Readings: Nehemiah 8: 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 12-30; Luke 1: 1-4, 4: 14-21 Preacher: Ruth Marchetti Nearly 60 years ago a preacher from Atlanta Georgia held a throng in awe at the Lincoln Memorial as he called for an end of oppression for African Americans. Martin Luther King’s stirring speech resonated far beyond the crowd as people turned with… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 62: 1-5; 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11; John 2: 1-11 Preacher: Marlene Bessette As a woman and a mother, the interchange between Jesus and Mary at the Cana wedding feast is always a little jarring to me. “Woman, how does your concern affect me?” Reading this immediately brought back an unpleasant memory of an interchange I had with one of… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 42: 1-4. 6-7; Acts 10: 34-38; Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22 Preacher: Sonja Livingston This past summer our parish welcomed a new pastor. The first Sunday I heard Father Daniel celebrate Mass included a baptism. As much as I enjoy the sight of babies and christening gowns, when I saw the family gathered at the back of the church, I… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 Preacher: Irene Goodwin We have been told that the Magi were of a priestly caste, people of above human intelligence, astrologers or kings. Why would these gentile foreigners journey to find a new King of the Jews? We read that a star in the sky told them something new and important was happening.… read more →
Readings: 1 Samuel 1: 20-22, 24-28; Colossians 3: 12-21; Luke 2: 41-52 Preacher: Susan Howard The interconnection between making our voices heard and the loosening of the Holy Spirit to act in the world is the key to the dynamics of change. From a cursory reading of today’s texts one might imagine that the purpose of the Feast of the Holy Family… read more →
Readings: Micah 5:2-5a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler This lovely gospel narrative, beautifully pictured in art, is so familiar to us, isn’t it? We could recite it from memory, couldn’t we? I’d like to look at the story by way of a couple of themes it brings to mind. First, God’s faithfulness to those who trust in God.… read more →
Readings: Zephaniah 3: 14-18a; Philippians 4: 4-7; Luke 3: 10-18 Preacher: Gloria Ulterino Shout for joy! Be glad and exult! Today’s readings simply reverberate with joy, seeping into every cell of our being, overflowing out to all we meet. But some might say, “Really? You’ve got to be kidding! Where is such joy to be found? Have you forgotten the pandemic? … read more →
Readings: Baruch 5: 1-9; Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3: 1-6Preacher: Susan K. Roll Close your eyes for a moment and think of the biggest, deepest, most unexpected, heart-pounding O.M.G. pothole you have ever driven over … or around … or into. My candidate for worst pothole came up unexpectedly on a highway in post-Soviet Lithuania. Fortunately my friend who was… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 33: 14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3: 12- 4:2; Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz “Hope” is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tune without words and never stops at all. -Emily Dickinson ‘May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we… read more →
Readings: Daniel 7: 13-14; Revelation 1: 5-8; John 18: 33B-37Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam It would seem that a feast like Christ the King must go back many centuries in Church history to an entirely different era. Surprisingly, this feast is less than 100 years old. Rather than being a product of the heyday of monarchies, Christ the King is more… read more →