A Flip of the Coin
October 19, 2014
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
Proper 24– RCL Year A
Exodus 33:12-23; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Matthew’s gospel is tough. It was written for a particular audience at a particular time in history. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have something to say to us today, but before we can attempt to understand how it might speak to us, we first have to do the work of understanding what it meant THEN, to THAT audience.
Most of us don’t take time for that kind of work. We hear today’s gospel and interpret it simply to mean that we should pay our taxes, give to Caesar what is Caesars’s, and get on with it. But, it’s not that simple. It’s Matthew’s gospel, so there’s work to do.
But, don’t be afraid, I’m here to help.
Matthew’s gospel is big on RULES and AUTHORITY.
We continually hear stories where the Pharisees challenge Jesus or his disciples about the Sabbath because they are healing people or taking corn from the fields and no one’s supposed to be working. And, a couple of weeks ago we heard the Pharisees asking Jesus, by whose authority John was baptizing people.
For all you rule-breakers out there, we like it when Jesus stirs things up! When he goes against the tradition and challenges the status quo.
And when we hear that the Pharisees are trying to trick Jesus with a question, we love it when Jesus turns the tables on them, and they are dumbfounded! Read the rest of this entry »
From Anguish to Alleluia!
August 17, 2014
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
Proper 15 – RCL Year A
Genesis 45:1-15; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28
Jesus left Gennesaret and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Mt 15:21-28)
I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been overwhelmed by the onslaught of tragic stories in the news. For the last several months there has been an increase of unrest, or at least that’s the way it feels. At first this seemed to be concentrated in the usual areas far away – the Middle East, Afghanistan and the Ukraine to name a few.
We’ve been hearing more and more about about the escalating attacks and death-counts in Gaza. Then, on July 17th we were stunned to learn that a commercial jetliner had been shot down over Ukraine, killing almost three hundred innocent victims. And all the while the Ebola virus has been spreading deeper and deeper across West Africa.
Immigration protesters on both sides of the debate staged rallies at a California Border Patrol station last week, in response to the child migrant crisis. Photo: Sandy Huffaker /Getty
And lest we think all the hardships are in far-off lands, we have our own issues to deal with. There are constant reminders of the young children seeking refuge in the U.S., fleeing their homeland due to violence and danger. This crisis has been met with mixed feelings and angry voices on both sides of the issue. Add to that the random shootings in offices and shopping malls, not to mention the endless bickering of a divided Congress, where finger-pointing rules the day. Read the rest of this entry »
Still We Rise!
June 1, 2014
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
7th Sunday of Easter – RCL Year A
Acts 1:6-14; 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11; John 17:1-11
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” This Henry David Thoreau quote confronts me each time I open the refrigerator door. It sits as a framed, limited edition work of art, created by my niece, Kayanne. The card arrived in my mailbox four years ago announcing that she would be graduating from college with a degree in Graphic Design.
Although I’ve never asked, I’d like to think that Kayanne’s connection with this quote may have been partially inspired by a time she and I spent together just four years earlier, at the time of her high school graduation. As a graduation present, I got tickets for Kayanne and me to hear Dr. Maya Angelou when she came to Houston. Angelou had been a favorite of my older sister, Kathy, Kayanne’s mom, who had died a couple of years earlier. So, sharing this experience with Kayanne was one way of bringing her mom into the celebration with us.
During the evening we were captivated by the inspiring and poignant words of Angelou. Her message was optimistic while she encouraged each of us to share our unique gifts with the world. She attributed each person’s unique strengths to their ability to rise above the struggles in life, and she assured us that “each of us has the power to change someone’s life,” saying, “Sometimes if you just speak to someone it can change their whole day.” (1) Read the rest of this entry »
The Gift of Connectedness
May 25, 2014
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
6th Sunday of Easter – RCL Year A
Acts 17:22-31; 1 Peter 3:13-22 ; John 14:15-21
A few months ago, TJ, a member of the J2A Youth group, approached me after Sunday school to ask if I could help her with a school paper. She had to write her perspective on the Creation stories found in Genesis in light of the scientific evidence of Evolution. She assured me that outside resources were allowed, including priests, so I was happy to help.
When she called later that day, I shared with TJ how I have reconciled these two ways of seeing God’s Creation of the world and humanity. As a life-long Episcopalian, my formation has been under-girded by what is sometimes called the “three-legged stool” of Anglican Theology: Scripture, Tradition and Reason. So, as new knowledge is revealed, reason is used alongside Scripture, and plays a part in our understanding of God and God’s relationship to the world.
After sharing my perspective, TJ asked if I had any outside resources that might be helpful for additional evaluation. At first I couldn’t think of anything, but then, I remembered a Newsweek article I read in the late 80’s that intrigued me – it was called “The Search for Adam and Eve.” What’s more amazing is that I was pretty sure I had a copy of it, and after a few minutes digging through boxes in the garage, though a Google search would’ve been faster, I found it for her to use.
The article talked about a study conducted by microbiologists at Berkeley and Emory who were exploring the origin of the modern human race. The authors acknowledge the risk of using the biblical names of Adam and Eve in the title – but how else are you going to sell magazines, right? The opening paragraph says in part: Read the rest of this entry »
jodygreenwood 