Readings: Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5B; Matthew 22: 15-21Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Gloria Ulterino Not to belabor the obvious, but: It’s election time! And today’s readings are exactly the ones we hear every 12 years just prior to a presidential election, (where the three-year liturgical cycle intersects with the four-year election cycle).… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 25:6-10; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; Matthew 11:1-14Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Irene Goodwin Mask required! This may be one of the few clothing restrictions we hear of today. Very rarely do we even hear that a tie and coat are required. Occasionally, in a beach town you will read shirt and shoes required. People attend… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 5:1-7; Philippians 4: 6-9; Matthew 21: 33-43Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Margot Van Etten Oh, my. “He looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! For justice, but look, the outcry!” Something is wrong: the cherished vineyard has produced strange, sour fruit. This morning I was talking with an old and wise man who for the… read more →
Readings: Ezekiel 18:25-28; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Teryle Watson My late husband Bill had two favorite one-liners that remind me of the story of the two brothers in the Good News for today. The first saying was, “talk is cheap,” and the second bit of wisdom was, “the proof is in the… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9; Philippians 1:20C-24, 27A; Matthew 20: 1-16AClick here to download a PDF of this homily.Click here to watch a video of this homily.Preacher: Susan Howard But that’s just not fair!! This week’s Biblical account can dredge up strong feelings of injustice, when we hear of someone receiving more money for less work. Or on the other hand, seeing… read more →
Readings: Sirach 27:30-28:7; Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Susan K. Roll Jesus must have enjoyed answering Peter’s plaintive question “How many times must I forgive?” with an expansive rhetorical flourish calculated to knock him back on his heels: “Not seven times but seventy-seven times” (other accounts read “Seventy times seven,” even better.) One… read more →
Readings: Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13: 8-10; Matthew 18: 15-20Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala To wear a mask or not? To shop at a business or not? To go to a restaurant or church or not? To send my children to school or not? During this scary, wearying pandemic, mixed messages come to us… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 20: 7-9; Romans: 12: 1-2; Matthew 16: 21-27Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam As we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment this month, local hero Susan B. Anthony got some well-deserved attention. As an advocate, author, and agitator, she did not meet her society’s expectations of womanhood. A quote often… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 22: 19-23; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16: 13-20Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Margot Van Etten Today’s readings—one so familiar, the other less so—pose a challenge. A few challenges, actually. The passage from Isaiah has a certain contemporary ring. Faced with disaster from a besieging Assyrian army surrounding Jerusalem, with internal chaos and decay, what does… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt 15:21-28Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Click here to watch a video of this homily.Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler Two lines struck a chord with me as I reflected on our readings. The first was ,“Maintain justice and do what is right.” Isaiah is urging the Israelites to be sure everyone… read more →