Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Genesis 9:8-17 What About Fear? I know it doesn ’ t seem like it, but this part of the Noah story is about what is left when fear is no longer in the picture. You should know, I am not a seafaring man.  I knew the fields and hills of Ohio as a boy.  On those rare occasions, when I would gaze over the vastness of Lake Erie – or even rarer still, the impossible expanse of the Atlantic Ocean – those bodies of water seemed to me strangers.  But not kindly strangers, not friends one has just not yet met, but mysterious strangers, foreboding strangers.  I suspected danger was lurking just below the surface. I am still suspicious of water that has not yet been domesticated.  I am very fond of the water that comes from a tap, that courses through the copper pipes of my house.  But I prefer to keep the water that fills lakes, rivers and oceans at an arm's length.  There is simply too much unknown in there. ...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Ash Wednesday Psalm 103:8-14 Love and Ashes It has been well-covered that Ash Wednesday this year falls on February 14 th , often better-known as Valentine’s Day.  For many of us this is the first time we have had to decide between ashes or a romantic dinner out.  But this is not the first time this strange juxtaposition has occurred.  The last time the two holidays fell on the same date was 1945.  That was a long time ago – though I do now realize some of you out there probably actually do remember the last time.  In many ways Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day are strange bedfellows.  Certainly a married priest, like myself, is forced to sheepishly admit that the only date my wife will get today is the Noon liturgy and the only gift will be ashes.  (And so I am not scolded after the service, we did celebrate Valentine’s Day on Monday.) But I think it goes without saying that the two call to mind different ...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Mark 9:2-9 Change Don’t let the Gospel fool you: Peter knew exactly what he was saying and why he was saying it.  I have no doubt that he was awestruck and terrified, and so I can concede that perhaps his response to the Transfiguration was not terribly well thought out.  But then that probably just means his response was actually honest, not pious, not guarded, but the honest expression of his heart. The word “transfiguration” comes from a Latin word that means a “change of form.”  And so I believe Peter’s response to Jesus’ transfiguration was a very natural human response to the change he witnessed, to change in general: don’t.  Don’t change.  After a lifetime of fishing for something, Peter found meaning and purpose in Jesus and change was threatening that.  Change reminds us that nothing beautiful can be frozen in time.  Each moment brings a change with it that transports us into the next changing moment...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Mark 1:29-39 Be Like Brady You’ve probably heard: today is Super Bowl Sunday.  It’s such a big deal even Fr. Brendan knows there is a football game today – though I’m not sure he knows which teams are playing.  It’s the Eagles and the Patriots. Now I don’t want to appear partisan in such a divisive and charged environment, but it is worth pointing out that our Old Testament lesson today does say that those who wait for the Lord shall…mount up with wings like Eagles.  Now, I’m not saying that God wants the Eagles to win, I would never say that, but it is possible that the prophet Isaiah does.  And he is a prophet, so might it possible that this morning’s Scriptures foretell an Eagles victory tonight?  Probably not.  Most of you know that I am a Browns fan – not the easiest thing in Broncos’ country; I face a lot of peer pressure to convert; that will never happen.  And because I am a Browns fan, I know bet...