Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 6:1-21   More than Enough   There are no bad ideas: this is something people actually say – often desperate people who find themselves leading all-too-quiet brainstorming sessions.   And everybody knows, it’s not true.   St. Andrew knows.   He realizes it just as his bad idea escapes his mouth.   Once it’s out there, you can’t put it back.   And so he tries to cover.   “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.”   You can practically hear Andrew’s thoughts fill the space between the sentences: “why did I say that?   That was so stupid…”   And so he smoothly adds, “But what are they among so many people?”   Well, the answer is, and Andrew knows it: not much.   Perhaps a decent meal for the boy who packed it.   But in a crowd of 5000 people – 5000 hungry people – it was so little, it was insignificant.   The truth was: they did not have enoug...

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...