Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Matthew 28:16-20   Great endings   What makes for a great ending?   Well, I suppose it should leave the reader, at once, feeling satisfied and yet still wanting more.   I suppose it should emerge naturally from all that came before, hinted at in subtle ways throughout the story but also spontaneous to the touch.   I suppose it should stir powerful emotions in the soul of its audience.   I suppose it should, finally, make the reader dream up the sequel, imagine a world beyond the back cover.   All four Gospels have great endings.   Mark’s Gospel concludes with a dramatic cliffhanger: “So [the women] went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”   And that would be a sad ending to Easter Sunday – except that we know that there is more to the story.   The word did get out.   We, the readers, got the wor...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Epiphany 3A 1-26-20 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 United You should know this: these 1 st century churches were not large.   Paul writes most of his letters in the 50’s – not the 1950’s, the just 50’s – a mere twenty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Church was still brand new.   And so we’re not talking hundreds of people in congregation, probably more like a couple dozen.   We will have more people stay for the Parish Annual Meeting today than there were Christians in the city of Corinth during Paul’s life.   When Paul writes his letters to the Corinthians, he is writing to the Church is Corinth.   When he is writing to the Church is Corinth, he is really writing to a handful of people who are trying to figure out how to follow Jesus in the days before anyone had even transcribed a Gospel. It is important that you understand this.   Because if you do not, you will not be able to appreciate the a...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Romans 8:26-39 Nothing but Good News For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. If you have been wondering: what exactly is this Good News we're always talking about in church? What is this Gospel that we are called to share beyond those heavy doors? This is it. This is the Good News. This is the Gospel. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. There is nothing that can separate us, nothing that can separate me, nothing that can separate you, from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Noth...