Preaching the Scriptures

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Hard to Believe [Easter 7A - Acts 1:1-14]

- May 17, 2026

T he Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Acts 1:1-14 Hard to Believe Good Shepherd, Elizabethtown It was hard to believe. And they were standing right there, watching it happen. They thought that Jesus might finally settle down, after everything, but instead he was going up. And there was no stopping him. Before their very eyes, he was lifted up, beyond their reach, beyond their words, beyond any feeble attempt to reason with him, or beg him to stay. There was nothing they could do but watch him go. And that is exactly what they did: they just stood there staring, stunned silent, mouths agape, angels lecturing and shouting instructions. They likely arrived on the scene with some preconceived notion, some sense of expectation. But they were not expecting this. It was just so hard to believe. But for the disciples, this was nothing new. Not really. Jesus had this tendency to surprise...

Never, ever alone [Easter 6A - John 14:15-21]

- May 10, 2026

The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 14:15-21 Never, Ever Alone Church of the Messiah, Glens Falls I have a little sister. She is two years younger than me. When we were children, she had a favorite movie. We watched it all the time. I could recite all the lines; I knew the catchy songs. I enjoyed the dumb dog. I appreciated that the male lead was bald. Annie, set during the Great Depression, was about the eponymous little orphan girl, remembered for her bright red afro, who is adopted by that wealthy bald man, Daddy Warbucks. She lived a hard-knock life, in a smelly orphanage, with the great Carol Burnett, until, in the end, she finds her happily ever after. It is little Annie whom I picture when I imagine an orphan. I do not imagine eleven grown men – all free range, some with wives and children, some with parents who are, in fact, explicitly mentioned in the Bible doing thi...

A Hope that does not Disappoint [Easter 3A - Luke 24:13-35]

- April 19, 2026

The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 24:13-35 A Hope that does not Disappoint St. Paul’s, Sidney They had hoped. But the long walk of retreat was evidence that hope was no longer on the agenda. They had hoped. But now, standing before an inquisitive stranger, they just look sad. The bright glow of hope went out when the sharp nails went into Jesus’ precious body. Where hope once reigned, there was now nothing but disappointment. It was a very human experience that they were experiencing on the road back to Emmaus. This is what people do: they get their hopes up only to be let down. And those two disciples were let down…because they had hoped. People place their hope in a lot of things – and always have. The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with stories of misplaced hope: golden calves melted down, stone idols turned to dust, mighty kings disgraced. As the psalmist reminds u...

But Not for God [Easter Sunday A - Matthew 28:1-10]

- April 05, 2026

The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 28:1-10 But Not for God She was helpless. Utterly helpless. It was the Friday of a week that had spun out of control, in the very worst possible way. And there was nothing she could do to stop the spinning. Mary Magdalene stood at a distance now, but the distance provided no perspective, no safety – just more pain. From that distance, she was still close enough to see the ending of a story that was, apparently, a tragedy. For a while, it had felt like a fairy tale. But the cross at the end proved otherwise; it was a twist ending she did not see coming. Because he was best of us, impossibly good, completely selfless, just made of love. It was like kindness flowed through his veins. If anyone should get the happy ending, it was Jesus. But he got the death penalty instead. And now here she was, looking on from a distance as his bloo...

Remember Your "Why" [Chrism Mass - Matthew 9:35-38]

- March 31, 2026

The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 9:35-38 Remember Your “Why” Cathedral of All Saints and St. Thomas, Tupper Lake In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus never once checks his email. And I think we all know what that means: he is going to fall hopelessly behind – and then have to spend the rest of the week desperately trying to catch up. Of course, I am only kidding: no one ever catches up on email, not even Jesus. Because they just keep coming – always and forever. The expectations of ministry have certainly changed over the centuries. Priests and deacons of the past would never have imagined the shape and demands of ordained life in the 21 st century. And it is not just your inbox. Administrative expectations and mundane tasks constantly clog up our to-do lists. You have to fill out the parochial report. And beg someone to serve on the vestry. And proo...

A Reflection on the Passion Gospel [Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday - Matthew 26:14 - 27:66]

- March 29, 2026

The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew’s Passion [26:14-27:66] A Reflection on the Passion Gospel St. Thomas, Tupper Lake Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Today we heard a story of unfathomable tragedy. It is the story of an innocent man captured by the tremendous momentum of human violence. It is the story of the one Roman crucifixion that is still worn around our necks. And it occurred so long ago. And so you, of course, were not there. Because this tale transpired almost two thousand years ago, in a place far from here, a place still too familiar with violence and death. The events of our Gospel took place long before St. Thomas Episcopal Church was founded. Long before the Episcopal Church held its first Convention. ...

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