Proclaim by Word and Example

This sermon was preached for a Liturgical Leadership class on Wednesday, February 27 in All Saints' Chapel, Church Divinity School of the Pacific. The readings for the sermon are: Acts 9:1-6, (7-20) , Revelation 5:11-14 , John 21:1-19 , and Psalm 30 . There's a whole bunch of miracles packed into this Gospel scene. There's Jesus appearing after his death, that's a big one. Then there's the miraculous catch of fish after a night of empty nets -- one-hundred and fifty-three of them, which commentaries say represent all of the 153 different species of fish you can possibly find in the Sea of Galilee. There's Jesus' voice traveling hundreds of yards over wind and waves to reach the disciples. But there's another miracle tucked in here, so tiny, so inconsequential, that it's easy to miss. “And though there were so many, the net was not torn.” Throughout the Gospel of John, we can trace this theme of unity: Jesus’ high priestly prayer that the c...

This sermon was preached for the 7th Sunday after Epiphany, Sunday, February 24 at Church of Our Saviour in Oakland, CA. The texts for this sermon were: Genesis 45:3-11, 15 ,  1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50 ,  Luke 6:27-38 , and  Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42 . Our passage from Genesis today features a beautiful moment of reconciliation between brothers. But to understand this moment we have to go back. Back to a man named Jacob. Jacob was blessed with many children but he loved one child, Joseph, more than all the rest. Jacob gave Joseph all the best chores, the fancy clothes, and his favor and approval. And Joseph turned around and rubbed it in everyone's faces. He tattled on his brothers to his father and he bragged about how he was destined for greatness and to rule over his family. So Joseph's brothers were angry. Quite reasonably angry. Might you even say that they had every right to be angry? Here is what they did with their anger: they plotted to kill Joseph. They ...