Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Mark 8:31-38   Following Jesus St. Thomas’ Pakistani Episcopal Church   Jesus was not oblivious.   He was well aware of the excitement that followed him – a blossoming expectation that threatened full bloom.   The conversation in today’s Gospel passage follows on the heels of a miraculous banquet, the feeding of four thousand people, in the desert, with just a few loaves and fish.   Not long after the leftovers were cleared and collected, Jesus performed the stunning healing of a blind man.   Jesus was doing miracles.   And miracles make people talk and ask questions and even hope.   The disciples were not immune to the contagious excitement.   They could feel it; they were in it.   They witnessed so many miracles with Jesus, and by Jesus, that the sheer quantity could make the miraculous feel almost mundane.   They watched as Jesus’ words captured large crowds; his love transforme...

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Isaiah 64:1-9   And come down   Marty McFly slyly swipes the sports almanac from a devious young Biff.   Sarah Connor and Arnold protect the future savior of the human race from Skynet and a speedy shape-shifting Terminator.   Bill and Ted scour the past for history homework help.   In each of these time-travel movies, the heroes journey into the past with an important mission: to prevent a dystopian future.   Time-travel fantasies are often preoccupied with intervention: stopping Hitler before the onset of the Holocaust, evacuating a building before a horrific attack, using one’s historical knowledge to prevent a catastrophe.   In every case: using one’s power for good, to save innocent lives, to decrease human suffering, to make the world a better place.   If we had the power to prevent bad things, wouldn’t we be morally obligated to use our power to do just that?     Standing i...

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Romans 5:1-5   Suffering and Hope   Candy Land, a game “lovingly” described on Wikipedia as requiring, “no reading…minimal counting skills [and] no strategy,” is a wonderfully accessible way to introduce even the youngest of children to the timeless idea of journey.   It is true that the Candy Land journey is a bit more simplistic than the journey through life – all laid out as it is in a predictably static two dimensions.   But while the path on the board is clear, every trip has its own challenges. At times the cards you draw will set you off in the direction of your goal; at others times there are setbacks and slowdowns in the cards.   You might be forced to retrace your steps a time or two; your plastic child could at times get stuck in some sticky sugar for a turn.   But what is always true is that the road begins at the Cupcake Commons, runs past the Lollypop Woods, and ends at the Promised Land of Candy C...