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Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 25—September 24, 2017
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Exodus 16:2–15 | Psalm 105:1–6, 37–45 | Philippians 1:21–30 | Matthew 20:1–16
Summary: Today’s first lesson about manna in the wilderness shows God’s great love for the people. They complain about being hungry, and God sends bread and meat. In the end, it was not what they want or expect. The workers in the Gospel lesson about the vineyard also complain because they don’t get what they expect. The parable shows that God does not treat us fairly by human standards since those who worked a short time and those who worked all day get the same pay. God’s grace is given freely and abundantly to all, so many get more than they “deserve.” Thus we are set free to give ourselves away freely to the world.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 24—September 17, 2017
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Exodus 14:19–31 | Psalm 114 | Romans 14:1–12 | Matthew 18:21–35
Summary: Today’s Gospel is about forgiveness, but too often we don’t understand what forgiveness really is. We treat forgiveness as if it were part of the justice system and withhold it until we receive an apology. Like the story in the first lesson about the Egyptians killed when the Red Sea closed after the Israelites crossed, we look at natural disasters as punishment. Like the servant in our Gospel, we are not transformed by the forgiveness we receive and cannot forgive our fellow servants. We receive grace upon grace from God; may we be transformed so that we may forgive others and continue to transform ourselves to be blessings for the world.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 23—September 10, 2017
Preacher: Pastor David Barber
Lessons: Exodus 12:1–14 | Psalm 149 | Romans 13:8–14 | Matthew 18:15–20
Summary: Our first lesson talks about the Exodus from Egypt after the Spirit of God passed over the people of Israel and slew the firstborn of Egypt. That event is even more monumental than the events of September 11, 2001, which we remember tomorrow. As Christians, we share in the liberation of the Jews from Egypt through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In our post-9/11 world, we experience fear of immigrants, white supremacists, and others, but we come together at the table each Sunday to be strengthened as instruments of healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 22—September 3, 2017
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Exodus 3:1–15 | Psalm 105:1–6, 23–26, 45b | Romans 12:9–21 | Matthew 16:21–28
Summary: In last week’s Gospel, Peter was the hero who says that Jesus is the Messiah, but this week Jesus explains that this Messiah-ship means that Jesus must go to Jerusalem, suffer, die, and be raised. Peter cannot accept what Jesus says because it doesn’t fit with his idea of the Messiah. We all have our own visions of who Jesus is. We may envision Jesus bringing prosperity, wielding military power (like Peter may have wanted), or satisfying some other earthly desire. We keep trying to do the same thing but more and better. In Romans Paul has a vision of the church where love is genuine and we are ardent in the Spirit. Let us liveout that vision with people of all faiths and truly be the body of Christ.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 21—August 27, 2017
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Exodus 1:8—2:10 | Psalm 124 | Romans 12:1–8 | Matthew 16:13–20
Summary: Today’s first lesson from Exodus is not one we hear often in its entirety. Pharaoh was afraid of the numerous children of Israel and tried to work them to death. That wasn’t effective, so he told the midwives to kill the male children. Fear can drive us to do unimaginably cruel things. But the midwives were brave, not afraid of the danger they faced, and true to their calling; and they saved the children. Midwives bring comfort, but they can also be harsh and forceful when necessary. The church can be unmoving, hard, and impenetrable like the rock in our Gospel lesson. However, we should think of ourselves as midwives to our communities, bringing life, holding back death, knowing that our job is not to save ourselves, and brave in standing up to oppression.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 20—August 20, 2017
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Genesis 45:1–15 | Psalm 133 | Romans 11:1–2a, 29–32 | Matthew 15:10–28
Summary: The recent activities in Charlottesville and people’s reactions to them show us that words matter, hearts matter, and lives matter. In the Gospel, Jesus is arguing with religious leaders about words and rituals and explains that words matter. Then Jesus meets the Canaanite woman and responds out of prejudice and his own culture and upbringing. She is persistent and Jesus learns/repents, and healing happens. In Genesis, Joseph had every right to punish his brothers, but healing happens and they are saved. God created the world in great diversity and pronounced it good. We cannot be unmoved by words of hatred. Like the Canaanite woman, we must persist and stand steadfast in love against hatred.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 19—August 13, 2017
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Genesis 37:1–4, 12–28 | Psalm 105 | Romans 10:5–15 | Matthew 14:22–33
Summary: In our first lesson, Joseph’s brothers begin to worry when he comes to check up on them. Worry turns to fear, and fear turns to anger. The disciples in the storm are worried, and then fearful, but Jesus reaches out his hand and saves Peter from drowning. God reaches out to us in our worry and fear to brings to hope. I pray that we each take the hand of God, who is always with us.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 18—August 6, 2017
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Genesis 32:22–31| Psalm 17 | Romans 9:1–5 | Matthew 14:13–21
Summary: Years ago one of my confirmands didn’t know if she believed in the same way as others in her very religious family, and it troubled her. She looked at faith like the disciples who thought the small number of loaves and fishes in today’s Gospel could not feed the crowd. As I spoke with her, she understood the faith represented in her knowledge that God loved her, and she was confirmed. These days, we worry abut whether we have enough, even in our rich society, and we often think the poor have some kind of moral failing. Jesus sees the world with compassion and calls us to see things the same way.