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Image of God [Proper 17C - Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16]

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  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16   Image of God St. John’s, Massena, NY   In the beginning, after chaos was ordered, after the light was divided from the darkness, after the planets were rounded into balls, after waves crashed, birds chirped, and cattle grazed, God reached into the ground to form one final creature.   On the sixth day, the day before the creation of rest, God formed a human.   And all the good was declared very good.   Before people, the earth was already teeming with life.   The water brought forth swarms of living creatures: some too small to see, some large enough to boggle the mind.   The skies were animated with winged birds: levitating hummingbirds, soaring eagles, and sparrows that cut through the air.   The soil vibrated with the movement of creeping things: worms burrowed and spiders webbed and grasshoppers hopped on grass.   And, of course, the wild beasts, the Bible love...
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Brave to be Blessed [Regional Confirmations 2025 - Matthew 5:1-12]

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  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 5:1-12   Brave to be Blessed Regional Confirmations 2025   You must be brave to be blessed.   Because it is no small thing to allow the beautifully dangerous words of Jesus into your heart and into your life.   The Beatitudes, what we call tonight’s Gospel passage, if you take them seriously, will set you at odds.   You will wear them like brilliant colors in a black and white world.   St. Oscar Romero said of this Gospel: “all the Beatitudes subvert what the world believes in, and they sow the seed of a transformation that we will not see finished until the kingdom of heaven…becomes reality.” [1]   And so you must be brave to be blessed.   Because Jesus is calling you to change an entrenched and stubborn world into the kingdom of heaven.              And to do so, to sow the seeds of transformation, to change the world in Jesus’ n...
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Life of Prayer [10th Anniversary of St. Francis Mission]

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  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Isaiah 58:9b-14 & Prayer attributed to St. Francis   Life of Prayer St. Francis Mission, Albany   Sometimes a prayer is spoken.   Sometimes a prayer travels from the head to the heart to the heavens, ascends in silence.   Sometimes a prayer takes on our flesh in lives in our streets.   Because, at our best, our lives are the prayer, offered to God for the sake of this world.   Ten years ago, this community, the St. Francis Mission, was born for that purpose: To love the Lord and to love your neighbors through prayer, worship, and service.   It is a purpose you continue to live daily – a prayer spoken, breathed, and lived in this community, in this place, in this neighborhood, a neighborhood desperate to bask in the light of Christ.     Ten years ago, this community, took the name of St. Francis.   Also you claimed his prayer.   And that prayer became part of, not only y...
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Location: Albany, NY, USA
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Healing Flames [Proper 15C - Luke 12:49-56]

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  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 12:49-56   Healing Flames St. Eustice, Lake Placid   The dog defiantly held an empty raisin box in his mouth.   What we did not know was whether the dog discovered an empty raisin box, or whether the dog emptied the raisin box.   And the dog, being a dog, wasn’t talking.   But the answer to the question was important.   In fact, it carried life and death implications.     My wife quickly called the emergency line and was instructed to hastily head to the store for the medicine – in this case, hydrogen peroxide: to make the dog, the dog with the raisin box, vomit.   It was immediately and abundantly clear: this would not be the relaxing evening we had planned.   I am sure the dog, quite pleased with himself for finding that box, was puzzled by the concerned looks and panicked energy in the house.   Little did he know: his happy evening of box chewing and attention was a...
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Location: Lake Placid, NY 12946, USA
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More than Motions [Proper 14C - Isaiah 1:1, 10-20]

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  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Isaiah 1:1, 10-20   More than Motions St. Peter’s-by-the-lake, Old Forge   Generally speaking, God likes the idea of incense.   Incense was even God’s idea.   Back in Exodus, the second book of the Bible, God commanded the people to build a special altar just for incense.   And Aaron, the first priest, was directed to offer incense on that altar every morning – and not just for a few days, or for a particular season, but “throughout your generations.”   That is a lot of incense, wafting throughout history.   Because God liked it.     But God did not like this incense; God did not like their incense.   Generally speaking, God likes the idea of festivals.   Festivals were even God’s idea.   Back in Exodus, the second book of the Bible, and then in the Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, God moonlighted as a party planner.   God created a calendar of commemoratio...
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Location: Old Forge, NY, USA
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Putting Words in Jesus' Mouth [Proper 11C - Luke 10:38-42]

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  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...
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Location: Lake Delaware, NY 13752, USA
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Slow Seeds [Proper 9C - Galatians 6:1-16]

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  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...
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Location: Richfield Springs, NY 13439, USA
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