Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 10:25-37   Rule of Three I suspect you have heard of the old “rule of three.”   In storytelling, for example, it is often suggested that a listener finds triads more effective, more humorous, more satisfying.   And so there is a plethora, a profusion, an abundance, if you will, of stories in which we find three characters or three events or three items featured prominently.   Not only do listeners find the threes more satisfying, this predictable structure also makes it easier to remember the details of the story.   In the story of the Three Little Pigs, there are three little houses: one of straw, one of sticks, and one of bricks.   In the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the porridge is too hot, too cold, and just right; the beds too hard, too soft, and, of course, just right.   Going back much further, in the Bible, in the book of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego end up in the fiery...

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...