Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 5:1-11   Believing in Miracles   Always a crowd; always pressing in on Jesus.   Before, in the previous chapter of Luke’s Gospel, it was the angry hometown crowd, trying to press Jesus right off a cliff.   And today it is a lakeshore crowd pressing Jesus into the choppy waters of the lake of Gennesaret, aka the Sea of Galilee.   Even in the best of times, this Jesus’ work is dangerous business.     Fortunately for Jesus, the mood has changed since his visit in Nazareth.   This crowd, the one by the water, is not angry, not jealous, not even murderous, they are desperate.   They are pressing in to hear the Gospel, to hear Jesus preach the Good News.     If it is possible to be overly eager to hear a sermon, this crowd is that.   They press in so hard that Jesus is forced to make alternative pulpit arrangements.   He decides to find his safety in an empty boat. ...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29 Complaints and Miracles I know this is more of a rock concert thing than a Sunday morning pulpit thing, but I want to dedicate this sermon to our Bible Study groups – groups that are this week wrapping up a ten-week study of the book of Numbers.   It has been quite a ride.   We've witnessed the liberated slaves, the Israelites, come to the edge of the promised land.   As they journeyed through the desert an entire generation died – some from disease, some in battle, some were killed by snakes, some were swallowed by the ground and others consumed by fire.   The bodies really pile up in Numbers.   We heard divine instructions come from the mouth of a donkey and a pagan.   We've read stories both enlightening and terrible. And, we have heard many, many, many complaints; I should be clear, many complaints from the people in Numbers not from members of the parish – at least not during ...