Irreverently Reverend

  Advent II In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be call...

  Sixth Sunday of Easter Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.  2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.  3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.  4  For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.  5  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6  This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth . (ESV)               I finally broke down and did my taxes th...

  Palm Sunday When Jesus and his followers approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus gave two disciples a task,  2  saying to them, “Go into the village over there. As soon as you enter it, you will find tied up there a colt that no one has ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  3  If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘Its master needs it, and he will send it back right away.’” 4  They went and found a colt tied to a gate outside on the street, and they untied it.  5  Some people standing around said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”  6  They told them just what Jesus said, and they left them alone.  7  They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes upon it, and he sat on it.  8  Many people spread out their clothes on the road while others spread branches cut from the fields.  9  Those in front of him and those followi...

Fifth Sunday in Lent 20  Some Greeks were among those who had come up to worship at the festival.  21  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and made a request: “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”  22  Philip told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip told Jesus. 23  Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Human One to be glorified.  24  I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.  25  Those who love their lives will lose them, and those who hate their lives in this world will keep them forever.  26  Whoever serves me must follow me. Wherever I am, there my servant will also be. My Father will honor whoever serves me. 27  “Now  I am deeply troubled . What should I say? ‘Father, save me from this time’? No, for this is the reason I have come to this time.  28  Father, glorify your name!” Then a ...

  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...