Readings: Sirach 27:30-28:7; Romans 14:7-9; Mt 18:21-35 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler “Wrath and anger are hateful things,” Sirach says. “Yet the sinner hugs them tight.” Yikes! That’s a very strong censure, isn’t it? This reflection on the deadly nature of anger is part of Sirach’s advice for living a moral life. Yet, if we’re honest, isn’t it sometimes a temptation to… read more →

Readings: Ezekiel 3: 7-9; Romans 13: 8-10; Matthew 18: 15-20 Preacher: Teresa Dunn Recently I have been reflecting on what it means to love another. Love isn’t just a feeling; feelings change over time. We hear in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish… read more →

Readings: Jeremiah 20:7-9; Roman’s 12:1-2: Matthew 16:21-27 Preacher: Sue Reed When I first looked at the readings for this weekend, I laughed.  The opening line from Jeremiah “You duped me O Lord, and I let myself be duped….” seemed to sum up my own relationship with God. Throughout my life, I have experienced moments when God’s call was impossible to ignore,… read more →

Readings: Isaiah 22: 19-23; Romans 11: 33-36; Matthew 16: 13-20 Preacher: Eileen Slagis This August our Scriptures describe a particularly difficult time in Jesus’ life.  His cousin John has been gruesomely murdered by the autocrat, Herod.  And while he wants some private time to pray and to mourn, his preaching has attracted large crowds who follow him, wondering if he might… read more →

Readings: Isaiah 56: 1, 6-7; Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15: 21-28  Preacher: Margot Van Etten God’s love has no limits. No matter how we try to squeeze the Divine into little narrow boxes our egos construct, God’s love bursts forth and wraps around all the people we try to keep out. Having looked at creation and found it beautiful and… read more →

Readings: 1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a; Romans 9: 1-5; Matthew 14: 22-33 Preacher: Deni Mack We reel from storm to storm in our families, our work lives, our friend’s lives, our national crises & this global destabilization. How responsible are we for bringing Christ’s calming to a sorely troubled world?  We ask Jesus that question and Jesus nudges us to not… read more →

Readings: Isaiah 55:1-3; Romans 8: 35, 37; Matthew 14:13-21 Preacher: Sr. Sheila Stevenson, RSM What a wonderful journey we take into our readings this weekend!  The Isaiah verses, the Psalm response and the Gospel are thematic in Jesus’ wonderful miracle of abundance and generosity, and of His immense compassion and radical hospitality toward all.  The feeding of the 5,000, or likely… read more →

Readings: 1 Kings 3: 5, 7-12; Romans 8: 28-30;  Matthew 13: 44-52 Preacher: Susan K. Roll If you were trying to inspire your listeners to take a grand leap of the imagination to understand what the living presence and love of God could accomplish in our world, what would you propose? How about, “The kin-dom of God is like when all… read more →

Readings: Wisdom 12: 13, 16-19; Romans 8: 26-27; Matthew 13: 24-43 Preacher: Meghan Kellogg I vividly remember the first Spring living in my new home. The large garden beds were completely empty, brimming with possibilities. Naturally, I wanted to add my own vision to my exterior and decided to map out my ideas to create the perfect garden —one with vibrant… read more →

Readings:  Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans; 8: 18-23; Matthew 13:1-23 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine Why parables indeed? Good question, Disciples; I was wondering the same thing.  Often the parable is more confounding than enlightening. Am I one of the blockheads Jesus is describing in the parable of the Sower and the Seed? If I lived in Israel in Jesus’ era the image he uses would be… read more →