[RCL] Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26 Today’s Scriptures are filled with binaries… The Prophet Jeremiah shares God’s Word: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals… Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. The poetry of the Psalms begins with: Happy are those… who delight in the law of the…

Consider your condition in life. Are you relatively well off financially? Are you secure, with an abundance of material possessions? Do you often eat out, sometimes in expensive restaurants? Do you have a comfortable home? Do you enjoy life? Are you well thought of in your church, neighborhood, and community? Do you have a lot…

Consider your condition in life. Are you relatively well off financially? Are you secure, with an abundance of material possessions? Do you often eat out, sometimes in expensive restaurants? Do you have a comfortable home? Do you enjoy life? Are you well thought of in your church, neighborhood, and community? Do you have a lot…

If there is a single central theme or image to Epiphany, it is light. Epiphany begins with the light of the star leading the Wise Men; and it ends with the shining radiance of Jesus’ garments at the Transfiguration. In between, this image of light haunts many of the readings and collects throughout the season….

Mark is a farmer in the Midwest. He moved there from Michigan with his family several years ago, bought some acreage, and began farming. Within six months a large hog confinement operation began on land bordering his farm. The dream of a family farm and a quiet rural life soon became a nightmare of unrelenting…

The gospel appointed for this Sunday is both disturbing and comforting. It is a mix of “blessed” and “woe.” What is more bothersome is that the blessed conditions hardly seem blessed at all and the woeful situations seem very desirable. Jesus frequently does this in Luke’s gospel. It seems as if Jesus is setting out…