Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 On Earth as it is in Heaven I remember vividly that moment on the morning of June 12, 2016. It was a Sunday morning and I was sitting in Room 211, upstairs, meeting with folks who were interested in our EfM program. And I felt my phone vibrate. It was a text message from my wife. She doesn't typically text me on Sunday mornings; she is aware that I am generally unable to check my phone; I have a lot going on and typically a lot of layers to navigate between hand and pocket. And so, I reasoned this must be important. I checked my phone; I wanted to be sure everything was OK. It wasn't. “Did you see?” The text read. “Largest mass shooting in US history, 50 people.” And I felt instantly sick – though, I have to admit, and I am embarrassed to say this, I was not quite as sick as when I heard about Sandy Hook. I excused myself from the class and went downstairs. My head spinning; my heart breaking...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Exodus 20:1-17 The Ten Commandments If I were inclined to guess, I would guess that the number one reason people reject the Christian religion is the Christians. We're a large group and some of the individual members are, ya know, crazy, strange, hateful.   And honestly all of us have bad days, days when the love of Christ in our lives is less than obvious.   So if one were looking for a reason to not follow Jesus, Jesus' followers offer many very solid reasons. But after the Christians, I suspect the next most prevalent reason to dismiss the faith is the impression that Christianity is all about rules, restrictions, judgment: Thou shalt not!    It's no surprise that some people think this; I mean, every time a Christian group wants to set up a monument in a public space, it is never the Beatitudes or the Fruits of the Spirit, it's always a big statue of the Ten Commandments – in King James' English, of course.   I...