Throughout Lent, we’ve been talking about two journeys: the journey of the Israelites to the Promised Land; and the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem and the cross. This week, both those journeys reached their penultimate moments. In the former, the Israelites camp on the eastern side of border of the Promised Land, the Jordan River across from Jericho. Moses goes …
Transfigured, Not Transfixed
Over the last five weeks, we have had conversations about our values as a church and how those values are expressions of the Gospel. That conversation actually began way back in October at our church retreat. We asked folks to write something they value about this church on a sticky note and add it to our board. Then we grouped …
In Which Scott Keeps Digging
During the conversation on Sunday, my friend and mentor, Jann Aldredge-Clanton, raised an important point. She said that she enjoyed my sermon on the birth of Moses and the courageous actions of the women who made his existence possible, and she thought that it was a message that needed to be given to a wider audience. However, she was concerned …
Nevertheless, She(s) Resisted
Our Scripture today brings us, perhaps, one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. It’s not just this story, but the broader story of which this is just the beginning. The story of the Exodus is the defining narrative of the Jewish people. It is a story of liberation and hope. A story of trials and tribulations. It is …
The Mountain Top and the Ever After
We have two stories from Luke this week: the Transfiguration and Jesus’ Lament for Jerusalem. The Catholic Lectionary in the Second Sunday of Lent always has the story of the Transfiguration. This year is Luke’s year, so we get 9:29-36. Jesus takes Peter and James and John to a mountain top to pray. The disciples just had a lot of …