Tag Archives: chosenness

Blessing for All

Posted on by

Proper 24C. Oct. 16, 2022.  The Very Rev. Pamela L. Werntz.

Jeremiah 31:27-24. I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be to them for a god and they will be to me for a people.
2 Timothy 3:13-4:5. Be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable.
Luke 18:1-8. Pray always and [do] not…lose heart.

O God of hope, 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.

We have three challenging readings from scripture before us this morning; I would like to preach a full sermon on each of them. So much is going on here; it makes my head feel as if it might explode because I have so many things to say to you. I’m wondering, do you have a few hours? Probably not;  besides, I want to get to Genevieve’s baptism, so I’ll summarize. Continue reading →

Make no peace with oppression!

Posted on by

Proper 24A
October 18, 2020

Exodus 33:12-23. But you have not let me know whom you will send with me.
1 Thessalonians. Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
Matthew:15-22. Whose head is this, and whose title? i.e., whose image is this and whose inscription?

O God of mercy, may we have the wisdom, the strength, and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth – come when it may and cost what it will.

The other day I heard a lecture by Episcopal priest Reed Carlson, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at United Lutheran Seminary, that made me want to go back to the end of last week’s Gospel lesson and last week’s sermon. You might remember that I posited that the story of the king that binds the hands and feet of one who is not properly dressed is not a story about how God works, but how human kings work. The verse at the end of the Gospel portion says, “For many are called but few are chosen,” or more literally, many are called but few are called out. It has always seemed like a non-sequitur to me, but I don’t believe non-sequiturs actually exist in Biblical literature. The apparent disconnect is always on our end, not the narrative’s end.
Continue reading →