Irreverently Reverend

  Fourth Sunday after Epiphany “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.  7  And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’  8  And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’  9  Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.  10  And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’  11  And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus. 12  “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,  13  came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received m

  Third Sunday of Ordinary Time On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.  8  There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered.  9  And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.  10  But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.”  11  And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed.  12  And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.   (ESV)               In 1970, a pair of behavioral scientists wanted to study how much internal moral compasses and ideologies really affected people’s external actions.   They went to Pri

  Second Sunday of Ordinary Time 23  At that time a great disturbance erupted about the Way.  24  There was a silversmith named Demetrius. He made silver models of Artemis’ temple, and his business generated a lot of profit for the craftspeople.  25  He called a meeting with these craftspeople and others working in related trades and said, “Friends, you know that we make an easy living from this business.  26  And you can see and hear that this Paul has convinced and misled a lot of people, not only in Ephesus but also throughout most of the province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands aren’t really gods.  27  This poses a danger not only by discrediting our trade but also by completely dishonoring the great goddess Artemis. The whole province of Asia—indeed, the entire civilized world—worships her, but her splendor will soon be extinguished.” (CEB)   “To me,” said a West Texas florist who was part of the violent destruction at the Capitol building a week and a half ago

Baptism of the Lord Sunday While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “ John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied— 7 altogether there were about twelve of them. (NRSV)             I had a meeting Wednesday afternoon that ran rather long and I finally left the office thinking that would be the tensest part of my day.   I was quite wrong.           “Did you see?” said my friends on soc