting lost is a subtle process. It sneaks up on us in the guise of… read more →
Readings: Acts 2: 14a, 36-41; 1 Peter 2:20b-25; John 10:1-10 Preacher: Ruth Marchetti As we see played out in the first reading today, regret is a painful emotion. When Jesus lived, his very presence drew crowds. The power of his words and his astonishing healings created a throng of followers who were willing to go hungry just to hear him speak.… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 66: 10-14c; Galatians 6: 14-18; Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 Preacher: Ruth Marchetti This time of year, my husband and I take most of our meals in the screened gazebo on our back deck. We don’t want to miss an hour of the summer’s beauty. Everything is green, the breeze is soft, the days are long. In the temperate climate of… read more →
Readings: Nehemiah 8: 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 12-30; Luke 1: 1-4, 4: 14-21 Preacher: Ruth Marchetti Nearly 60 years ago a preacher from Atlanta Georgia held a throng in awe at the Lincoln Memorial as he called for an end of oppression for African Americans. Martin Luther King’s stirring speech resonated far beyond the crowd as people turned with… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 63: 16B-17, 19B, 64: 2-7; 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9; Mark 13: 33-37Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Ruth Marchetti Two thousand and twenty years ago a young couple waited for the birth of their child. Like all parents, they were hopeful and expectant, despite the desperation of their poverty or the cruelty of the ruling… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 20: 10-13; Romans 5: 12-15; Matthew 10: 26-33Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Ruth Marchetti It’s been four hundred years since the first Africans were sold as slaves in the colonies that would become the United States. For four hundred years, the dominant European, mostly Christian, culture has embraced the myth of superiority that justified… read more →
Readings: Acts 4: 8-12; 1 John 3: 1-2; John 10:11-18 Click here to download a PDF of this homily. Preacher: Ruth Marchetti In his New York Times columns, Nicholas Kristof occasionally remarks on his deep admiration for Christian workers throughout the world who leave behind their comfortable lives to feed, heal, house and teach people who live in very poor… read more →
Readings: Acts 1:12-14; 1 Peter 4:13-16; John 17:1-11A Preacher: Ruth Marchetti Recently in a gathering of friends, one woman shared that before she died she wanted to go to jail—a most unusual “bucket list” item. She had no desire to take on a life of reckless crime; rather, she wanted to be willing to risk hardship and shame for a… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11; Luke 5:1-11 Isaiah’s vision of God’s splendor comes with a stunning awareness of his own and his people’s failings followed by such an experience of forgiveness and love that he immediately gives his life over to God. He is driven to bring the Israelites back to their ever-faithful God. In forgetting their… read more →