Faithful Journey Toward a Hoped-for Future
August 28, 2016
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
15th Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 17
Jeremiah 2:4-13; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14
(Gospel Text provided below)
At the beginning of the summer, as we began our journey through Luke’s gospel, I said that if I had to pick a movie genre that best fit this gospel, it would be “supernatural.” Face it, the book is full of angels, healings, super-natural stuff, the whole bit. The gospel story on that day was about Jesus raising a man from the dead and it was told in only five verses.
I compared this matter-of-fact telling of the story to John’s elaborate gospel story about the raising of Lazarus. I explained that this difference in emphasis points to each author’s purpose for their gospel. John’s gospel is providing evidence in order to bring people to belief, or to reaffirm their belief, in Jesus as the Messiah. By contrast Luke’s telling isn’t intended to convert people, but instead, to shed a new light, a particular light, on Jesus’ message to an existing early Christian community.[i]
Luke provides an intentional message of salvation – a salvation that upends the status quo of his time. Jesus declares a ministry oriented to those without power.[ii] Where the lowly are raised up and the powerful brought down. Even more, Jesus is trying to remove those things that divide people, and restore those who have been excluded – the poor, the ill, the marginalized and the oppressed – and bring them back into the community.
At the risk of being a broken record, we see the same message from Jesus in today’s gospel lesson. Read the rest of this entry »
The Cauldron’s Call
August 14, 2016
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
13th Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 15
Isaiah 5:1-7; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56
(Gospel Text provided below)
This Sunday morning we find ourselves just past the midway-point of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. I grew up watching the Olympics, and have been watching more than my fair share this year. I can pretty much watch any event, but the one that has taken most of my attention so far, besides watching the amazing U.S. women’s gymnastics team, has been swimming.
Katie Ledecky at the age of nineteen is a swimming phenom. Her strength is long-distance races, and she holds the world-record in the 400, 800, and 1,500 meter freestyle. When she races, her goal isn’t to beat other swimmers. Her goal is to beat herself – to BEST herself. She keeps beating her own records, including this past Friday night in the 800, when she beat her own world record by almost 4 seconds – proving that she’s not content to just hold onto what she’s already accomplished.
Leah Smith, after finishing 2nd behind Ledecky in the Olympic Trials last June said, “I’ve never been able to see her feet before. That was exciting.” This has become the new measure of success when competing with Ledecky.[i] What’s more, Ledecky just goes about her business in a quiet and humble way. No grandstanding, just focused on doing what she is purposed to do.
Summer Lessons from Luke
June 5, 2016
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
Third Sunday After Pentecost – Proper 5
1 Kings 17:8-24; Galatians 1:11-24; Luke 7:11-17
(Gospel Text provided below)
As you may know, I am one of five kids in my family. Before we came along, my mom was a 3rd grade elementary school teacher while Dad was in law school. By the time Dad finished, they had had their first child and the rest, including me, weren’t far behind! So, when my parents moved back to Houston, my mom stopped teaching… in the classroom at least – she had plenty of her own pupils underfoot!
When we reached elementary school-age, Mom knew from her time as a teacher that it’s hard for kids to retain over the summer what they learned the previous school year. So at the beginning of each summer, she’d load us into the wood-paneled station wagon and we’d head to the Teacher’s Supply Store. Each of us would get two workbooks – one English and one Math – and we’d be expected to spend time each day doing workbook exercises. So, although it was summer break from school, it wasn’t a total break from learning. Read the rest of this entry »
Parallel Sojourners – The Epilogue
May 16, 2016
The evening walk began on the same peaceful note as the morning, though the surf would beg to differ. I traveled down-beach this time, toward the sunset as it sank into the western horizon. The sea-birds were still busy at work, harvesting what they could amid the rushing foam.
Continuing the reflection of the day, I thought about the two unbroken sand dollars I found on the same day as I walked along Galveston’s shoreline some 30 years ago. I gave them to the friend who was with me, and later, she had them framed and gifted them back to me. They now hang on my office wall.
Amid the peacefulness and reflection, I headed back toward the hotel. As I approached the pier I heard squeals of delight – children’s voices. When I got closer I saw two women and three young girls bounding toward the beach. The girls’ high-pitched excitement coupled with the hotel’s welcome-bag confirmed they had just arrived. The mom and grandmother watched the girls as they maneuvered through the sand toward the water, one trying to catch it on their iPhone.
As I got closer to them I asked if I they wanted me to take a picture of all of them together – admittedly asking as much for me as for them – and they happily said yes! In spite of the fading sunlight, I snapped a few shots for them – I hope at least one is good. It certainly was good for me – another picture of parallel sojourners. These filled with exuberance, life, and promise. Unbounded joy – hold onto it whenever it comes!
May we all continue the journey… together!
jodygreenwood 