7th Sunday after Epiphany, Year C Feb. 23, 2025 Luke 6:27-38 Today’s Gospel message is a continuation of the Sermon on the Plain from Luke that you heard last Sunday–the one with the blesseds and the woes. This sermon, very similar to the Sermon on the Mount that Matthew recorded, encapsulates the most important principles … Continue reading I Say to You Who Listen
5th Sunday After Epiphany/Year C Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13]1 Corinthians 15:1-11Luke 5:1-11 Fish are a prominent feature in the Gospel stories about Jesus and his disciples. And I just kept thinking about all the fish stories people make up when bragging about their catch, and all the jokes grandpas and kids tell each other like, What … Continue reading Fisherfolk and a Start-up Ministry That Changed the World
The Presentation of Our LordFeb. 2 2025 Luke 2:22-40 Every culture has traditions and customs surrounding the birth of a baby. In China, Red-dyed eggs and pickled ginger are prepared and shared with family and friends when a baby is one month old to symbolize luck, happiness, and good fortune. In Finland, the new mother … Continue reading The Importance of Rituals and the Inconsequential
3rd Sunday after the Epiphany 1 Corinthians 12:12-31aLuke 4:14-21 Why do you think people come to the church? What is it they are looking for? Why did you come? Why did you stay? After one year of being with this wonderful congregation, I have heard from enough of you to surmise that you came looking … Continue reading The Dignity of Every Human Being
Second Sunday after ChristmasYear C Matt. 2:1-12 Our story today is woven into the season of Christmas, but in our tradition it also marks the Epiphany, the end of the celebration of the Incarnation and the beginning of the revelation of Christ to the world. Made famous by Shakespeare, it is also called the Twelfth … Continue reading The Bright Morning Star
Advent 4, Year CDec. 22, 2024Luke 1:39-45(46-55) We are getting so close to Christmas–but not yet! It’s almost like waiting for the Second Coming of Christ. It’s here, but not fully. And today we encounter two pregnant women, pregnant with sons who will enter the world and turn it on its head, but not quite … Continue reading Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant
Advent III Year CDec. 15, 2024 Luke 3:7-18 Well, today is the third Sunday of Advent! The third candle we light is for joy. It is pink historically representing Gaudete Sunday, meaning rejoice! And nothing says rejoice like being called a brood of vipers! John the Baptist is not warm and cuddly, and a really … Continue reading Hey, You Brood of Vipers
Advent II Year C Dec. 8, 2024 Luke 3:1-6Canticle 16 Prepare ye the way of the Lord! These are familiar advent words spoken by the prophet Isaiah in today’s Gospel reading and echoed in a beautiful song sung by John the Baptist’s own father, Zechariah, in our Canticle this morning. This two thousand year old … Continue reading Prepare The Way
25th Sunday After Pentecost Nov. 10, 2024 Baptism Today we are celebrating a baptism. A new life is being dedicated to God, the church, and to us; to say yes to this child’s formation into the mystery of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection. Holy Baptism is one of the most important Sacraments of the Church, … Continue reading I Will, With God’s Help
All Saints Sunday Nov. 3, 2024 Isaiah 25:6-9Revelation 21:1-6aJohn 11:32-44 It’s the beginning of November already and we are celebrating All Saints Day Sunday today. Really we are combining the three-day historical tradition of All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints, and All Souls. In many Western Christian countries we remember our loved ones who have died … Continue reading What Makes a Saint
Magdalena's Musings 