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Homilies (Page 69)

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

“Zacchaeus”… the name sounds funny to our ears. To the ears of his contemporaries, the name must have sounded not funny at all, but ironic, for its meaning in Hebrew was “innocent” or “pure.” Zacchaeus was considered anything but innocent or pure by his fellow Jews. Their name for him would more likely be “abuser” or “exploiter” for Zacchaeus worked for the hated Romans who had conquered and occupied the land of Palestine. He had won the tax-collecting franchise awarded by the Romans to enterprising traitors…

The Blue Sweater

I would like to thank my daughter Rebecca for introducing me to a book and also literally introducing me to the author of the book. My daughter is a freshman at UNC Charlotte, and there was a book that was required reading for her course in “Global Connections.” The book is called The Blue Sweater. It was on the New York Times Best Seller List. It was written by Jacqueline Novogratz. It’s a story that she tells about her life. I’d like to tell you the story of the blue sweater…

I Will Write it on Their Hearts

Jeremiah 31:31-32a, 33, 34b
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with [my people] It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors….a covenant that they broke…. This is the covenant that I will make…. I will put my law within them,… I will write it on their hearts’ and I will be their God, and they will be my people….From the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Engage With the World

It seems to me, when we look back at early Christianity, those early decades of Christianity, as we look at the scriptures that tell us something about that early time, it is important for us to remember that there was no New Testament. There were the Hebrew scriptures, but these early Christians began to live their lives trying to follow what they believed Jesus was about…

Faith

According to my count, by the time we reach the benediction this morniing, we will have heard or said or sung the word “faith” nine times. Not to mention professing our faith what we believe as Christians in the words of the Nicene Creed. I actually expected the number to be larger. After all, we are people of faith. We are members of a faith community, seeking to live faithfully in this world. Regardless of whether we use the word faith, the language of faith fills our worship and forms our thinking and shapes our lives…

Launch of the Center for Hope and Healing (CHH)

Good morning. I greet you on this the 18th Sunday after the Day of Pentecost. Today is also a momentous day in my own life, in the lives of many volunteers here at St. Paul’s, and, I hope, in the life of our entire parish and community as we celebrate the launch of St. Paul’s Center for Hope and Healing. The Center for Hope and Healing is a new mission and outreach of this parish which offers counseling, education, support and resources to persons at St. Paul’s as well as those within the greater community…

The Parable of the Trapeze

I’d like to begin by talking about vestments. This alb that I wear – I should tell you that I bought this alb eight years ago. I was in seminary and I had to have one for my first parish where I was an intern. Just to let you know how space-age these things are, it’s kind of held together by a white shoestring that goes across on the inside. About six weeks ago I noticed that my alb string was becoming dangerously frayed. I turned to Candy and I asked, “What happens when it breaks?” Well it broke this morning..

Belonging and Transformation

Today is a day of beginnings here at St. Paul’s as our programs begin today. Our Church School kicked off today, our Youth Program, our Choirs are in full swing, and so many other parts of our church life gear up at this time of the year. In many ways, it’s a time of beginning. In that context I’d like to talk about some things to think about as we begin…

Dining with the Pharisees

As a preacher, I almost always choose to talk about the day’s Gospel lesson. I may touch on the other lessons but my main concern is to dwell on the message contained in the Gospel. So with that in mind I intend to give some very practical advice on how to behave at a dinner party, so as to avoid embarrassment. It’s simply a matter of choosing the right seat…

Do We Know Enough?

Well I can report three sure signs that fall is approaching fast. One, I got to watch about two minutes of a very bad pre-season football game last night. Two, the acolytes were comparing the upcoming school schedules they had received this week with varying degrees of enthusiasm and dread. And three, as you passed through the narthex you probably noticed there were many opportunities to sign up for things…