Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 24:13-35   A Hope that does not Disappoint St. Paul’s, Sidney   They had hoped.   But the long walk of retreat was evidence that hope was no longer on the agenda.   They had hoped.   But now, standing before an inquisitive stranger, they just look sad.   The bright glow of hope went out when the sharp nails went into Jesus’ precious body.   Where hope once reigned, there was now nothing but disappointment.   It was a very human experience that they were experiencing on the road back to Emmaus.   This is what people do: they get their hopes up only to be let down.   And those two disciples were let down…because they had hoped.   People place their hope in a lot of things – and always have.   The Hebrew Scriptures are filled with stories of misplaced hope: golden calves melted down, stone idols turned to dust, mighty kings disgraced.   As the psalmist reminds u...

The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 2:1-20   Beautifully Strange Cathedral of All Saints, Albany   The very first Christmas was tucked into, what might have been, the quietest corner of the world.   So quiet that it was almost like a little secret between God and a select few.   And the few were not social influencers or cultural heavy weights; they were not people positioned to start a buzz.   Instead, they were social pariahs, cultural leftovers: a young couple unmarried with child and some suspect nomads – people who didn’t matter.   And so, Christmas started as a whisper.   But, as you know, the secret got out.   Like a rumor that went viral.     And so tonight, from this pulpit, I feel like I am telling you something you already know: this timeless story of a peasant baby who became the Savior of the world.   You could likely recite the details of this Lukan account without notes, off the cuff – because the ...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 23:33-43   The Sign Calvary, Burnt Hills, NY   The sign is a joke.   Not a funny joke; not a joke that brings joy or happiness to the world.   It is, instead, one of those “clever” jokes, like a cartoon in the New Yorker. Maybe it doesn’t make you laugh out loud, but if you get it, if you can untangle the irony, you smile a little and feel smart.   The sign was that kind of joke.   And the joke, this joke, it is on us.   Because we clearly don’t get it, don’t get the clever irony.   We take the sign, nailed as it was just above the head of Jesus, literally.   As if that sign was an informative museum plaque.   And that is a strange stance to take, given the circumstance, in light of the terrible events of this Gospel story.       Most everyone in the story was in on the joke.   The leaders riffed on it, for the entertainment of the crowd, stand-up in ...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 21:5-19   When Will This Be? St. Paul’s, Schenectady (Rotterdam)   I woke up late on that Saturday morning – just in time to watch my Saturday morning favorites: NBA Inside Stuff, Saved by the Bell, and Looney Tunes.   But on this particular Saturday, something wasn’t quite right.   I could sense it almost immediately.   Instead of bustle, the house was eerily silent.   No one was milling about.   The television screen was a powerless dull grey.   Every room I explored revealed the same unsettling discovery: nothing.     I have two parents and two younger siblings, and so the silence, and absence, was notable.   I was a child in the days before cell phones and so my investigative options were limited.   You might remember that back in those days if someone wasn’t at home, by their landline, or right beside you, there was no way to reach them.   It was as if they...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 20:27-38   Resurrection Certainty St. Christopher’s, Cobleskill   They could have come to Jesus to be touched well.   They could have sat at his feet and drank from the well of his wisdom.   They could have simply breathed in the same breath that, in the beginning, separated the water from the dry land.   Or just stood still in his loving gaze.   But instead, they came to embarrass Jesus in front of this crowd.   Because of course they did.   These Sadducees, we are told, did not believe in the resurrection.   And so this was not an earnest or honest question.   Their question was devised to prove to Jesus, and anyone who would listen, that they were right: more well-read, more devoted, more righteous.   And that Jesus was wrong.   Because of their carefully crafted question everyone would see that they knew the Bible better.   And unlike Jesus, they actually res...

  The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 18:9-14   Surprise All Saints, Round Lake   Are you shocked?   Are you stunned?     When Jesus hit that wild, twist of an ending, did you discover that your mouth was left agape, your eyes bulging wide?   Or, were you not surprised at all by the surprise at the end of this parable?   Did you even realize that you were supposed to be surprised?   The truth is: The Sixth Sense or Planet of the Apes are not shocking movies on the twentieth viewing.   Or after a series of spoilers.   The endings are not as twisty when you see them coming.   A surprise doesn’t feel jarring if it is not a surprise to its audience.   If you already know the identity of Luke’s father, “Luke, I am your father” doesn’t take your breath away; it just registers as a dramatically delivered mundane fact.   This Gospel reading is old news – about 2000 years old, to be almost exact. And it i...

  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 Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 10:38-42   Putting Words in Jesus’ Mouth St. James, Lake Delaware   It was a bold move.   But somebody had to do it.   Because they were hosting a small village and Mary was just sitting there.   There were tons of tasks to do: beds and food and basins of water and coasters to put under drinks.   And with that many young men in the house, messes to clean up and scents to air out.   So, of course, Martha was scurrying around, checking off task after task with little to no help – no help, if you asked her.      And you know how it is: siblings don’t listen to siblings.   Mary wasn’t jumping up at Martha’s command.   Mary was tuning her out to tune into the voice of Jesus.   And, like, Martha got that.   Jesus was a great storyteller; he was interesting to listen to.   Martha would have loved to sit and listen to Jesus but there was a lot to do.   And...