Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 16:19-31 It’s not too late This was the story he was born to tell.   It was in his DNA.   His mother sang this song to him in the womb – a song of a world turned up-side-down, a song of hope for the poor and forgotten, a dream to be dreamed by those covered in sores, for those dying on the side of the road.   The lyrics lived in his soul: “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly, has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”   It was Mary’s Song.   And now it was his: his story to tell.   A story of salvation, perched at the edge of the apocalypse. Jesus’ story, his parable, is the story of two men: one powerful and one lowly, one rich and one hungry.   And because this is a parable, and because Jesus’ parables tend to often employ hyperbolic language to draw the listeners in, to peak their interest, the extremes here are very extreme. ...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Psalm 79 & 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Prayer and Love The Bible is a strangely complex book.   And occasionally the lectionary makes sure that we do not forget that fact.   Today is one of those days.   The contrast between the abrasive emotion of today’s psalm and the gentle inclusivity we heard in the letter to Timothy, for example, is significant; there is an emotional range displayed there.   It is kind of like the range of emotions in our nation the day after a presidential election, when half of the country, those for the whom the election did not go as they had hoped, is crying out with the psalmist, “Pour out your wrath upon the heathen” and the other half is like my grandma, posting facebook memes reminding those in anguish that the Bible does tell us to say our prayers for “kings and all who are in high positions.”   The Bible has range. What is perhaps most interesting about these divergent scriptural expressions,...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 15:1-10 The One I am not a shepherd, and so, perhaps, I am not one to judge, but I do wonder about this shepherd in Jesus’ parable.   I have concerns.   Something seems a little bit off with him.   To me his actions are so strange, I feel like I must be missing something.   In fact, I’d love to be able to access his inner dialogue.   But unfortunately I cannot.   And so how I imagine it, is something like this: 97, 98, 99…   Someone’s missing.   There should be one more.   I probably just miscounted.   OK.   I can just count again.   I wish they would just stand still.   It would make this so much easier.   97, 98, 99… <sigh> One is missing.   What should I do?   What should I do?   Well, I gotta find it.   Alright.   Sheep, listen.   I will be right back.   Stay.   Do you hear me?   Just stay.   Please.   OK...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 14:1, 7-14 Dinner Party! Sometimes in the Gospels Jesus is edgy and sometimes Jesus is all about dinner party etiquette, apparently.   Today, Jesus dispenses critical advice to those hoping to make a splash at their next big social outing.   If you just follow his simple advice you too could have the tremendous privilege of being publicly honored, vindicated before some of society’s finest.   If getting to the head of the table is your goal, Jesus, toucher of lepers, friend of fishermen, celebrated for his Sermon on the Mount, has a plan that just might get you to the head of the table.   Or maybe Jesus isn’t that interested in etiquette at all; maybe he just showed up late to this party and the only seat left was the worst seat in the house and this was a not-so-subtle hint for the host to move him up to a better seat. What Jesus is doing in today’s Gospel seems rather pedestrian.   He is eating a meal.   T...