Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Lent 5A 3-29-20 Ezekiel 37:1-14 In the Valley Lazarus is dead.   In the passage from John’s Gospel that we heard today, Lazarus is dead, actually dead – at least at the beginning of that passage, at least until the breath of God fills his tomb and his body.   But in the valley of dry bones, that place in which there is nothing but death, no one is actually dead.   In our reading from the prophet Ezekiel, our first reading this morning, no one, not a single person in that valley, is dead, but something is dead…and that is hope.   And that is what this strange vision is about. This passage from the prophet emerges from the days of exile.   The nation of Israel was in exile and so was their prophet – away from home, stranded in a strange land.   It was a painful and disorienting time.   Very suddenly, everything around which the community gathered was taken from them.   They could no longer worship...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 4:5-42 Where Jesus is It had been an excellent morning for Jesus’ disciples.   Jesus sent them on a mission – a very important mission.   And our Gospel today indicates that that mission was a resounding success.   They returned, heads high, smiles wide, having very much achieved their objective.   Not every task on which Jesus sent them was so straightforward, and so it felt good to knock one out of the park.   Twelve grown men, one triumphant food run.   The disciples got lunch. As they rounded the bend, as the well, the place where they left Jesus, came into view, their smiles quickly faded, the joy of the morning, the satisfaction of a job well done dissipated in the hot noonday sun.   Jesus was still there – right where they left him.   But something was off.   They came upon a most unexpected sight.   It was a disorienting scene.   They couldn’t believe their eyes, but the ...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 3:1-17 Nicodemus This meeting wasn’t exactly planned.   It was more the direct result of a head full of thoughts – the kind of thoughts that present unresolvable problems.   The kind of impossible dilemmas that seem only to emerge once the bustle of the day is put to bed.   And so, on that rather ordinary night, at the end of a rather ordinary day, Nicodemus tossed and turned in his bed, and so did his mind. It was Jesus: Jesus was the impossible quandary, the stone in Nicodemus’ brain sandal.   His was the voice this local leader could not turn off.   And so, though it was dark, though the night was suggesting sleep and quiet, Nicodemus needed some answers to quell this particular case of insomnia.   Given that Jesus was the problem, he reasoned, Jesus must also be the answer. Some scholars suggest that Nicodemus came to Jesus under the cover of night to avoid the watchful eyes of his peers.   And ...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 4:1-11 Bread or No Bread? Jesus did eat.   Not in this particular Gospel reading of course, but in the thirty-three years of his mortal life, Jesus most assuredly did eat food.   He even ate bread.   Not in this particular Gospel of course, but throughout his life, and in many other Gospel stories, Jesus did eat bread – loaves of it.   In fact, around the village, Jesus was kinda known for eating, was known for his appetite.   Apparently, some folks, not the polite folks, but some people, used to say about Jesus, “Hey! Look, a glutton and a drunkard.”   And so, according to the Gospel, although not this particular one, Jesus did eat. It seems Jesus was one of those rare gluttons who possessed the will power to fast for forty straight days.   And so certainly, by the time the devil approached him, Jesus was hungry, famished even.   So why not transform a few stones into a long anticipated breakfa...