Sermons from January 2021
Question Authority
Mark 1:21-28 Remember the bumper sticker that was popular for a while – “question authority”? The founding of this nation comes out of rebellion, out of questioning the authority of the British and the French and it is a strong strand in our collective psyche. Here in Los Osos we questioned the authority of the Regional Quality Water Board for decades, and even St. Ben’s once challenged the authority of the diocese. So questioning authority is nothing new to us.…
The Time has Grown Short
Jonah 3:1-5, 10 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20 I confess that I procrastinate. This will not be news to most of you. Before my brain really kicks in to get something done, I have to develop a sense of urgency. Today’s readings all have a sense of urgency – “the appointed time has grown short”, “the time is fulfilled”. You would think that even someone as dedicated to challenging deadlines as I, would get that something is up. But…
God Is Calling
1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20) John 1:43-51 When I was in my late teens and wondering what to do with my life I was told by lovely people that God’s will for me was clearly laid out in the Bible. I was frustrated by that because no matter which way I read the Bible it did not tell me the answer to my burning question: what was I to do with my life? We tend to think about Christian vocation as being…
Steeped in the River of Humanity
Mark 1:4-11 What a week it has been. I am sure that like me you were shocked and sickened by the scenes of people storming the Capitol and even more so by men who should know better inciting the crowds with inflammatory rhetoric. Whether this is the end of something or the beginning of something we can all agree that it is not the way we expect people to behave in this society. Over the past few years, the norms…
Do You Know Where Your Wise Men Are?
Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a Matthew 2:1-12 It’s 10:45 in the morning. Do you know where your Wise Men are? If you set Wise Men out with a Nativity scene this year, Where are your Wise Men today? Perhaps they have been carefully packed away. Perhaps they are standing vigil around or close to the creche. Perhaps they are still on their way and placed A little distant yet from the birth scene, Since the Feast of Epiphany is still to…