Irreverently Reverend

  Seventh Sunday after Epiphany “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  28  bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  29  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.  30  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  31  Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.  33  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.  34  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.  35  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the M

  Sixth Sunday after Epiphany Happy are those     who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread,     or sit in the seat of scoffers; 2  but their delight is in the law of the Lord,     and on his law they meditate day and night. 3  They are like trees     planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season,     and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. 4  The wicked are not so,     but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,     nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6  for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,     but the way of the wicked will perish. (NRSV)             There’s a show that aired a few years ago on NBC called “The Good Place” starring Ted Danson and Kristin Bell that is one of my favorites.   The show follows four humans—Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahani—as they navigate the afterlife and the rea

  Fifth Sunday after Epiphany   In the year of King Uzziah’s death , I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, the edges of his robe filling the temple.  2  Winged creatures were stationed around him. Each had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew about.  3  They shouted to each other, saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of heavenly forces! All the earth is filled with God’s glory!” 4  The doorframe shook at the sound of their shouting, and the house was filled with smoke. 5  I said, “Mourn for me; I’m ruined! I’m a man with unclean lips, and I live among a people with unclean lips. Yet I’ve seen the king, the Lord of heavenly forces!” 6  Then one of the winged creatures flew to me, holding a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs.  7  He touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips. Your guilt has departed, and your sin is removed.” 8  Then I heard the Lord’s voice saying, “Whom