Preaching the Scriptures

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Hosea 1:2-10 Bad Names At the tail-end of our Gospel reading today, Jesus extols the basic decency that is inherent in your average, run-of-the-mill parent.   Admittedly, it is a fairly low bar that he sets.   He takes for granted that the parents in that 1 st century crowd, when their children are hungry, when they ask for dinner, do not place on their little ones’ plates live, venomous creatures – not even when those children are acting very naughty.   Jesus assumes that the typical parent basically wants good things for his or her children.   And I do think that most children of most parents would agree with Jesus’ rather milquetoast statement.   But I can think of three children who might legitimately contend with Christ.   The three kids that I have in mind have a father named Hosea and a mother who apparently had very little say in the naming process. There are many reasons the Old Testament passage fr...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Colossians 1:1-14 A Simple Love Letter Today I thought I would be preaching on either the Good Samaritan parable, a classic passage from Luke’s Gospel, or that deliciously provocative passage from the book of Amos.   I did not think I would be talking about the opening of the Paul’s letter to the Church in Colossae.   Because, why would I?   It is an excerpt from an old correspondence.   It has none of the subversive intrigue of Jesus’ story; neither does it have the sassy retort of the Old Testament lesson.   It’s just the beginning of a letter. And yet as I sat with these lessons, it was Paul’s simple love letter that spoke to the heart of this pastor, at this point in my ministry with you. Honestly, the first half of this month has been difficult.   Last week, I watched as a 5-month long emotional roller-coaster of a curate search, one that included two cancellations and two site visits that ended in disap...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Deuteronomy 10:17-21 A Compassionate Nation It seems to me that no one loved the nation of the Hebrews more than Moses.   That guy was all in.   He risked his life to rescue them from slavery in Egypt.   He spent forty years wandering with them through desert wastelands.   He stuck with them after the golden calf, through the coup d’etats, and despite much, much murmuring.   And he didn’t do it for the perks.   Sure he was leader of the nation, something of a proto-king.   But the role really only offered the negatives associated with power.   And so he was subject to all the complaint and plenty of second-guessing.   He was embarrassed by the nation’s many missteps, which certainly reflected poorly on the one in charge.   He was expected to provide food in a food desert and water in an actual desert.   He knocked on God’s door to beg and plead for the people, on their behalf, countless t...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson 1 Kings 19:1-15a Done I think I know what is going on here: Elijah is trying to get fired.   He’s done.   He wants out and he wants out now.   I mean just look at the story we heard this morning from the first book of Kings.   Elijah runs away from the job site, falls asleep on the job, and then tells his boss that he would rather be dead than punch the clock one more time.   This prophet is practically daring God to hand him his walking papers. But it wasn’t always like this.   In fact, Elijah is coming directly off of his biggest professional triumph.   The chapter preceding today’s Old Testament lesson details his epic showdown with the prophets of Baal and with the royals of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.   You might remember that one: in an astounding display Elijah calls down fire from heaven to devour offering and altar after the whimpering prophets of the Canaanite deity Baal fail to conjure as...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Acts 2:1-21 The Invasion Do not be fooled: this Pentecost story, the one written in the Acts of the Apostles, was not a one off.   It was not an isolated event.   It is not an historical footnote confined to dusty old books.   Yes, it did take place many centuries ago.   And it is true that the exact events of that day – including those mysterious flames and the spontaneous language skills – are hardly typical.   But don’t be fooled: this was not an isolated event.   It was the beginning of something quite significant; it was the beginning of the invasion. It is not as if this Pentecostal occasion was the first time the Holy Spirit visited our planet.   In fact, the same Spirit first hovered over the primordial waters, in the very beginning, when chaos was first being put in order.   But this was different.   This time, in these last days, it was more like a contagion that meant to spread through t...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Acts 16:16-34 Salvation Is this what salvation looks like?   As today’s story from Acts shifts and jumps, shakes and quakes, and the Holy Spirit of God working in the story does the same, it is this question that, repeatedly, at each twist, turn, pause, and break is begged.   Is this what salvation looks like? The passage begins innocently enough – if one can ever call the work of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts innocent.   And the vast number of apostolic arrests in this book suggests that maybe one cannot.   But it is the case that when Paul and his companions enter into the Macedonian city of Phillipi, they decide, blinders on, halos firmly affixed, to head straight for the place of prayer. They were not looking for any trouble. But trouble finds them.   In the guise of a slave girl – a slave girl who just happens to be possessed by a spirit – a spirit that takes a special interest in these men who are defi...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 10:22-30 In the Hand of Jesus It just happens.   I suppose it can probably be explained – maybe with something like evolutionary biology.   Or maybe a chemist could describe the chemistry, the release of chemicals in one’s body.   Maybe it is an involuntary reaction to big heads, round eyes, and utter helplessness.   Perhaps it can be explained.   But I can’t, for the life of me, understand why someone would want to explain something so beautiful, so poetic, so mystical, so magical.   I have twice fallen in love in a hospital delivery room. I will, of course, never forget the warrior in that room.   The mother of my children, who for some reason that I will never fully understand, decided to go through pregnancy, labor, and delivery a second time, even though she knew what she was getting into.   But I am glad she did.   Like a champion who had just run her course, she held those precious babi...