Readings: Isaiah 8:23-9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler Have you ever stopped to marvel at this gospel story? To wonder what it was about this encounter with Jesus that prompted four grown men to drop everything instantly? To leave the security of job and family? And embrace a totally unknown future? Not normal. At any level. Normal… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1: 1-3; John 1: 29-34 Preacher: Gloria Ulterino I love music. Sometimes, in fact, readings will evoke the words to a hymn. Like this hymn, in response to today’s readings. “Glory and praise to our God, who alone gives light to our days. Many are the blessings God bears to those who trust in… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3a,5-6; Matthew 2: 1-12 Preacher: Marlene Bessette As I reflected on today’s Gospel, I kept returning to the verse that recounts the reaction when the magi’s quest to find the newborn king of the Jews led them to Jerusalem. “When King Herod heard about this, he was greatly troubled and all Jerusalem with him.” What… read more →
Readings: Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4: 4-7; Luke 2: 16-21 Preacher: Susan Howard A dear friend sent me a Christmas gift a few weeks early. She’s very organized and thoughtful like that, worried about slow mail and lost gifts, but it arrived safely and I put it under the tree to wait until Christmas. So with eager expectation now at its peak… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 9:1-6; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 Preacher: Irene Goodwin The Angels sing, “Peace on earth, good will to all on whom God’s favor rests.” Our Christmas readings are so well known that we hardly consider their impact on our lives. I see the readings for Christmas like a Matryoshka doll (Russian Nesting Doll). Each doll is split in the middle.… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 7: 10-14; Romans 1: 1-7; Matthew 1: 18-24 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala One of the common misconceptions among Christians is that the Christmas stories—indeed, Christmas itself—is best celebrated by children. It’s true that children love Christmas with exuberance and delight in the stories of Jesus’ birth. They learn early about the generosity of our God who came to be… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 35: 1-6a, 10; James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11 Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz Imagine for a moment holding onto something that is very hot; a roll just out of the oven; a stone heated in the sunshine. Our fingers and hands are sensitive to the heat, and we probably would be passing the object from one hand to the… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 11: 1-10; Romans 15: 4-9; Matthew 3: 1-12 Preacher: Sonja Livingston Edward Hicks was an 18th century Quaker minister and American folk artist famous for a series of paintings inspired by the words from Isaiah we read today. Hicks was so gripped by the imagery of Isaiah 11:6-9, he made 65 paintings of the scene over the last thirty… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 2: 1-5; Romans 13: 11-14; Matthew 24: 37-44 Preacher: Gloria Ulterino As often happens, this homily took on a life of its own. Unbidden. It was the joyful light of today’s First Reading from Isaiah that initially captivated my heart. Immediately I was back on a pilgrimage to Israel some 15 years ago, in the balmy springtime. Specifically, at… read more →
Readings: 2 Samuel 5: 1-3; Colossians 1: 12-20; Luke 23: 35-43 Preacher : Nancy J. DeRycke Just as the attention has settled down around Queen Elizabeth’s death and King Charles’ reign, the Church is celebrating Christ the King—another reflection on “Royals.” Our world (and church?) has a fascination with royalty and power. So perhaps that’s part of the reason why the… read more →