Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Hosea 1:2-10 Bad Names At the tail-end of our Gospel reading today, Jesus extols the basic decency that is inherent in your average, run-of-the-mill parent.   Admittedly, it is a fairly low bar that he sets.   He takes for granted that the parents in that 1 st century crowd, when their children are hungry, when they ask for dinner, do not place on their little ones’ plates live, venomous creatures – not even when those children are acting very naughty.   Jesus assumes that the typical parent basically wants good things for his or her children.   And I do think that most children of most parents would agree with Jesus’ rather milquetoast statement.   But I can think of three children who might legitimately contend with Christ.   The three kids that I have in mind have a father named Hosea and a mother who apparently had very little say in the naming process. There are many reasons the Old Testament passage fr...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Colossians 1:1-14 A Simple Love Letter Today I thought I would be preaching on either the Good Samaritan parable, a classic passage from Luke’s Gospel, or that deliciously provocative passage from the book of Amos.   I did not think I would be talking about the opening of the Paul’s letter to the Church in Colossae.   Because, why would I?   It is an excerpt from an old correspondence.   It has none of the subversive intrigue of Jesus’ story; neither does it have the sassy retort of the Old Testament lesson.   It’s just the beginning of a letter. And yet as I sat with these lessons, it was Paul’s simple love letter that spoke to the heart of this pastor, at this point in my ministry with you. Honestly, the first half of this month has been difficult.   Last week, I watched as a 5-month long emotional roller-coaster of a curate search, one that included two cancellations and two site visits that ended in disap...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Deuteronomy 10:17-21 A Compassionate Nation It seems to me that no one loved the nation of the Hebrews more than Moses.   That guy was all in.   He risked his life to rescue them from slavery in Egypt.   He spent forty years wandering with them through desert wastelands.   He stuck with them after the golden calf, through the coup d’etats, and despite much, much murmuring.   And he didn’t do it for the perks.   Sure he was leader of the nation, something of a proto-king.   But the role really only offered the negatives associated with power.   And so he was subject to all the complaint and plenty of second-guessing.   He was embarrassed by the nation’s many missteps, which certainly reflected poorly on the one in charge.   He was expected to provide food in a food desert and water in an actual desert.   He knocked on God’s door to beg and plead for the people, on their behalf, countless t...