Proclaim by Word and Example

This sermon was preached for Sunday, September 18 at St. Mark's East Longmeadow. The texts for this sermon were: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1,  Psalm 79:1-9, and  Luke 16:1-13. Today’s parable is a notoriously difficult one. There is no consensus among commentators about what Jesus is trying to say here or why the second bit about being faithful with other’s property seems to contradict the message of the parable so directly. Some commentators argue that this is two different sayings mushed together with the same loose theme - Luke does that in other places. Some commentators don’t believe that Jesus told this parable - it goes against so much of what we know about what Jesus encourages in us. But the majority of Biblical scholars and historians will argue that it is the most confusing and startling sayings that are the most likely for Jesus to have said - they would be the most memorable and there would be no incentive to falsely attribute them to Jesus. So in the end, like all par...

This sermon was preached for Sunday, September 11, 2022 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. The texts for this sermon were Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28, Psalm 14, and Luke 15:1-10. One of my favorite books to recommend to parishioners is a comic memoir by Roz Chast. Written in the style of a graphic novel, it chronicles her journey caring for her elderly parents as they declined physically and mentally. It’s raw, it’s true, and it’s hilarious in all the right ways. And I love its title: “Can’t we talk about something more pleasant?” The title springs from her parents’ earnest desire to stay in denial about what was happening to them, to sweep it under the rug. Of course, throughout the book it becomes clearer and clearer that it is what we refuse to talk about directly, transparently, that holds the most insidious sway over us. To resign something to silence is to give it power. One thing I love fiercely about church is that church, at its best, is a place where we don’t just talk about wha...

This sermon was preached for Sunday, September 4, 2022 at St. Mark's. The texts for this sermon were: Jeremiah 18:1-11,  Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17, and L uke 14:25-33. Shia LaBeouf first got famous as a 90s TV star, then as a big time Hollywood actor. But he recently made celebrity news for his conversion to Catholicism - and a very traditional Catholicism at that. In some ways, his story is a familiar one - after rising to the heights of fame and stardom, LaBeouf became entangled in alcoholism, domestic abuse allegations, and legal troubles. It was there at rock bottom, preparing for a role as a Catholic priest, that the former agnostic found God. In an interview with Bishop Robert Barron, LaBeouf credited the traditional mass said and chanted all in Latin with his conversion. “Latin Mass affects me deeply, deeply,” he explained. “It feels like they’re not selling me a car. And when I go to some Masses with the guitars and stuff…it’s like they’re trying to sell me on an idea.” But...