Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 6:17-26 The Other Beatitudes                                                                                                       “’In spirit.’ You forgot to say ‘in spirit.’”   That’s how I imagine this went.   Someone in that crowd yelled out the “in spirit.”   That’s just life on the road.   You make enough stops.   Give enough speeches.   Stand before enough crowds: and your groupies know your bits.   Someone knew, I’m sure, that the line, the opening line, of the Beatitudes, is “Blessed are the poor…in spirit.” It might have been some kind-hearted soul who just wanted to protect Jesus, just wanted to help him out.   He was, after all, early in his ministry at this point in Luke’s Gospel.   He maybe wasn’t so used to the big crowds, “the great multitude” is how Luke describes this gathering.   There were a lot of people listening.   And you don’t get all political and start talking about people’s money on your first arena tour – un

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Isaiah 6:1-8 Call Stories It was a truly stunning moment of beauty.   Isaiah the prophet, but not yet a prophet, was in the Temple.   And in that holiest of places, the world suddenly melted away.   Around him no longer stone, no more parachuting specks of dust floating lazily through the sunlight, no more stubborn sacrificial bulls bellowing out in panicked protest, all of it gone; until there was just God, with a robe that spilled from the heavenly throne like a lava flow, unavoidable and encompassing.   Divine presence: not in the way one assumes or theologizes that God is always with us but silent and unseen; this was divine presence in that thick, tangible way, like when a dream becomes true.   It was a vision but it was as real as anything or maybe more real than everything.   Sometimes life pivots on something that cannot be touched, cannot be held, can only be experienced soul-deep.   And this was like that.   Any eye-witness would t