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Showing posts from July, 2021

Strangely Familiar: Scarcity and Abundance (2 Kings 4:42-44)

  Ordinary Time A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack . Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.”  43  But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’”  44  He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord .   (NRSV)               Toward the beginning of lockdown last year, it seemed that everyone and their mother was making bread.   Hands up, how many of you had sourdough starter?   I didn’t get on that train but oh, how many people I knew did.   I remember my poor friend Sid grieving over having accidentally killed his sourdough starter and my friend John delighting in everyone finally joining him in the bread-making hobby.   There was bread everywhere and everyone had an opinion about ho

Strangely Familiar: Decorum (2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12-19)

  Ordinary Time David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.  2  David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim.  3  They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart  4  with the ark of God; [ [1] ]  and Ahio went in front of the ark.  5  David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.   12  It was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing;  13  and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six

Strangely Familiar: Family Matters (Mark 6:1-13)

  Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.  2  On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands!  3  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.  4  Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.”  5  And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.  6  And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching.  7  He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.  8  He ordered them to take nothi