Irreverently Reverend

  Trinity Sunday Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you . And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age .” (NRSVue)             A congregant said to a colleague of mine once that she clearly needed to have some extra training as a pastor because the congregation wasn’t growing.   My colleague asked what the congregant was doing to grow in their own faith and the person looked at her with scorn; the purpose of a pastor is to grow a church, they said, and to make sure there were people to step up to take over leade...

  Ordinary Time Christ is just like the human body—a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many.   13  We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink.  14  Certainly the body isn’t one part but many.  15  If the foot says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not a hand,” does that mean it’s not part of the body?  16  If the ear says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not an eye,” does that mean it’s not part of the body?  17  If the whole body were an eye, what would happen to the hearing? And if the whole body were an ear, what would happen to the sense of smell?  18  But as it is, God has placed each one of the parts in the body just like he wanted.  19  If all were one and the same body part, what would happen to the body?  20  But as it is, there a...

  Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying:  2  “Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say:  3  Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?  4  Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest ; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts,  5  according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.  6  For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry la...

  Fourth Week of Lent Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.  9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,  10 if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.  11 The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your n...