Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 10:22-30 In the Hand of Jesus It just happens.   I suppose it can probably be explained – maybe with something like evolutionary biology.   Or maybe a chemist could describe the chemistry, the release of chemicals in one’s body.   Maybe it is an involuntary reaction to big heads, round eyes, and utter helplessness.   Perhaps it can be explained.   But I can’t, for the life of me, understand why someone would want to explain something so beautiful, so poetic, so mystical, so magical.   I have twice fallen in love in a hospital delivery room. I will, of course, never forget the warrior in that room.   The mother of my children, who for some reason that I will never fully understand, decided to go through pregnancy, labor, and delivery a second time, even though she knew what she was getting into.   But I am glad she did.   Like a champion who had just run her course, she held those precious babi...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Acts 9:1-20 Don’t Say It If you want a lesson, a takeaway from today’s sermon, I suppose it is this: If the Lord calls your name, do not, under any circumstance, respond, “Here I am, Lord.”   Just don’t do it.   Now you might be surprised to hear me say that.   Priests are supposed to encourage their members to listen for the voice of Jesus, to follow the great call of God.   But here’s the thing, I’ve read some Bible, quite a bit actually, and so I know how this goes down.   And, generally speaking, it’s not good. For example: Back in the book of Genesis, old father Abraham responds, “Here I am, Lord.”   And God tells him to kill his son.   Not good.   In the book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible, Moses responds, “Here I am, Lord.”   You might remember that story, the story of the burning bush.   And God tells him to go back into Egypt, the land he had just fled, and confront the m...