Letters On The Page

Wednesday in the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany 2 Corinthians 11:19-12:9    Luke 8:4-15   O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. In considering the mystery of salvation, we must begin with the assuring image that the Good News of God, that is Christ Jesus, is cast far and wide. We should have in our minds eye the old-time farmer who sows the seed through broadcasting. The farmer casts his seed with the hopes that every seed will take root and produce abundantly for harvest.    The Lord intends for the Good News of Christ to be widely cast. The Scriptures testify that God desires all people to receive Christ with faith. God sent Jonah the prophet into pagan Ninevah so that they could hear God’s Word. When Israel was allowed to leave their Babylonian captivity, many faithful Jews stayed. They witnessed their faith in ancient Persia, now Iran, for centuries.    Jesus...

  Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany Isaiah 58:3-9a 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 Matthew 5:13-20 O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  Lent begins two Wednesdays from now with Ash Wednesday. Right before the imposition of ashes the pastor states that Ash Wednesday “begins a holy season of prayerful and penitential reflection. Our attention is especially directed to the holy sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. From ancient time the season of Lent has been kept as a time of special devotion, self-denial, and humble repentance born of a faithful heart that dwells confidently on His Word and draws from it life and hope.”  One of the traditional devotions and acts of self-denial is the ancient practice of fasting. As the practice of fasting is addressed in the Old Testament reading, and, as it is a common Christian practice, and, because Lent...

Wednesday of the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany  1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5 Matthew 20:1-16 O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  For those of us who are concerned about fairness, the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard can be difficult to hear. By fairness I mean that people are treated the same. Perhaps it is a mercy to us that those who arranged the lectionary do not include anything of chapter 19 into this gospel reading. There too, Jesus says a number of things that sound “unfair.” One example is in Matthew 19:13-15, Jesus rebuked the disciples for preventing little children coming up to Jesus. Jesus explains, “ Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven .”  That is a confusing statement. Do little children know what to do with a kingdom? It’s not a toy or a game. The kingdom of heaven is for those who are worthy. Surely the ...

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany  Micah 6:1-8      1 Corinthians 1:18-31      Matthew 5:1-12 Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.   When Mary was pregnant with Jesus she visited her relative Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. In response to the excitement of John leaping in Elizabeth’s womb, Mary offered a song of praise highlighting what God has done in the past.  She declares: He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy…” (Luke 1:51-54)  We are left with the impression that her son Jesus, as the incarnate eternal Son, will continue the work that he...

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Wednesday after the Epiphany   1 Corinthians 1:10-18       Matthew 4:12-25 O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  When we step into the church to fellowship and worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, it is very difficult to turn off the ways of the world. Out in the world, we continue to see and hear about a divided America and a polarized people. Republicans and Democrats; For or against President Trump and his policies. For or against the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Convictions run deep. Feelings run high. Loyalties are declared. There is a lot of talking past one another. Disagreements become fixed positions, divisions are hardened.  As we enter into the observance of our 250 th  anniversary as a nation, we will have ample opportunity to reflect on the difficul...

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Third Sunday after the Epiphany   Isaiah 9:1-4       1 Corinthians 1:10-18           Matthew 4:12-23 O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. The Light of Christ Shines in the Dark Matthew tells us that Jesus moves from his childhood home of Nazareth to Capernaum by the sea. His reason for moving is unlike our usual reasons for moving. For example, we move because of employment opportunities; to be closer to family; to inhabit a larger or smaller home because we entered a new phase in our lives; move to a different house and community in order to enjoy retirement and conclude our baptismal journey.    Jesus moves for none of these reasons. Jesus moves in order to fulfill Scripture. His move is a fulfillment of Isaiah 9.  This is the fifth of ten Old Testament citati...