Tag Archives: Jesus

On Faith, Wellness, and Reality…

21 Wednesday Oct 2026

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Photo credit: https://www.sjcfl.us/employee-connection/wellness/

One of the questions the bishop asks a priest in their ordination vows is, “Will you do your best to pattern your life and that of your family in accordance with the teachings of Christ, so that you may be a wholesome example to your people?”  I remember when my bishop asked me that question over 16 years ago how daunting that question felt – not only for myself but also for my family.  Having grown up as a preacher’s kid, I remember thinking how much pressure that invitation felt:  for the whole family to be a wholesome example to the church. 

So, when the Church invited clergy and their spouses to attend a Wellness Conference last week, focusing on both physical and financial wellness, I had a revelation in one of those sessions:  this is what that promise was all about.  Tending to my family’s physical and financial wellness is patterning our life as an example.  And so are a lot of other things we do:  navigating parenting, tending to our marriage, working on my own physical, spiritual, and mental health.  Giving attention to all those areas are ways that we model faithful living.  And perhaps most importantly, being honest about the struggles, upfront about the good and the bad days, and inviting others to share their truth too creates the foundation where we can all more honestly journey in the life of faith authentically and encouragingly. 

My hope is that we do that work together in preaching and teaching too.  I cannot count the number of times someone has said to me after a church service, “That sermon was tough!  You gave me a lot to think about.”  My response is always the same, “Just remember, every sermon I preach is addressed to me too!”  If the words of Jesus or the story of God is challenging to you, you better believe those same things are challenging to me as well.  My hope is that by naming how hard they are, I am doing my work of being a wholesome example. 

All that is to say, I invite you to take an honest look at your witness to others (yes, even if you’re not a priest, others are looking at your life as your Christian witness).  Are you tending to your own wellness:  physical, spiritual, mental, financial?  Are you being open and honest about where your faith pinches and where you still struggle to make sense of it all?  Being a wholesome example doesn’t mean only showing others a “perfect life.”  Being a wholesome example means revealing your humanity and your desire to love God even when your capacity feels diminished.  Many more people will feel invited into a journey of faith if they feel like they can do that without trying to be perfect – just wholesome.

Sermon – Matthew 22.15-22, P24, YA, October 18, 2026

21 Wednesday Oct 2026

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“Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Jesus says these words today, and we tend immediately do some mental math to make meaning.  As one scholar points out, “Some people point to this passage as proof that God and politics should be kept separate — that things like taxes have absolutely nothing to do with one’s theological commitments.  Others say that this story proves that religion is a matter of the heart, and that Jesus doesn’t really care about mundane things like what you do with your money.  And some have cited this passage as proof that Jesus taught that the law is the law, and our duty as Christians is to support the government no matter what.”[i]

But before we start doing our own twenty-first century mental math, we need to understand what is happening in today’s story that evokes this seemingly clear statement, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Jesus is not laying out a treatise of how his followers are to navigate the tensions between church and state.  Jesus is navigating the various factions that would much rather have him eliminated than hear the real meaning of his words.  The Pharisees and the Herodians have little in common.  In fact, they are pretty much enemies, with the Herodians dedicated to King Herod and the Pharisees dedicated to Jewish Law – including being opposed to paying the tax to Caesar for religious reasons.  But despite these divided loyalties, the Pharisees and Herodians unite in their desire to remove Jesus from the scene.[ii] And so, they play this game, trying to trick Jesus into either angering the state or angering the faithful – either way, cursing Jesus.  But Jesus transforms the trick into something much bigger than the narrow question about taxes.  His clear statement, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” volleys a question back to both the Herodians, the Pharisees, and even us, over 2000 years later.  The return question for all of us is:  What belongs to the emperor and what belongs to God?

Now, when I’m exploring a new concept, I’m a bit of a visual learner.  I need to see something in writing or have something in a chart or spreadsheet to really grasp a new idea.  So, let’s take Jesus’ statement, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” and make a mental pie chart.  Are you ready?  First, let’s put our taxes pie piece in the chart.  We’ll estimate that to be about twenty percent.  So, now we have a pie chart with about eighty percent left.  From that, let’s take out our pledge.  For ease of argument, let’s say we subscribe to giving a tithe, so we will take out ten percent.  That leaves us with seventy percent with which to play.  But Jesus says that the things that belong to God should be given to God.  If we have jobs, or retirement funds, or we go to school, our ability to do those things belongs to God.  So, we have to give that back to God.  That probably leaves us with about fifty percent in our pie chart.  Our health is all owed to God as well, so now we are down to about forty percent.  Those friends and family that we hold so dear – those are also gifts from God.  That takes us down to about thirty percent.  And we can’t forget about food, shelter, and clothing.  We just dropped down to about fifteen percent.  Then there is the air we breathe, and God’s own creation, upon which we rely.  Now we are down to about five percent.

So, we officially have five percent of our “stuff” that belongs to us.  But wait – Jesus did not say, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s…and then keep the final five percent for yourselves.”  Surely Jesus knew we needed a little something that was just ours – a tiny slice of pie for our sense of self or identity.  But here is the rub in our lesson today.  The reason Jesus is able to send the people away amazed is because Jesus points out one even trickier, harder truth – everything we have – our tax money, our tithe, our jobs, our health, our family and friends, our food, shelter and clothing, the very air we breathe – everything belongs to God.  What Jesus is really saying today is that our question – and yes, this is our question too, not just the question of the Pharisees and Herodians – our question today is laughable.  We can make all the pie charts and balance sheets we want.  The pie chart really only has one big piece – and that piece says, “God’s.”

That coin that the Herodians and Pharisees carry around is of the Roman empire.  It has an image of the emperor on the coin, proclaiming that the emperor is both divine and the high priest – blasphemous proclamations about the identity and power of the emperor.[iii] Furthermore, the emperor required all taxes be paid in Roman money – money they must carry around for that purpose.  So, Jesus turns the coin on its head, as it were, and asks us what is the “coinage” of God?  Professor Raj Nadella argues, “God does not trade in Caesar’s currency.  The whole nature and trajectory of God’s kingdom that Jesus has inaugurated, and is inviting people to participate in, is fundamentally at odds with Caesar’s.  Which is why, while people must pay to both Caesar and God, they must pay them not only for different reasons but in entirely different currencies.  Paying to God and participating in the divine kingdom entails repenting of the ways they have been complicit in the Roman Empire and [the Roman Empire’s] agenda.  Paradoxically, then, people should pay taxes the empire has imposed upon them while actively resisting [the empire] and working to promote the alternative kingdom.”[iv]

Third century scholar Tertullian rephrased Jesus’ command as thus, “Render to Caesar Caesar’s image, which is on the coin, and to God God’s image, which is on man.”[v] If the emperor’s coins had the emperor’s face and blasphemous title on them, the coinage of God has our image on them – because we are made in the image of God.  So, the “things” that belong to God, the “coinage” that belongs to God, is our selves – myself, yourself, our neighbor’s self, and our enemy’s self. 

When we moved to Virginia many years ago, I got distinctive plates on my car.  Over the years, I have come to think of those plates as both a blessing and a curse.  On the one hand, the plates have led to conversations with strangers who have asked me whether I am a pastor and where I serve.  On the other hand, when my driving reflects the bad day I am having – the impatience, the frustration, the self-centeredness I may be showing as I drive – well, that is easily identifiable to others too. 

Because everything belongs to God, being a follower of Jesus means dealing in the coinage of God.  But unlike being able to hide away the emperor’s coins in our pockets, our coins are visible to all – our very beings are the coinage of God.  And so how we engage the world around us matters – not just as a reflection of our selves, but of God’s very own self.  Jesus knows we will participate in political and secular life and religious life equally.  But the currency of that participation can never be separate.  When we pay our taxes, when we cast our votes, when we feed our neighbors, when we let that aggressive driver merge in front of us, when we encounter the stranger, when we sit at the bedside of a friend, or even when we send that text, we do that with the coinage of God.  Jesus is just reminding us what’s in our wallet and showing us how we can use our enfleshed coinage for good.  Amen.

[i] Lance Pape, “Commentary on Matthew 22:15-22,” October 19, 2014, as found at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-29/commentary-on-matthew-2215-22-5 on October 16, 2026.

[ii] Marvin A. McMickle, “Homiletical Perspective,” Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 4 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 191.

[iii] N. T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 2, (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 87.

[iv] Raj Nadella, “Commentary on Matthew 22:15-22,” October 18, 2026, as found at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-29/commentary-on-matthew-2215-22-7 on October 16, 2026.

[v] Susan Grove Eastman, “Exegetical Perspective, “Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 4 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 193.

Sermon – Matthew 11.25-30, St. Francis Feast, YA, October 4, 2026

07 Wednesday Oct 2026

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Photo credit: Fr. Ron Raab, as found at https://www.holycrossusa.org/article/saint-francis-of-assisi-a-kiss-for-all-creation/

Today we honor the life of St. Francis of Assisi.  Though he died 800 years ago this year, Francis is one of the most well-known and beloved saints of all time.  Most of us know the highlights of his story:  born the son of a wealthy man in 1182; had a conversion experience and devoted his life to Lady Poverty; shaped monastic and lay devotion; was a friend to all God’s creatures – being known to have preached to the birds.

But the story I like most is the story about St. Francis and the Wolf.  According to legend, there was a wolf that was terrorizing the town of Gubbio, killing and eating animals and people.  The villagers tried to fight back, but they too died at the jaws of the wolf.  Francis had pity on the townspeople and went out to meet the wolf.  When Francis found the wolf, he made the sign of the cross, and said, “Come to me, Brother Wolf.  In the name of Christ, I order you not to hurt anyone.”  In response, the wolf calmly laid down at Francis’ feet.  Francis then went on to explain to the wolf how he was terrorizing the people and other animals – all who were made in the image of God.  The wolf and Francis then made a pact that the wolf would no longer harm the townspeople and the townspeople would no longer try to hurt the wolf.  The two traveled into town to explain the pact they had formed.  The people were amazed as Francis and the wolf walked side-by-side into town.  Francis made the people pledge to feed the wolf and the wolf pledge not to harm anyone else.  From that day on, the wolf went door to door for food.  The wolf hurt no one and no one hurt the wolf; even the dogs did not bark at the wolf.[i]

What I love about this story of St. Francis is that the story is about reconciliation and relationship.  At the beginning of the story the town and the wolf are at an impasse – the wolf is hungry and getting attacked; the people are afraid and are lashing out.  What Francis does for both parties is shock them out of the assumptions.  For the wolf, no one has addressed the wolf kindly – they have either shut the wolf out or actively tried to kill him.  For the people, the wolf has not asked for help – he has simply and violently taken what he needed and wanted.  Francis manages to shock the wolf first – not through violence or force, but with the power of love and blessing.  By giving a blessing in the name of God, Francis is then able to implore the wolf to reciprocate with love.  Francis also manages to shock the village – not with a violent victory, but with a humble display of forgiveness and trust.  By walking into town with a tamed wolf at his side, Francis is able to encourage the town to embrace, forgive, and care for the wolf.  Francis’ actions remind both parties that unless their relationships are reconciled, unrest and division will be the norm.

The funny thing about this story is that the story is a bit ridiculous.  How many of us go around talking to wild animals, blessing them with the sign of the cross, expecting anything other than being ignored at best, and at worst, attacked?  We will never really know whether the Gubbio story is true.  But like any good Biblical story, whether the story is true is hardly the point: the point is that the stories point toward “Truth” with a capital “T.”  What this story teaches is peace and reconciliation only happen through meeting others where they are.  We cannot expect great change unless we are willing to get down in the trenches – to go out and meet that destructive wolf face-to-face.  The other thing this story teaches us is that relationships are at the heart of peace work.  Only when the wolf and the town begin to get to know each other and begin to form a relationship with one another can they move forward.

This is the way of life in Jesus Christ.  In our gospel lesson today, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Jesus’ words have many messages.  The first message we all catch is that Jesus offers us rest and refreshment.  Jesus encourages us to come to him, to cast our burdens and cares upon him, and to take rest, to take Sabbath, in Christ.  Our souls will find peace in Christ Jesus.  The second message is that peace in Christ Jesus is not without work.  Jesus does not say come unto me and relax forever in happy retirement.  Jesus says we will still have to take on a yoke – the burden of disciple living.  Luckily, that burden of being Christ’s disciple will not be burdensome – it will be light.  In the final message, Jesus tells us not only will he make the workload “light,” as in not heavy; Jesus will also make us “light” – as in lights that shine into the darkness and refuse to allow the shadow to overwhelm.   We become the light when we work for reconciliation in our relationships with others.  We become light when we walk in the ways of St. Francis. 

That is why we do several special things today.  First, we ask for blessing on our animals – that God might help our relationship with our pet be one of blessing and light.  Second, we come to Jesus for Sabbath rest – that God might renew us on this Sabbath day, use the rest to fill us with light, and renew our commitment to be agents of reconciliation, gladly putting on Christ’s yoke.  And finally, we leave this place as agents of light – seeking to bring people together who have not been able to see one another clearly, making ways for peace where peace seems impossible, but becomes possible through Christ Jesus.  Amen.

[i] Murray Bodo, “St. Francis and the Taming of the Wolf,” St. Anthony Messenger, October 2017 as found at https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-francis-and-the-taming-of-the-wolf on October 2, 2026.

On New Clothes and Neighbors…

30 Wednesday Sep 2026

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Photo credit: https://www.catholic.com/qa/what-does-loving-your-neighbor-as-yourself-entail

In high school, my younger brother was the “cool one.”  He introduced me to new music, new trends, and new comedies.  In my senior year of high school, he convinced our parents to let me take the two of us to a concert.  I was excited to hear the music, but my brother pulled me aside to tell me that I could not wear clothes from my normal wardrobe.  As we headed out the door, I looked nothing like what I normally looked like; I felt as though I was in a costume of sorts.  And he was right – I fit into the crowd much better in his chosen clothes than anything out of my own closet.  It was a strange experiment in trying on the identity of another group of people.

Imagine my deja vu when, almost thirty years later, my daughter invited me to join her at a concert of music that I do not follow.  Although she was happy to have me join her, she too insisted that I borrow some clothes from her so that I would better fit in with the concert crowd.  I was grateful for the help, but I remember that same feeling of trying on an identity that was not my own. 

I have been thinking that those two experiences are fairly uncommon.  In general, we figure out our style – our sense of identity – and we live our daily lives in those “clothes.”  Those clothes communicate something about us, and often make navigating in and out of work, social engagements, and community functions relatively seamless.  In fact, when others imagine us, they probably imagine us in the style of clothing we normally wear – whether preppy, athletic, bohemian, or something else.  What I got at that two concerts was a rare taste of what it would be like to move in the world with a different sense of identity – and to connect more comfortably with people whose identity is quite different than mine.

I wonder how often in life we miss out on unique connections with people unlike ourselves because we get so set in or comfortable with our own identity.  I’m not arguing that we should try to pretend or be something we are not.  I am encouraging us to explore what unintentional, or maybe even unconscious, barriers we have put up between ourselves and others.  The core commandments Jesus summarized for us were to love God and love neighbor.  I wonder how much we limit our love of neighbor by simply staying in our comfort zones.  What “new clothes” might you try on today to help you connect with someone you have simply seen as “other” and not as “neighbor”?

Sermon – Matthew 20.1-16, P20, YA, September 20, 2026

30 Wednesday Sep 2026

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I have a clergy friend with whom I share a mixed friend group – we’re the only clergy in a mix of administrators, educators, medical professionals, stay-at-home parents, among other vocations.  I have watched my clergy friend in this group, and she is genuinely the nicest person I think I have ever met.  She is thoughtful and kind, generous and gracious, and generally everything you would hope a clergyperson would be (often leaving me feeling not feeling quite up to snuff, if I’m being fully transparent).  That friend is one whom I could imagine being hired by the landowner in our parable from Matthew at 6:00 am and working hard all day.  I could imagine her being happy that others get hired at 9:00, Noon, 3:00, and 5:00 – because she knows what standing in marketplace waiting to get hired feels like.  And I could also imagine her watching those workers who only were able to fit in one hour of work getting paid a full day’s wage and rejoicing with genuine joy.  And I can also imagine her humbly remembering that she agreed to work all day and only get the same compensation as the workers who worked one hour, and not being resentful, but grateful for the generosity of the landowner – because she wants to live in a world of generous landowners.  I can imagine her leaving that day, going home to tell her family about how lucky they are to live in a community with such a cool landowner who shows radical grace. 

But that is not how the parable of Jesus goes.  In the parable, my friend is not the 6:00 am worker.  I am.  And as this parable unfolds, my heart is not bubbling over with joy.  My heart is much less generous.  In fact, every time I read this parable, I find myself fidgeting as the day in the parable unfolds.  I’m not particularly upset that the landowner is generous – as those in the parable are.  I’m more upset that the landowner forces the daylong, exhausted workers to watch as the landowner very unfairly, inequitably distributes wages.  It’s like the landowner knows what he’s doing is outrageous, and he wants to rub the early workers’ noses in his obscene generosity. 

So where does this kind of outrage come from?  Well, there has been quite extensive research about where our sense of justice comes from.  There was a famous study with capuchin monkeys.  Two monkeys in neighboring cages were trained to hand the researcher a rock and get a piece of cucumber as a reward.  The monkeys happily do the task.  But then, after 25 times of that same way, the researcher gives one monkey a grape instead of a cucumber.  The other monkey, seeing the new reward of that monkey, excitedly gives the researcher a rock, expecting to similarly get a grape.  Instead, the monkey is given another cucumber.  The monkey loses her mind.  She literally throws the cucumber at the researcher, bangs on the cage, tries to get out to grab the grape she believes she is owed.[i]  All this is to say, the sense of justice as fairness is primal to us – ingrained deep in our reptilian brains and very difficult to change. 

But Jesus does not and has not ever defined justice as fairness.  Our measure of fairness is simple.  As Barabara Brown Taylor describes, we believe, “…Equal pay for equal work is fair; equal pay for unequal work is not fair.  Rewarding those who do the most work is fair; rewarding those who do the least is not fair.  Treating everyone the same is fair; treating everyone the same when they are not the same is not fair.”[ii]  Taylor argues, “Life is not fair, which is why it seems all that much more important that God should be.”  But, “God is not fair.  For reasons we may never know, God seems to love us indiscriminately, and seems also to enjoy reversing systems we set up to explain why God should love some of us more than others of us.  By starting at the end of our lines with the last and the least, God lets us know that [God’s] ways are not our ways, that if we want to see things [God’s] way we might question our own notions of what is faith, and why we get so upset when our lines do not work.”[iii]

We would define justice as fairness or equitable rewards for equitable work.  Unfortunately, that is not how God’s economy works.  Professor Lewis Donelson explains that this parable, “…not only supports both justice and grace but insists that they are and will always be in tension with one another.  Justice and grace cannot be reconciled with one another.  [And], They both are part of the character of God.”[iv]  In other words, God’s economy does not work like our economy.  And on an intellectual level we love that about God and know that we ultimate benefit from God’s upside-down economy.  But on a gut level, in that reptilian side of our brain, that side that gets jealous and greedy and fearful about scarcity, that throws cucumbers when we do not get grapes – on that level, God’s definition of justice makes us uncomfortable.  Knowing the “…sheer abundance of God’s grace,” that “God’s love cannot be used up,”[v] makes us, in our heads, humbly overjoyed and, in our guts, justifiably indignant.

That’s why the last part of our parable is so very important.  I have never liked how the landowner forces the full-day workers to watch the distribution of wages.  That part always feels like a “gotcha” to the hardworking full-day workers.  But Stanley Hauerwas clarifies, “If [the owner] had begun paying those hired first they would not have known that all were being paid at the same rate.  God’s grace is the grace of truth refusing to hide from us the character of our envy of those whom we think underserving.  The parable of the vineyard exemplifies God’s justice – a justice disciplined by the truth.”[vi]  In other words, the only way we fully understand the contrast in our sense of justice and God’s sense of justice is to see that justice in action and feel how that justice hits us in our guts. 

So, is today’s parable meant to leave us going home today just feeling guilty about how unlike God we are when it comes to justice and grace and our treatment of others?  Yes.  And no.  The parable offers harsh truth we need to face.  But what we do with that harsh truth is much more important.  For me, that means staying in that friend group with that friend who would have gone home happy for the one-hour laborers and shared the joy with her family (and maybe even been proud to know that such a landowner exists).  For you, that may mean digging into your own experience and recalling those days when you were still sitting in the marketplace and received abundant grace you did not deserve.  For us, that means looking at how we shape this community to model that vineyard – always looking for ways to model abundant, uncomfortable grace.  And for our world, that means becoming so revolutionized toward abundant grace, that we work to replicate that kind of grace in the economic system formed by our elected leaders – whether working within the system or outside the system.  Yes, this parable rightly makes us uncomfortable.  The challenge this week is what you can do with that discomfort.  This community is here to help you get out of your gut and into your head and heart.  Amen. 

[i] Debie Thomas, “On Fairness,” September 13, 2020, as found at https://journeywithjesus.net/essays/2757-on-fairness on September 18, 2026.  Also see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meiU6TxysCg, posted April 4, 2013, as found on September 17, 2026.

[ii] Barbara Brown Taylor, The Seeds of Heaven:  Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 103.

[iii] Brown Taylor, 104, 106.

[iv] Lewis R. Donelson, “Exegetical Perspective,” Feasting on the Word, Yr. A, Vol. 4 (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 97.

[v] Stanley Hauerwas, Matthew:  Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids:  Brazos Press, 2006), 176.

[vi] Hauerwas, 177.

Sermon – Exodus 14.19-31, P19, YA, September 13, 2026

16 Wednesday Sep 2026

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The scripture reading we heard from Exodus is a core identity story in Christianity – the parting of the Red Sea and the salvation of the people of God.  When God is referenced throughout scripture after this event, God is often described as the God who brought us out of the land of Egypt, across the dry land.  This is a pivotal moment that defines the kind of God that God is:  one who will not forever endure the oppression and suffering of God’s people; the God who will offer the oppressor multiple warnings and opportunities for repentance – nine plagues before offering the worst of the plagues at the Passover – when the first born of the Egyptians are all killed; a God who, when the oppressor keeps oppressing, raging after a people escaping through the dessert in nothing but sandals and their meager possessions, coming with the full force of strong horses and powerful chariots, a God who liberates God’s people and decimates the oppressor.  This passage is one of two mandatory readings from the possible list of nine readings at the Easter Vigil – a service whose entire purpose is to articulate the salvation narrative – the salvific work of God and our commission to witness to that God through our love of God and neighbor.  And, at its very root, this is a story that fascinates our children as many of them wonder what the walls of a parted sea look like – whether you could see fish or not. 

The primacy of this story, and the way the story of Moses parting the Sea of Reeds is so central to our understanding of God, often makes hearing this story with fresh ears difficult.  All we need to hear is “…Moses stretched out his hand…” and our eyes glaze over as the victorious image of salvation soothes our anxieties and makes us feel safe, protected, and at peace.  At least that is usually my experience of this narrative.  But this week, in the wake of the 25th anniversary of the tragedy of September 11th, my eyes gravitated to a part I had glossed over so many times before today.  The penultimate verse from today’s reading says, “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”  I am usually captivated by the images of the rushing army, the blinding cloud, the scurrying across dry land in the middle of a sea, and the panic of horses and chariot drivers who express fear and regret before the seas return over their heads.  But this week, all I can imagine is the panting people of Israel, adrenaline still coursing through their veins, fear of death slowly subsiding as they look at the dead bodies of Egyptians on the seashore – the same Egyptians who spent their lifetimes oppressing the people of God and who now have no life left. 

This week I took on the discipline of listening to stories from StoryCorps about September 11th.  StoryCorps was a project founded in 2003 that has since recorded hundreds of thousands of conversations, usually between two people, meant to document everyday American life.  Those stories are collected at the U.S. Library of Congress, but countless stories are available online and air weekly on public radio.  The story that caught my attention this week was of a woman who escaped the devastation of the Twin Towers, arriving at home that night with debris still in her pockets, who just days later, and for years thereafter did her job of helping identify the remains of those who died in the devastation.   When speaking to her daughter, she described the overwhelming experience of identifying the bodies of the terrorists who instigated the horror of that day and her life for so many years.  As families insisted terrorist bodies be separated from the bodies of the victims, she just stared paralyzed – not knowing what to feel about the remains of those terrorists.  In full confession she simply asked, “What do I do?  Am I mad at it?  Do I stomp on it?  What do I do with it?”[i] 

In the last twenty-five years, both in the days after that fateful day, but in the myriad experiences of the twenty-five years that originated from that day, my one conclusion about that eventful day is that the experience was complicated.  So many questions, so much anger, so much pain, so much loss, so many beautiful moments of grace and reconciliation, so much violence, so much trauma, and so many varied testimonies make telling that one story in our history complicated. 

For the longest time, complicated was not a word I would use for the story of Moses parting the Red Sea and God liberating God’s people from oppression.  But as I think about the trauma of slavery by pharaoh, the horror of plagues, the fear in escape, the noise of chasing chariots, the wonder of a parted sea, the relief of eliminated enemies, and the sight of those dead enemies on the seashore, complicated seems like the only word for this seemingly innocent tale of liberation. 

So, what do we do with the realization that one of our core narratives is so very complicated?  Scholar Cameron Howard argues, “…God’s love may be universal, but [God’s love] is not neutral.  God is never a neutral observer in any biblical account; God always takes sides.  In the exodus story, God chooses to liberate the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.  God has no patience for Pharaoh’s delusions of godly grandeur, nor for his vicious grasping at power and glory.  Similarly, Jesus’s death on the cross is no affirmation of the Roman Empire, but rather an indictment of its cruelty.  Jesus’s resurrection may not overthrow the Roman Empire, but [his resurrection] certainly exposes [the Empire’s] ultimate impotence and the farce of [the Roman Empire’s] claims to absolute dominance.  Throughout Scripture, from Exodus to the Gospels and everything between and beyond, God sides with life over death and humility over power.”[ii]

Verse 31 of Exodus chapter 14, the last verse in our text, says, “Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians.  So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord…”  Now, we always have to remember that the word “fear” in Hebrew means a deep, reverent awe or profound respect for God.  The people are not scared of God.  They just have profound respect for the God who sides with life over death, and humility over power.  Our work is to make sure we are aligning ourselves with the work of life, not death – the work of humility and not power.  That we are aligning ourselves with the people of God and not the people of oppression and overpowering. 

The story of the liberation of the people of God may, in fact, be quite complicated.  But in other ways, the story is also quite simple.  Being followers of God means being people of light, love, and life.  Despite the horrors of September 11th, there are also beautiful stories – of those who helped others, those who narrowly missed disaster, those who gathered in prayer and healing.  Those stories are instances of people choosing good, choosing light, choosing life.  That is our invitation every Sunday too.  We are a people invited every day to be agents of good, of light, and of life.  The opportunities for life and humility will vary as widely as each of our lives and vocations are – just as the opportunities will arise for death and power.  Our invitation is to hold on to the good, and to let our lives be a witness to the God whom we hold in deep, reverent awe and profound respect.  Go and be light – God will light the way if you but follow.  Amen.

[i] “She Barely Survived 9/11 – Then She Had To Identify Those Who Hadn’t,” as told by Kurt Mundorff, Amy Mundorff, and Sarah Mundorff, aired on September 11, 2026, found at https://storycorps.org/stories/she-barely-survived-9-11/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=sotw&utm_content=Kurt_Amy_Sarah%20Mundorff&fbclid=IwY2xjawUSbKBwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWxjS2pkckJJc2VRM1NUQ0hzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEekUlXJp38c72Vk3VzQy_SpX0uhV9BW9qY9B_GzGQrlSQ7-M6U6ii6Q7IwFC8_aem_Gczt_0peUQwBS8rr4ekf7w on September 11, 2026.

[ii] Cameron B.R. Howard, “Commentary on Exodus 14:19-31” September 13, 2026, as found at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-24/commentary-on-exodus-1419-31-7 on September 11, 2026. 

On Realizing Dreams…

09 Wednesday Sep 2026

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Photo credit: https://blog.gophersport.com/non-competitive-school-community-field-day/

This Sunday our church will host its annual “Rally Sunday,” the day to celebrate the kickoff of the program year and all the ministry we enjoy.  Usually that means registration for things like Sunday School, a fun ice cream social, and seeing some faces that may have missed as they enjoyed travels, took a break from “school year activities,” and generally used the summer for a bit of rest and renewal.  This year, our Rally Sunday has two unusual features:  the celebration of the 20th birthday of our “New Chapel,” and the addition of our inaugural “Field Day.”

These two additions have been bringing me great joy as I anticipate our Rally Sunday.  The celebration of our New Chapel’s birthday has been a lovely exercise in reminiscing, reconnecting with parishioners who were a part of the construction process, but maybe have relocated in the last twenty years, and learning more about our history.  The preparation has meant seeing a painting I didn’t know existed of the groundbreaking for the New Chapel, reading news articles about the process of construction, and hearing stories from longtime members about the excitement of adding more space and conveniences than our almost 300-year-old tiny “Historic Chapel” ever has allowed.  The generation that built the New Chapel was able to envision a future yet to be realized.

The addition of the Field Day has me excited about what new future is being realized.  Though the increase in families with young children has been a gift to us in the last 5-6 years, what I have loved watching is the families creating a community within the community.  They have found their own way of group conversation – not organized by a coordinator but organically organized by taking the reins and making the community their own.  They share resources, plan outings, organize events like a community yard sale, and most recently, conceive of a field day for our parishioners to connect across generations.  This will mean that elders will run stations like three-legged races or bean bag tosses.  This will mean parents will get to watch their children play, entrusting the community to shepherd and delight in their children.  This will mean children will get to know adults other than their parents in a playful way.  In one afternoon, our community is manifesting and living into the vision that countless Vestries have articulated over the years.

All that is to say, Church can be a place where sacred community is cultivated, where connection and belonging is extended, and where joy and celebration is rooted in a place that reminds of the origin of all love and grace: Jesus Christ.  Like any institution made of humans, all churches have their flaws.  And, I love watching when churches live into their best selves.  If you’ve been searching for a sense of community, a sense of belonging and purpose, or a place to refresh your aching heart, you are certainly welcome at our church.  If you’re reading from afar, I invite you to consider finding a local church where you can find a similar meaningful community.  You are welcome here!

On Loving Self and Loving Neighbor…

29 Wednesday Jul 2026

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Photo credit: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2018/10/just-kids-love-neighbor-as-yourself-mayfield/

Several weeks ago, I had a health event due to the extreme heat.  It was the first time I had experienced such a thing, and it threw me for a loop.  Since I had gotten to the point of crisis, I realized that maybe I didn’t know how to read my body as well as I thought I did.  Or maybe my body is just changing and I now need to read it differently.  Regardless, in the weeks since the event I have found myself looking inward a lot – analyzing miniscule details, observing new patterns, trying new practices, and being much more responsive to the weather forecast.

During my inner focus, our area experienced an air quality warning amidst high heat levels due to fires in Cananda.  The haze outside was thick and we were encouraged to stay inside as much as possible.  I was talking to my young daughter about the haze and the warning, still thinking about my recovering health, when she quite plainly asked, “But what about the homeless people in town, Mom?  How are they supposed to stay inside if they don’t have anywhere to go?”

Her simple question was like pulling the emergency break in my body.  Though prioritizing your health is important (helpers cannot help if they aren’t taking care of themselves first), I realized I had swung to an extreme such that I could only see myself and had paused my thinking about others.  It’s only human, and is certainly reflective of a unique short-term season, but it was eye-opening about how quickly we can forget the maximum of Jesus, “Love God.  Love Neighbor.”  If my relatively healthy body had been so impacted by the external environment, how at risk are my neighbors who are fighting not just the elements, but also a lack of basic needs like food, water, shelter, and clothing? 

I wonder what’s going on in your life that might have shifted your focus away from care of neighbor?  This is not an invitation into guilt.  This is an invitation into shifting energy – away from any wallowing you may be doing (about your body, your dissatisfaction with life, your frustration with the world) and toward something good – some change you can make for good.  Whether the invitation comes from a child, a random comment from a stranger, or the Holy Spirit:  how are you being invited to love your neighbor more fully today?

Sermon – Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43, P11, YA, July 19, 2026

29 Wednesday Jul 2026

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The parable in our gospel lesson today is a story about weeds – actually, one weed in particular, called the darnel.  The darnel is a nasty weed, wrapping its roots around the roots of good wheat, totally indistinguishable from wheat until producing seed, and life-threatening if allowed to mix in with wheat once harvested.[i]  Jesus tells the disciples that this menacing, evil, life-threatening weed is metaphorically planted in the field of the world.  These evil weeds are planted, growing, and thriving side-by-side with the nutritious, filling, wholesome wheat, intimately intertwined, impossible to separate without destruction to both.  And this, Jesus tells the disciples, is our world.  In one short parable, we have the reality of the enemy or devil, the problem of evil in our lives, and an accounting or judgment at the end of life.  Happy Sunday, huh?

In order to find some hint of grace in this parable, we first have to explore the bad news.  The bad news in this parable is like a funnel of evil, which starts out with a wide, removed description of evil, and as the funnel narrows, the evil comes closer and closer to home.  At the wide mouth of the funnel, we find the evil of the world.  We see evil in the world everyday – as people are kidnapped, tortured, and murdered.  We see evil as people are denied basic human rights, work in sweatshops, and are forced to flee from their lands.  We see evil as people live without shelter, food, or medicines.  And although we recognize the outcomes of evil, we get uncomfortable identifying “evil” because we hope for some hint of goodness in everyone and, secretly, we know that we too sometimes participate in the world’s evils.

Our funnel narrows as the master’s field becomes defined as not only the world, but also our church community.  Here is where the notion of “evil” weeds becomes even more uncomfortable.  Jesus experienced evil in the midst of his community, as individuals constantly sought to kill him.  The early Church also experienced evil in the Church’s midst.  And the evil within the Church is still with us today.  There is no perfect church.  I love this parish and the beautiful ways we care for and love one another – but I cannot claim that we are perfectly good.  In fact, each us has at some point been like that nasty weed, capable of choking the nutrients and life-giving water out of true goodness among us – a reality that makes us uncomfortable, both with the idea of judging each other, and with the potential of being exposed ourselves.

Then comes the tightest, most compressed area of the funnel – the spout through which evil finally flows.  The field in which evil is planted is also the field of ourselves.  Paul articulated this evil in his letter to the Romans, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.”[ii]  Paul’s words perfectly capture the inner turmoil of being human.  Imagining the weeds and the wheat growing up together in our own beings is not difficult.  We are constantly an intertwined field of great deeds and hurtful wrongs.  We pray that the good seed will yield fruit and the weeds will eventually be burned, but we know both weed and wheat are inside of us.  And so, the funnel shows us that evil is in our world among us, in our faith community beside us, and in our very beings.

The grace is that the funnel also works in reverse.  Grace spews out of the same funnel.  When the servants ask the master about whether they should go ahead and pull out the weeds, the master tells them to wait, letting the two grow side by side, entangled and indistinguishable.  This waiting time is the grace for our own selves.  Recognizing that both good and evil are in ourselves, God gives us time:  time to continue to nurture the good; time to avoid killing the good in our efforts to kill the evil in ourselves; and time to allow God’s grace to work in and through us, so that the goodness in us might be gathered into that barn.  As God is patient with us, so we are to be patient with ourselves.

The same grace moves out of the funnel, out of ourselves, and into our Church.  God gives us time as a faith community too.  The gift of time gives us the opportunity to live into God’s grace – witnessing goodness to one another, so that the evil among us might be overwhelmed and eventually discarded.  The gift of time for the Church also allows us to make amends for those times when we are the agents of evil in the church, confessing our faults weekly, repenting and returning to goodness.  The gift of time for the church allows us to learn and grow in God’s goodness, to marvel in the mystery of God’s grace, and to prayerfully lift up the Church to God.  God is patient with the Church just as God is patient with each of us.

Finally, the funnel of goodness spills over into the world through the gift of time.  The gift of time allows us to work on spreading goodness in the world.  We have time to give one more meal to a hungry person, to comfort one more grieving person, to advocate one more time for a just society.  And we realize in this gift of time that we are not responsible for sorting out the weeds and the wheat.  God will do that.  We can only work to cultivate goodness in our lives, in our community, and in the world – and the rest is in God’s hands.

When we realize that each of us is some mixture of wheat and weed, of holy and unholy, of potentially fruitful and potentially destructive, we can then turn away from God’s work of judging, and turn toward our work of attending to that which increases the potential for holiness.[iii]  In other words, the grace for us in this parable is that we can leave the judgment to God, and do our work of promoting goodness in ourselves, in our community, and in the world.  This is our work.

Barbara Brown Taylor tells another parable of wheat and weeds.  “One afternoon in the middle of the growing season, a bunch of farmhands decided to surprise their boss and weed his favorite wheat field. No sooner had they begun to work, however, than they began to argue – first about which of the wheat looking things were weeds and then about the rest of the weeds.  Did the Queen Anne’s lace pose a real threat to the wheat, or could it stay for decoration?  And the blackberries?  They would be ripe in just a week or two, but they were, after all, weeds – or were they?  And the honeysuckle – it seemed a shame to pull up anything that smelled so sweet.

About the time they had gotten around to debating the purple asters, the boss showed up and ordered them out of his field.  Dejected, they did as they were told.  Back at the barn he took their machetes away from them, poured them some lemonade, and made them sit down where they could watch the way the light moved across the field.  At first, all they could see were the weeds and what a messy field it was, what a discredit to them and their profession, but as the summer wore on, they marveled at the profusion of growth – tall wheat surrounded by tall goldenrod, ragweed, and brown-eyed Susans.  The tares and the poison ivy flourished alongside the Cherokee roses and the milkweed, and it was a mess, but a glorious mess, and when it had all bloomed and ripened and gone to seed the reapers came.

 Carefully, gently, expertly, they gathered the wheat and made the rest into bricks for the oven where the bread was baked.  And the fire that the weeds made was excellent, and the flour that the wheat made was excellent, and when the harvest was over the owner called them all together – the farmhands, the reapers, and all the neighbors – and broke bread with them, bread that was the final distillation of that whole messy, gorgeous, mixed-up field, and they all agreed that it was like no bread any of them had ever tasted before and that it was very, very good.  Let those who have ears to hear, hear.”[iv]  Amen.

[i] Talitha J. Arnold, “Pastoral Perspective,” Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 3 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 260.

[ii] Romans 7.19

[iii] Gary Peluso-Verdend, “Theological Perspective,” Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 3 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 264.

[iv] Barbara Brown Taylor, The Seeds of Heaven:  Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 36-37.

Sermon – Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23, P10, YA, July 12, 2026

29 Wednesday Jul 2026

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When we read scripture in our bulletins, we mostly give scripture to you in one big lump.  We take out paragraph breaks, indentations for quotes or poetry, and certainly do not put Jesus’s words in red colored text.  If you’ve picked up a bible lately, you will also notice that the text often has headings – a descriptor to let you know what is coming up in the text:  a preview, if you will.  When I was in seminary, my New Testament professor told us we needed to be careful about those headings or story titles.  So, for example, if you call a story to tale the prodigal son as opposed to the tale of responsible brother; or you call a story the story of the Good Samaritan as opposed to the tale of the hypocritical leaders; or you call a story the anointing of Jesus as opposed to the misappropriation of expensive resources – the title makes a difference in how we read the story and how we make meaning.

Today’s gospel lesson is no exception.  Most of us hear this familiar story from Jesus and we know the story as The Parable of the Sower.  In fact, we get the story in two parts, and in my bible the second part is entitled, “The Parable of the Sower Explained.”  Countless Bible Commentaries refer to this story as the parable of the Sower, and many of us would do the same.  But here’s what’s funny about that title:  once we get into the weeds of this story, we quickly forget the title and start thinking of this as the parable of the soils. 

When we read scripture, we rightly seek to see ourselves in scripture – to discern what meaning there is for our everyday lives.  Now, I’m not sure the leap from the parable of the sower to the parable of the soils is unjustified.  When we read the explanation of why three-fourths of the seed does not flourish, we get a little skittish.  Am I soil on the path where birds snatch up the seed – because I failed to understand the Word and evil one snatches the good seed sown in my heart?  Am I the rocky soil, where growth sprung up beautifully, but died due to shallow roots – did I receive the Word of God with joy, but floundered when trouble or persecution came my way (because I’ve seen a lot of trouble and persecution lately…)?  Am I the soil covered in thorns, choking out the Good News – because the cares of the world and the lure of wealth has led me to place without Good News?  Jesus’s parable seems to indicate that for three out of four of us, we are that bad soil.  How can I be good soil?  Is there a way to fix my soil so I can bear fruit too?

Here’s the problem with substituting the title “Parable of the Sower,” with the “The Parable of the Soils.”  When we obsess about what kind of soil we are, we miss the point of this parable entirely.  This is a parable about the Sower – a parable about the nature of Jesus:  not about us – or at least not about us in the way we think! 

So, let’s take a breath, and go back to the text as Jesus intends (and why so many biblical editors chose the title of this parable as they did).  Barbara Brown Taylor argues, “If this is really the parable of the sower and not the parable of the different kinds of ground, then it begins to sound quite new.  The focus is not on us and our shortfalls but on the generosity of our maker, the prolific sower who does not obsess about the condition of the fields, who is not stingy with the seed but who casts [seed] everywhere, on good soil and bad, who is not cautious or judgmental or even very practical, but who seems willing to keep reaching into his seed bag for all eternity, covering the whole creation with the fertile seed of his truth.”[i]

That version of a sower is a bit uncomfortable if we are being honest with ourselves – because we would not go about planting in that way.  In fact, people in Jesus’ day wouldn’t have planted in that way either.  “Unlike a modern American farmer, who carefully prepares the soil with just the right pH balance and then injects the seed into the ground, farmers in Jesus’ time cast the seed and then plow the land.”[ii]  But that’s just looking at the story about literal farming.  Even looking at Jesus’ parable figuratively, we still wouldn’t follow his way.  As Debie Thomas articulates, we’ve thought “…over how to cultivate more fertile soil in [our] church or community.  [We’ve] analyzed and quantified, assessed, and judged.  [We’ve] evaluated ministry plans and strategies, pruned leadership commissions and committees, [We’ve] bought special pots, invested in high-end fertilizers and weed killers, and counted, sorted, and planted [our] seeds with exquisite care, placing each bit of God’s good news in its optimal place to guarantee an impressive harvest.”[iii]

Debie goes on to say, “There’s nothing wrong with planning and pruning.  There’s nothing wrong with honest and humble self-assessment.  But I think we miss something when we read the parable as a lesson about the ‘Four Terrains.’  Because that is not what [the parable] is.  It is the parable of the sower.  It is a parable about the nature and character of God.  God’s kingdom, God’s provision, God’s extravagant generosity when it comes to us, his creations.”[iv]

So let’s go back to the parable.  If this is a parable about who God is, what do we see?  Well, the sower does not seem care about the odds for successful reception of the Good News.  The sower doesn’t even for one moment examine the nature of the soil.  The sower sows seeds with abandon. The sower also seems to have an endless supply of seed and doesn’t seem to need to ration the seed or carefully plant the seed.  The sower just throws that seed everywhere, with abundance.  The sower also doesn’t seem to mind that the sower will only be successful 25% of the time.  The sower does not hold back, ration, strategize, or plan.  The sower throws around the Good News willy nilly, like a billionaire with so much money that she has lost sense of what each dollar means.  And here’s the funniest part about this illogical sower:  when there is a harvest in the good soil – that harvest is a hundredfold, sixtyfold, and even thirtyfold.  As one scholar points out, “Sevenfold meant a good year for a farmer, a tenfold meant true abundance.  Thirtyfold would feed a village for a year and a hundredfold would let the farmer retire to a villa by the Sea of Galilee.”[v]  This is very good news indeed, folks.

When Matthew was writing to first-century Palestine, he knew how hard a time and place Christians were in.  They were suffering poverty and persecution, massive migration out of the region, and even dissenters and false prophets.  They needed to know that the rejection of Jesus’ message didn’t mean their efforts were folly.[vi]  We know that truth today too.  For the parent offering guidance and compassion to the teen who doesn’t want to hear; to the businessman who pays a living wage and makes a quality product but watches clients buy cheaper elsewhere when times get rough; for the neighbor who seems intrigued by your passion for Hickory Neck but who seems to have an endless supply of excuses to never join you – we know what sharing the Good News is like.

For us, the invitation is the same as the invitation was for those first hearers of Jesus’ parable.  We are invited to be sowers of abundance – of extravagance.  We are invited to spread the seed of God’s love extravagantly, to liberate ourselves from the measures of success, and to give thanks for the abundant growth all around us.  “Look at [Jesus], tossing seeds to the wind with a delighted smile on his face, inviting us to release our own handfuls and revel in his joy.  He’s too busy laughing to count seeds.”[vii]  You can join his illogical, overflowing, joyful sowing too.  Amen.

[i] Barbara Brown Taylor, The Seeds of Heaven:  Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 26.

[ii] Talitha J. Arnold, “Pastoral Perspective,” Feasting on the Word, Yr. A, Vol. 3 (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 236.

[iii] Debie Thomas, Into the Mess & Other Jesus Stories:  Reflections on the Life of Christ (Eugene, OR:  Cascade Books, 2022), 137.

[iv] Thomas, 138.

[v] Arnold, 236.

[vi] Arnold, 238.

[vii] Thomas, 139.