Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 12:49-56   Healing Flames St. Eustice, Lake Placid   The dog defiantly held an empty raisin box in his mouth.   What we did not know was whether the dog discovered an empty raisin box, or whether the dog emptied the raisin box.   And the dog, being a dog, wasn’t talking.   But the answer to the question was important.   In fact, it carried life and death implications.     My wife quickly called the emergency line and was instructed to hastily head to the store for the medicine – in this case, hydrogen peroxide: to make the dog, the dog with the raisin box, vomit.   It was immediately and abundantly clear: this would not be the relaxing evening we had planned.   I am sure the dog, quite pleased with himself for finding that box, was puzzled by the concerned looks and panicked energy in the house.   Little did he know: his happy evening of box chewing and attention was a...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Acts 2:1-21   What do we do with this fire?   What do we do with this fire? Breaking into locked spaces Scorching one-hundred and twenty faces Undermining homeostasis   In the upper room Where they were waiting It blew in on the breeze   At first among them And then on them Living lighters Just milling about Each saw one hundred and nineteen fires The others’ fires Everywhere Spotlighting the frenzied faces of friends and fellows Each person saw mant, but felt just one, one tongue of flame And one was enough   You don’t need to see what can be felt It’s like faith But in the hair On the scalp Like a burning bush: Consumed but not consumed   Disruptive To the days of silent prayer And talking And pacing And waiting Waiting for something To come down from the skies Like the angels promised   But not this No one expected this: To be set...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 9:51-62 Calling Down Fire Well, that escalated quickly: straight to the fire. Once again (and this seems to be a recurring theme in his life) Jesus cannot find any lodging. He's been having this problem since the day he was born; no room ready that day either. And unlike his parents, Mary and Joseph, who settled for some rather unusual accommodations for the newborn baby Jesus, James and John are less understanding, less flexible. “Burn it to the ground.” So, this feels like an extreme reaction, right? An extreme reaction for really any rational adult. Especially, one does not expect this from Jesus' disciples. Specifically one does not expect this from the disciples in his inner circle, two of the disciples who, along with Peter, just prior to this incident witnessed the Transfiguration, two disciples whom we commemorate as saints – we name churches after these guys – and they are ready to call down a divine nuclear stri...