Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 4:1-13   Choose Good St. Paul’s, Troy   The devil in Luke’s Gospel is not the familiar cartoon caricature.   He is not a red-faced goon in sulfur-scented cologne.   This devil is not the twisted star of campy horror movies.   He is not a demented poker with a pitchfork and a hideous scowl.   The devil in today’s Gospel passage is trying to book Jesus as a client; he wants to be Jesus’ agent.   This devil sees the career path to which Jesus has committed – one with an objectively rough ending – and is convinced he can find Jesus something better.   The devil shows up in the wilderness ready for business.   He walks into the meeting prepared to pitch; he has some tempting offers, some ideas, some strategies that will help Jesus really unlock his full potential. Not entirely unlike some of the more saintly characters in this Gospel, Simeon, Anna, John the Baptist, the devil recognizes ...

The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 9:28-43a   Where the miracles happen Christ Church, Gilbertsville   On this day, eleven years ago, I skipped church.   I just didn’t show up.   That wasn’t the plan.   I went to bed fully expecting to preach and celebrate at both 8 and 10am.   But I didn’t.   Because, unexpectedly, something else came up.   Or perhaps, I should say, came out.   At 9:58am, on Sunday, March 2, the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, in the year 2014, I met Isaiah Williamson.   And the first thing he did was scream at me.   And the first thing I did was fall in love with him.   Every year, on his birthday, we celebrate the special person Isaiah is becoming.   And also every year, in my mind and in my heart, I am transported back to our first meeting.   It is a day forever preserved in the amber of aching joy.   And something in me wants to build a dwelling in that perfect day. ...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 4:14-21   The Gospel of Mercy St. Luke’s, Cambridge   Definitely, they were not going to try to kill him.   They were excited for Jesus’ homecoming.   He was a good kid.   He came from a solid family.   They were glad he was going to be stomping his old stomping grounds again.   His parents probably busily readied his old room.   His friends made plans to catch up.   It would be just like that freshman year Thanksgiving break – the first time back after being away: late nights, great stories, mom’s cooking.   And so they definitely were not going to try to kill him.   And there was now a buzz surrounding him; that was fun.   People were praising him in the surrounding villages.   Jesus was becoming a big deal.   And a big deal Jesus was a big deal for their sleepy little village.   And so, again, they were excited and definitely not going to try to ...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 2:1-11   Filled to the Brim St. Paul’s, Kinderhook   The servants stumbled into an awkward moment.   They were just going about their business: making sure the appetizers were circulating, the drinks poured, the dirty dishes cleared and cleaned.   They were running in the background so that the wedding reception would go smoothly, so that the guests had a good time.     They didn’t mean to walk into this family situation, this disagreement between a mother and her son.   The mother and son were talking about what everyone was talking about.   The servants already knew the situation was bleak.   Servers always know when something runs out; they live on the front lines of that disappointment; they are the ones who have to break the news.   And the wine giving out was big, bad news.   Wine was, obviously, an important ingredient in the celebration.   Sure, it made pe...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Isaiah 43:1-7   Love Song St. Matthew’s, Latham   This is a love song for a devastated people.   Isaiah is writing to a nation in exile, a nation that was traumatized, violated, and displaced; a nation of broken hearts and shattered lives.   The people felt lost and they had lost hope.   But in their darkest hour, it is this prophetic word that finds them.   “Do not fear.”   But they were afraid – of the nightmares in their past, of the painful present, and of the uncertain future.   They were afraid.   But God wasn’t.   And so this is where God started: Do not fear.   God understood that they were scared; God always knows.   And so like a Creator speaking a new reality into being, God whispered peace to their trembling souls; God held on tightly to their shaky hands, until they steadied.   Because God knew that a word of comfort and blessed assurance was what they ne...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 2:1-12   Wonder St. Mark’s, Hoosick Falls   As a child, I knew this story through the song.   We Three Kings is the only hymn from the Epiphany section of Hymnal 1982 that even Pentecostals sing.   And while I could not have pinpointed the Orient on a map or defined a moor, the song made sense to me; I could sense that there was something true about it.   Because it captured the very heart of this story from Matthew’s Gospel.   At the heart of this story is wonder.   While these travelers are described as wise, I don’t think it was wisdom that disjoined them from the comforts of home.   In fact, traditional wisdom might discourage one from chasing an untethered star through the pitfalls of strange lands and unknown territories, all while carrying expensive, and very stealable, cargo.   I think they were enticed by wonder.   This story is riddled with mystery; and it is ...