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Worry in the World [Proper 23A - Philippians 4:1-9]

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The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Philippians 4:1-9   Worry in the World Grace, Cherry Valley   How could Paul say this?! And to you?!   Especially right now?!   “Do not worry about anything?”   Does he not understand that Fr. Kyle just retired?   And that you, Grace Church, also St. Mary’s, also a little bit St. John’s, just entered into a season of clergy transition?   As you know, I work with a lot of churches in transition.   And so I know that you know that I know transition time is an anxious time.   Paul telling you not to worry is probably not super helpful; it might not even be working.   Now in his defense, this morning in Cherry Valley, New York was likely not on Paul’s mind when he put ink to parchment almost two thousand years ago.   But it is still a striking phrase, of an impossible expectation – even after all these years.   It is difficult to imagine living in this world, in these times, with...
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A Stewardship Sermon [Proper 22A - Matthew 21:33-46]

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The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 21:33-46   A Stewardship Sermon Zion, Morris   The characters in the story severely misjudged the situation.   As the parable makes abundantly clear, they would never own the land, never take the vineyard.   The tenants had no right to it – even though they clearly thought they did, or should.   Their warped perspective, fueled by desperation and a wild sense of entitlement, hatched a plan to keep killing until they arrived at the front of the line; it did not work out.   Because the vineyard did not belong to them.   And it never would.   Today’s parable from Matthew is one of Jesus’ final parables.   It was told during his last week, Holy Week.   The crowds that gathered around his teaching were a complex stew of the society.   There were religious leaders – who unhappily take the brunt of this parable.   But there were also his disciples.   And there were the curi...
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Location: Morris, NY 13808, USA
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A New Perspective/A New Commandment [Proper 18A - Matthew 18:15-20 & Romans 13:8-14]

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The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 18:15-20 & Romans 13:8-14   A New Perspective/A New Commandment St. Sacrement, Bolton Landing   The pants were navy blue.   I was almost definitely sure of that.   I think.   And so I was confused about my wife’s outfit – an outfit seemingly coordinated around black pants, which she was almost definitely not wearing.   Except that she was wearing black pants – and she was almost definitely sure of that.   But I could not see it.   We simply could not agree on the color of those pants.   They were navy blue, for sure – unless they were black.   Of course, in the grand scheme of things, it was no big deal.   She’s allowed to clash if she wants to.   But, it was further proof that people see the same things differently.   It happens all the time – in big and small ways.     This morning, these pews are filled with people who see and experience the worl...
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Location: Bolton Landing, NY 12814, USA
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A Burning Bush [Proper 17A - Exodus 3:1-15]

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The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Exodus 3:1-15   A Burning Bush St. John’s, Essex   It was a pin prick in the universe.   It was a lonely ember in the ashes of an exhausted fire.   It was a single star pushing through the cloudy cover.   And it was God.   Such a subtle turn in the career of the Creator.   Once before a time, God spoke and worlds were created, planets in their courses; whales filled the salty seas of this island home; comets crossed the skies; velvety blackness dominated the edge of everything.   With a word, so much, much more than a human mind could ever comprehend.   And now, that God: the size of a cozy campfire.     In a world that needed much bigger.   Moses was, at this point, a husband and a father, and a shepherd.   Also a fugitive.   His story was captivating.   He was born under a death threat.   Set sail in a tiny ark on a big river.   Found salvation ...
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Why Did You Doubt? [Proper 14A - Matthew 14:22-33]

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The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 14:22-33   Why Did You Doubt? St. Mary’s, Springfield Center   As he thrashed around in the tumultuous sea, the answer to Jesus’ query seemed rather obvious.   And the doubt in Peter’s mind justified.   And yet, it was in that chaotic moment in which Jesus posed his question.   Because, after all, who doesn’t enjoy a deep philosophical discussion when one is pre-occupied with drowning?   Jesus asked Peter the “why” question.   And I don’t know if that was advisable.   As a parent, I can tell you, experts work very hard to talk that question out of the parental vocabulary.   In books and blogs, they claim it causes shame or fear.   Sometimes a cognitive block.   Often defensiveness.   In the Gospel text, Peter’s response to Jesus’ “why” is not recorded – if there even was one.   It is difficult to talk when one is terrified and choking on water.   Still in th...
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Location: Springfield Center, NY, USA
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Too Much [Proper 13A - Matthew 14:13-21]

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The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 14:13-21   Too Much St. Hubert’s, Lake Pleasant   At the end of the day, it was simply far too much bread.   It is, admittedly, difficult to calculate the necessary allotment for a crowd numbered in the thousands.   And certainly, you don’t want to run out in the middle of the meal.   But as the satisfied masses dissipated, there was somehow still bread everywhere.   It was like standing in a vast field of wheat, but with no assembly required.   In the most mundane of times, life can be pretty unpredictable.   But this was an extreme version of that.   As the disciples collected the bread, five loaves and two fish must have felt like a distant memory.   All their early evening worries, like a silly dream.   By all accounts, it was a good day.   People were cured.   People were fed.   The crowds that circled the lake, on foot, left satisfied.   The expec...
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Location: Lake Pleasant, NY, USA
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Nothing [Proper 12A - Romans 8:26-39]

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The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Romans 8:26-39   Nothing Transfiguration, Blue Mountain Lake   This is a sermon about “nothing.”   Perhaps you are thinking to yourself, I have heard many sermons about nothing.   Well, that may be the case.   But this sermon is about a very specific “nothing.”   You see, for all the words spilled about the Christian faith over the centuries, “nothing” matters.   In a world populated by billions of diverse and different, beautiful and broken people, “nothing” matters.   Amidst the unfathomable vastness of creation, “nothing” matters.   When you leave this place today, I hope you leave with “nothing.”   Because this “nothing” I have in mind means everything.   We Church people have a long history of complicating and obfuscating the Gospel.   But it is really quite simple.   We tend to qualify and nullify the power of the Christian message, as if our human ingenuity could some...
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Location: Blue Mountain Lake, Indian Lake, NY, USA
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