“Owe no one anything, except to love one another;
      for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

It was a day like any other day….

Kyrie eleison….
           Lord, have mercy.

Today’s Gospel story begins like so many others:
someone comes to Jesus asking for help and healing….

Today’s story, like so many others, is filled with fear and doubt
yet punctuated with moments of intense faith….
so very like our own lives…

Can you think of a time in your life when you knew that you were in the presence of something Holy…
     something Holy that had something to say to you?

Have you ever been in a conversation and asked one of those stumper questions?

 I find that children usually do a great job with those.

Having purchased a house with a yard much larger than we anticipated, and having cut the grass on the fairly steep hill in the backyard 2 or 3 times, we quickly decided that the grassy knoll would become terraced beds….

At the beginning of COVID, Ray was not allowed into go to the hospital unless he was seeing patients, so he and I spent a great deal of time out in our yard….

“To what will I compare this generation?”

Jesus asked that question thousands of years ago….
     We still ask that question as every new generation arises, do we not?

Despite the spoiler alert that begins today’s Old Testament reading…
            “God tested Abraham...”
      and despite the fact that we know how the story ends…Isaac lives,
I suspect that each of us shivers or recoils in horror as we hear:
         “Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son!”

There is enough blessing to go around.

 There is enough blessing to go around…
like, really…there is!

When, and how, has God shown up for you when times were rough?
When you weren’t sure you could get through…
or even go on?

In today’s Scripture readings there is a lot of “going” and “following!”

Since we are disciples (that is, “followers”) of Jesus, the Son of the living God, I think it’s worth spending some time looking a bit closer at these actions and what they mean for us….

Our reading this morning from Genesis reminded me of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem, God’s Grandeur. 

I would like to share it with you….

“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh…
                   your children shall prophesy
     and your young and your old shall see visions and dream dreams….
upon everyone I will pour out my Spirit!”

Do we believe it?
           Do we live it?….

“Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6b)

The apostles wanted to know….

This morning we witness an encounter between the Gospel and the world it is meant to transform….

In today’s Scripture readings we hear numerous stories of stones and dwelling places.

There are living stones,
rejected stones,
                   cornerstones…
       stones that render the living, dead
                   and the dead, alive….

Today Jesus speaks of thieves and bandits...
of threat and harm...
but also of pastoral guidance and protection and even abundant life!