1 Kings 17:17-24 We are told in the First Book of Kings – in the section of that book that immediately precedes the verses that were read as today’s Old Testament lesson – that during a time of severe drought, the Lord told the prophet Elijah: “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and…
St. Michael and All Angels Many people are drawn to fantasy stories about epic clashes between angels and demons, in which, on a superhuman scale, the forces of good battle against the forces of evil. We might sit in amazement as we watch movies about this kind of thing. We might be deeply absorbed in…
St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist Have you ever thought about the politics that were present among the disciples of Jesus? I’m not referring just to the way in which they related to each other. I mean the disciples’ involvement in the secular politics of the day, in that corner of the Roman Empire in which…
Mark 7:31-37 During his earthly ministry, Jesus performed many miracles of physical healing. A common feature in these miracles was that Jesus spoke healing into the person who was sick or disabled. Usually this speaking was accompanied by his laying his hands on the person, but not always. In the case of the servant of…
Ephesians 2:1-10 Today’s lesson from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians is filled with contrasts. A good way to know the precise meaning and application of a point that Paul expresses in this text is to view that point in light of the contrasting point that Paul also sets forth. So, for example, he tells…
St. Bartholomew – John 1:43-51 “Seeing is believing.” “What you see is what you get.” These commonly-expressed sentiments illustrate how much value we tend to put on the ability to see things, with our eyes, in our determination of what is true and what is real. Today is the feast day of Nathanael Bartholomew, one…
Luke 16:1-13 “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’” And…
Jeremiah 23:16-29 There are prophets. And then there are prophets. In ancient Israel, during the time of Jeremiah the prophet – a real prophet – there were some other prophets – fake prophets. Of these, the Lord said: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless;…
Genesis 2:7-17 It is difficult for us to imagine what it would have been like to live in the Garden of Eden. This garden is so very far removed from anything we have ever experienced: not only according to the distance in time that is involved; but also according to the totally different nature and…
Exodus 20:1-17 The text of the Ten Commandments that we heard read a few minutes ago, from the Book of Exodus, included the original and full wording of the Third Commandment as follows: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day…