Homilies and bulletins

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13 This past Tuesday, before any election results were in…the popular American historian, Ken Burns… published an essay entitled “We Face Our Nation’s Fourth Great Crisis.” (1) He began by saying, and I quote: “There have been three great crises in American history: the Civil War, perhaps the defining event in our history after the Revolution itself, the Great Depression and World War II. These events

Revelation 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 I remember when my parents…and many others…mourned the death of…Elvis. It was August 16, 1977. I was a senior in college. At the time, I don’t think I quite understood the visibility of their grief. I don’t remember hearing Elvis’ music at home. But my parents mourned him. Something I could not understand had wounded them. Elvis definitely had not been on my playlist in the 70’s. And I’m not sure that I really had a grasp on mor

Matthew 22:34-46 22nd Sunday after Pentecost A; 10.25.26; G. Miles Smith+ Have you ever been…lost in religion? It is really frustrating when it happens. Because it is easy enough to be lost in so many other ways…lost in the latest news…lost in politics…lost in work challenges…lost in health challenges…lost in financial challenges…lost in technology challenges…lost in relationship challenges. There are so many ways we can find ourselves

Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thess 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22 PRAY… Good morning! If we haven’t met yet, my name is Ben. It won’t surprise you to know I’m here today because Miles is off with many of you on retreat at Shrine Mont. I’m very aware that the people of Grace are passing through a very significant season of great love and great loss…in the deaths of Bill, Ann and now David and in the tender care of their families, along with the pending retirement of your rector who

Gospel of Matthew 22:1-14 My eyes keep getting worse. I got a new glasses prescription back in November, and already I can tell, I need to go back. And when I do go back, and the doctor asks her series of binary questions “which is better–1 or 2? Now, which is better, 2, or 3?” I get analysis paralysis, fussing over the idea of a perfect solution for my imperfect vision. With a text as layered as this parable, and so many interpretations on the books, I get analysis paralys