Monthly Archives: July 2013

Love Dogs

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Proper 12C, July 28, 2013; The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

Hosea 1:2-10 In the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”
Colossians 2:6-19 Do not let anyone disqualify you.
Luke 11:1-13 Everyone who asks…everyone who searches…everyone who knocks.

O God of everyone, grant us the strength, the wisdom and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth, come when it may, and cost what it will.

In our Hebrew Scripture lesson for this morning, Hosea – a prophet of Israel – is crying out against the people of Israel for breaking the covenant by not listening to God alone – a covenant that requires full-bodied attentiveness to the Holy One of Israel. Idolatry and whoredom, in ancient Hebrew, are the same word – the same thing. Fidelity to the Holy One of Israel is expected, and the people have been seeing other gods. They have been engaged in lewd living, moral defection, improper intercourse with other deities. The lesson begins with, “When the Lord first spoke within Hosea, Hosea heard, ‘find a wife who is seeing other gods – because you’ll not be able to find one who is not seeing other gods – everyone in the land is doing it.’” Continue reading →

Listening to Loving

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Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (11C), July 21, 2013; The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

Amos 8:1-12: “Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land.”
Colossians 1:15-28: “Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God.”
Luke 10:38-42: “There is need of only one thing.”
O God, grant us the strength, the wisdom and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth, come when it may, and cost what it will.

As I wrestled with the news events of the last week and our readings for today (or perhaps as they wrestled with me), I realized that there were several sermons I wanted to preach this morning. One sermon would be about the prophet Amos’s strong critique of his people’s dependence upon military power, for his people’s grave injustices in social and economic interactions, for their repugnant immorality, and their shallow religious devotions. One sermon would be about the hymn text reading from Colossians, which, if sung to a majestic chorale tune or set in a Bach cantata chorus, would make many of us smile instead of squirm. And one sermon would be about the Gospel of Luke’s extremely well-known story of Jesus’ visit with Martha and Mary and how often it is used to pit one sister against another sister. In each sermon I would somehow find a way to add my voice to the public conversation about racism in our society, remembering our parish conversation about racism one month ago when we gathered in the parish hall to talk about Patrick Cheng’s latest book, Rainbow Theology. Continue reading →