Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 10:38-42   Putting Words in Jesus’ Mouth St. James, Lake Delaware   It was a bold move.   But somebody had to do it.   Because they were hosting a small village and Mary was just sitting there.   There were tons of tasks to do: beds and food and basins of water and coasters to put under drinks.   And with that many young men in the house, messes to clean up and scents to air out.   So, of course, Martha was scurrying around, checking off task after task with little to no help – no help, if you asked her.      And you know how it is: siblings don’t listen to siblings.   Mary wasn’t jumping up at Martha’s command.   Mary was tuning her out to tune into the voice of Jesus.   And, like, Martha got that.   Jesus was a great storyteller; he was interesting to listen to.   Martha would have loved to sit and listen to Jesus but there was a lot to do.   And...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Galatians 6:1-16   Slow Seeds St. John’s, Richfield Springs   It is hard to know what to do in these turbulent times.   The news is often awful.   The problems of the world sound overwhelming.   Violence and war bubbles and boils and threatens to consume large swaths of humanity.   The divisions in our own nation appear intractable and entrenched.   The foundations are shaking and the future is ominous.     And here we are: so small on the world’s stage.   Each one, one in 8 billion.   Individual members of a small church in a beautiful little village. It can feel like we do not have enough leverage to turn the world in the direction of the Kingdom of God, that we don’t have the power to fix everything, to make everything OK.   And so, if you are like me, you are probably wondering what to do in these turbulent times.   While I suspect the ultimate answer to the f...