Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Exodus 33:12-23   Bold Prayers   If one find’s oneself in the presence of the British Monarch, one better behave appropriately.   In such rarified company, a guest is expected to arrive in advance of the monarch and leave before the royal exits the room.   In doing so, the guest must never turn their back to the monarch; such behavior is considered quite rude.   Do not initiate physical contact; that is not your place.   Shake only if shaken.   Do not speak unless spoken to; do not sit unless the monarch first sits; and do not eat unless you first witness food enter the mouth of the sovereign.   And ladies, if you curtsy, please remember to limit your curtsy to a short bob, “ keeping the back straight, hands by the side, dropping the knees slightly and bowing the head. ” [1]   Above all, be polite and civilized; you are meeting a royal after all.      Fortunately for him, Moses ...

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13   A Prayer for a New Year   This is my planner.   It is brand new.   The cover is not yet worn or dirtied.   It has not yet been mangled by the assorted contents of my backpack, the place it will spend much of this next year.   There currently is not a single mark on its pages.   Nothing has been crossed out or checked off.   It will never again be quite as pristine as it is this morning.     This planner is a little different from the planners one might find at Staples or Target because this planner begins with today, November 28, the first Sunday of Advent.   You see, it is the Episcopal Liturgical Appointment Calendar.   It is decorated with Bible verses and tiny little candles mark the feasts of the Church.   Even though, like probably many of you, I trust my phone to keep my appointments, to vibrate in my pocket 15 minutes before each meeting...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 18:9-14 Honest Prayers and God’s Grace Now, you can say what you want about the Pharisee in today’s Gospel, but I’ll tell you this: the man is honest.   I have no doubt that he meant every word he prayed.   “God, I just, I just want to thank you…thank you…that I am not like other people.   Thank you for making me so much better than the rest of these disgusting humans – a collection of thieves, rogues, and adulterers.   And, you know, while I am offering you this beautiful prayer of thanksgiving, let me add this: Thank you for making me better than that guy, that guy over in the corner.   Amen.”   That is an honest prayer.   I mean, most people think stuff like that.   But not many people are bold enough and confident enough to pray that.   And so for all the flaws that the Pharisee does have, at least he is honest; his prayer is heart-felt. And what about that guy across the room, the one bea...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Psalm 79 & 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Prayer and Love The Bible is a strangely complex book.   And occasionally the lectionary makes sure that we do not forget that fact.   Today is one of those days.   The contrast between the abrasive emotion of today’s psalm and the gentle inclusivity we heard in the letter to Timothy, for example, is significant; there is an emotional range displayed there.   It is kind of like the range of emotions in our nation the day after a presidential election, when half of the country, those for the whom the election did not go as they had hoped, is crying out with the psalmist, “Pour out your wrath upon the heathen” and the other half is like my grandma, posting facebook memes reminding those in anguish that the Bible does tell us to say our prayers for “kings and all who are in high positions.”   The Bible has range. What is perhaps most interesting about these divergent scriptural expressions,...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 11:1-13 Prayer I have knocked; I have knocked on unanswered doors. I have searched; I have searched and did not find. I have asked; I have asked questions into the bottomless abyss from which no answer ever emerged. And so have you. Not every time. But some times. You have prayed for a healing that never came. A solution that was not solved. You have knocked at the door and it seemed the knock just echoed through an empty house. I chose to preach on this text because I really did not know what to say about that – especially in light of today's Gospel. Now I don't think prayer is a sanctified magic spell. I don't think using the correct words or doing it the right way guarantees desired results. If that were the case sporting events would get very complicated. All those prayers going back and forth could get pretty confusing for heaven. And we can be sure, a lot of the prayers would be prayed for sporting eve...