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 →
Readings: 1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a; Romans 9: 1-5; Matthew 14: 22-33Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Sr. Barbara Moore Most people we know may struggle with faith but hold on to the struggle and the beliefs they have. I think the experience of Peter in today’s Gospel is full of meaning and lessons for all of… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 55:1-3; Romans 8: 35, 37-39; Matthew 14: 13-21Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Deni Mack “All you who are thirsty, come to the water. You who have no money, come receive grain and eat…drink wine and milk.” I imagine the children of Yemen and Syria feasting at our family table with their cousins. Also those… read more →
Readings: 1 Kings 3: 5, 7-12; Romans 8: 28-30; Matthew 13: 44-52Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Teryle Watson The Old Testament reading today is rich and timely. In 1 Kings , God appears to Solomon in a dream. God promises to grant any wish that Solomon desires. Solomon asks for two things: an understanding heart so… read more →
Readings: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8: 26-27; Matthew 13: 24-43Click here to download a PDF of this homily.Preacher: Susan K. Roll Sometimes, when life seems to swirl around us in a confusing mess of options, possibilities and potential dangers, we want it simple. Either/or. A or not A. Chocolate or vanilla? And sometimes life seems more manageable if we discover,… read more →