Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Revelation 7:9-17   Great Multitude   It might just be that we are all standing on the edge of the apocalypse.   That perhaps apocalyptic vision belongs not only to entranced prophets and the writer of the book of Revelation; that apocalyptic talk is not strictly the domain of street-corner preachers and fervent Pentecostals; that apocalyptic experiences are not reserved for the movie screen.   But for those who are permanently stained with baptismal waters, those who sway to the songs of the dead.   The word “apocalypse” is widely misunderstood in our culture and even in the Church.   For most it brings to mind cataclysmic disaster, unprecedented trauma, Rapture anxieties, even the end of the world.   But the apocalypse is not the end of the world; the apocalypse is not made of earthquakes and hurricanes. But it is an act of God: it is the moment God opens our eyes so that we can see the world for what...

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 6:20-31   Remembering Peg   Every summer, just before my boys go back to school, our family navigates the mountain passes between here and Breckenridge for a week of rest before the Fall swings full.   It has become a treasured tradition.   We hike paths now familiar.   We eat at restaurants that have become vacation favorites.   The adults wait as patiently as possible while the indecisive young ones try to decide on their annual souvenir.   We play Uno – the Simpsons variety.   And when clear skies allow it, we ride the gondola, higher up and further into the mountains.   This year, as we were riding the gondola, my phone vibrated that pulse that tells me I have an incoming call.   I didn’t recognize the number.   In my life, and because of my work, I am typically very plugged in, perhaps too plugged in, and so during that week away I try to screen my calls and ignore my burst...