9 February 2020: The Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany
Jesus the Jewish rabbi tells his Jewish followers that they have to be even more righteous than the people who are most regularly a thorn in his flesh to enter the kingdom of heaven.
I can’t do that. We can’t do that. And that’s the point.
2 February 2020: The Presentation of Our Lord
The Rev. Joseph Peters-Mathews is the vicar of St. Hilda St. Patrick. The sermon for Sunday, February 2, 2020 was preached extemporaneously. The Gospel text was Luke 2.22-40.
26 January 2020: The Third Sunday After the Epiphany
The Rev. Joseph Peters-Mathews is the vicar of St. Hilda St. Patrick. The sermon for Sunday, January 26, 2020 was preached extemporaneously. The Gospel text was Matthew 4.12-23.
12 January 2020: The First Sunday After the Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord
Whenever it rains, whenever you look out at the ocean, whenever you wash your hands (which you should do frequently, by the way), remember that you are God’s beloved, and there’s nothing you can do about it. No failure, no insult, nothing on earth can separate you from that love. You are washed by the water.
5 January 2020: The Second Sunday After Christmas
The Word has become flesh and dwelt among us. It’s still Christmas.
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
24 December 2019: Christmas Eve
God’s new reign is the heavenly Jerusalem coming to earth. And here at Christmas, we celebrate that heaven has come to earth as Jesus — fully God and fully human — is born.
The atonement for humanity, our at-one-ment, is when heaven arrives not in power and might, but in a cold, shivering, hungry, screaming baby, despite what “Silent Night” would have us believe.
22 December 2019: The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Fleeing violence to fall seriously ill is a reality people along our southern border face. But Joseph didn’t change his plan. Mary said yes, and Jesus was born.
15 December 2019: The Third Sunday of Advent
We spend a lot of time waiting. We can do it while wrapping ourselves in self-isolation – or we can wait joyfully with others, sharing our hopes and dreams for each other.
1 December 2019: The First Sunday of Advent
As we stay awake, not knowing when Jesus will return, we prepare for his return by working to see God’s vision realized and repenting of the ways we’ve failed to do so. Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus.