Lessons: Zephaniah 1:7,12-18 Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30 * When I was ten or twelve, a series of books called Choose Your Own Adventure were a pretty big deal with my classmates and me. The Choose Your Own Adventure books were paperback thrillers: the “Adventure” part of the title referredContinueContinue reading “Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost by the Rev. Martin Elfert”
Tag Archives: The Rev. Martin Elfert
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Amos 5:18-24 Psalm 70 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13 * Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream. We are gathering this morning in the wake of a mass shooting in our country. It is America. It’s 2017. And so these are words that I could reasonably use toContinueContinue reading “Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
All Souls & All Saints (transferred) Sunday by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Micah 3:5-12 Psalm 43 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 Matthew 23:1-12 I met Donald Grayston for the first time at a party almost a quarter of a century ago. And I remember it vividly. Don had this generous energy and a wide smile to match it– a smile in which he opened up his mouthContinueContinue reading “All Souls & All Saints (transferred) Sunday by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Isaiah 45:1-7 Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13) 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Matthew 22:15-22 When I visit with people in their homes, in the hospital, at coffee shops, on the street, or even here at church, there are certain subjects that come up over and over, certain questions that come up time and again. One of the biggestContinueContinue reading “Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Ezekiel 18:1-4,25-32 Psalm 25:1-8 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32 One of the things that unites Episcopalians across the country – that unites those who prefer incense and bells with those who want as much liturgical minimalism as possible, that unites conservatives with liberals, that unites a parish like this one with a tiny parishContinueContinue reading “Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost by the Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Ezekiel 33:7-11 Psalm 119:33-40 Romans 13:8-14 Matthew 18:15-20 About ten years ago, one of our closest and oldest friends was having a fierce conversation[1] with her husband, a fight with her husband. In the Ann Landers tradition, I’m going to change both of their names: let’s call our friend Sarah and her husband Adrian.ContinueContinue reading “Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost by the Rev. Martin Elfert”
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Jeremiah 15:15-21 Psalm 26:1-8 Romans 12:9-21 Matthew 16:21-28 Some variation on the story that we just heard appears in all three Synoptic Gospels, in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Luke shortens the story considerably, omitting the startling anger of Jesus’ reaction to Peter: in Luke, Jesus’ words, “Get behind me, Satan!” are gone from thisContinueContinue reading “Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Isaiah 51:1-6 Psalm 138 Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 16:13-20 One of the several stylistic elements that distinguishes scripture from contemporary writing – say from a contemporary novel – is that almost nothing in it is superfluous to what we might call the core message of a given passage. The authors of scripture, in otherContinueContinue reading “Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
Second Sunday after Pentecost
Lessons: Exodus 19:2-8a Psalm 100 Romans 5:1-8 Matthew 9:35-10-23 In the summer after my first year of seminary, I spent ten weeks interning as a chaplain at San Francisco General Hospital. The General, as it is known by those who serve and are cared for there, is the Level One Trauma Centre for the BayContinueContinue reading “Second Sunday after Pentecost”
Day of Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Numbers 11:24-30 Acts 2:1-21 John 20:19-23 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 I believe that a carpenter’s son named Jesus did indeed crack Time in half, enter this world in the guise of a squalling infant, say his piece, be slaughtered for his pains, and crack Time again on his way home. I have no realContinueContinue reading “Day of Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert”