Category Archives: Church and Social Movements

Lent 3 B: Use Science, Don’t “Trust” It

Posted on March 2, 2021 by John

The Readings for the Third Sunday in Lent: Old Testament       Exodus 20:1–17 Psalm                    Psalm 19 New Testament      1 Corinthians 1:18–25 Gospel                   John 2:13–22 Because our last President made such a mess of our nation’s pandemic response … Continue reading →

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Lent 1 B: The Noah Covenant and the Pandemic

Posted on February 16, 2021 by John

This Sunday’s readings: Old Testament      Genesis 9:8–17 Psalm                    Psalm 25:1–10 New Testament     1 Peter 3:18–22 Gospel                   Mark 1:9–15 Last Sunday was Transfiguration, and we thought of that word of our time: “unprecedented.” The fire, the windstorm, … Continue reading →

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Epiphany 5 B: Wait for the Lord, Not Just for the Vaccination

Posted on February 3, 2021 by John

There’s something ancient and eternal here. We are always tempted to modernize the message of the church—to speak in the most fashionable jargon of the philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, or “with it” youth on the streets. But Isaiah, chapters 40-55, makes … Continue reading →

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Epiphany 4 B “Rebuke the Disease, Not the Diseased”

Posted on January 27, 2021 by John

Years ago we fought off a family disease. Substance abuse was our plague, and we were in a group family therapy program where the leader had each set of parents draw a picture of the disease, place it on a … Continue reading →

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Epiphany 3 B: Trust Joe Biden; but Verify!

Posted on January 19, 2021 by John

I write and publish this blog on January 19, 2021. Tomorrow, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States. Thanks be to God! Now, it is our job to trust but verify. We are moved … Continue reading →

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Epiphany 2 B: “I and We” and the Assault on the Capitol

Posted on January 14, 2021 by John

The Second Reading for this Sunday is 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Those who stormed our nation’s Capitol on Epiphany, January 6, shouted many slogans: “This is our house!” “Stop the steal!” “Hang Mike Pence!” But they all can be boiled down … Continue reading →

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Epiphany 1 B: Listen to the Earth

Posted on January 4, 2021 by John

First Sunday after the Epiphany/Baptism of the Lord Psalm 29 is our Psalm for the First Sunday after the Epiphany, which is also the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This particular Psalm may have been chosen by those … Continue reading →

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The Household Power Structure Changes!

Posted on December 16, 2020 by John

Pictured here are Connie, with Sméagol the cat, and Nell the sheepdog. I’m John, taking the photo. In the life of Heatherhope Farm, over the 18 years of its existence, Sméagol has run things inside the house. He meows like … Continue reading →

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Advent 4 B: Look Up to God And Down on None

Posted on December 16, 2020 by John

The Gospel Lesson for this Sunday is the Annunciation: Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that, though a virgin, she will bear the Son of the Most High God, the Messiah of the lineage of King David (Luke 1:26-38). The Psalm that … Continue reading →

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Advent 1B Becoming the Answer

Posted on November 25, 2020 by John

Douglas Adams wrote hysterical science fiction, the humor of which sometimes hid gems of insights into the human condition. In his “Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe” series he told the story of how a society built a computer with a … Continue reading →

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