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3rd Sunday of Advent C ~ "From "Not Worthy" to "Worthwhile" ~ Rev. Jim Schmitmeyer
“I’m not worthy. Not worthy to touch his sandal straps.” Most Americans won’t relate to this statement from the John the Baptist in...
susan mcgurgan
Dec 7, 20212 min read
3rd Sunday of Advent C ~ "Playing with Fire" ~ Susan McGurgan
I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Fire. A blaze can...
susan mcgurgan
Dec 7, 20214 min read
Second Sunday of Advent C ~ “A Highway for Our God” ~ Fr. Jim Schmitmeyer
“Make straight the way of the Lord! “Prepare a highway for our God!” That’s the theme of today’s sermon from St. John the Baptist; a...
susan mcgurgan
Nov 30, 20213 min read
A Homiletical Exegesis: Luke 3:1-6 Second Sunday of Advent, Year C ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger
The Third Evangelist begins his birth narratives by simply locating these events and Divine purposes: “In the days of King Herod of Judea...
susan mcgurgan
Nov 30, 20218 min read
A Homiletic Exegesis for Advent 1 C: Luke 21:25, 34-36 Rev. Richard Eslinger
Reflecting ancient church tradition, the First Sunday of Advent focuses primarily on the Second Advent of Christ when God will come and...
susan mcgurgan
Nov 23, 20218 min read
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe B ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger
The trial scene is so familiar—Jesus there before Pilate. Right off, Pilate raises the big question: “Are you the King of the Jews?” ...
susan mcgurgan
Nov 15, 20215 min read
33rd Sunday OT B ~ "Carry the Fire" ~ Rev. Jim Schmitmeyer
At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress. But those whose names are written...
susan mcgurgan
Nov 8, 20213 min read
32nd Sunday OT B ~ "Clatter and Clink" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger
Jesus was once again in the Temple during that Holy Week. He was sitting and watching people tossing their offerings into large brass...
susan mcgurgan
Nov 1, 20216 min read
31 Sunday OT B ~ "Mirror, Mirror" ~ Susan McGurgan
When I was a girl, I hated my hair. Seriously... Hated it. You see, when I was growing up, every girl dreamed of looking like Peggy...
susan mcgurgan
Oct 25, 20214 min read
30th Sunday OT B ~ "Hawkeye vs. Scaredy-Cat" ~ Rev. Jim Schmitmeyer
Last week’s gospel focused on two apostles who were brothers, James and John. They were known as the Sons of Thunder. Today we encounter...
susan mcgurgan
Oct 18, 20213 min read
"It’s About Time: A reflection on homily preparation" ~ Susan McGurgan
In 1940, my Uncle Ray, a young Methodist pastor, was named interim pastor of a thriving community in Kansas, an assignment that usually...
susan mcgurgan
Oct 13, 20213 min read
29th Sunday OT B ~ "The Cup of True Love" ~ Rev. Jim Schmitmeyer
Some people live their lives with a sense of dread. The world they inhabit feels unpredictable and unsafe. Even on sunny days, they scan...
susan mcgurgan
Oct 11, 20212 min read
28th Sunday OT B ~ "Camels and Needles and Loopholes" ~ Susan McGurgan
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Ever since Jesus...
susan mcgurgan
Oct 4, 20215 min read
27 OT B "Partners" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger
James Weldon Johnson tells the backdrop of our creation story in the voice of the folk tradition of African American preachers: He looked...
susan mcgurgan
Sep 27, 20215 min read
26 OT B ~ "My Lord, Stop Them!" ~ Susan McGurgan
He’s not one of us, Jesus. They’re outside the tent, Moses. She’s in a different parish, Father. My Lord, stop them! There is something...
susan mcgurgan
Sep 20, 20213 min read
25 OT B ~ "Do you Like Strawberries?" ~ Rev. Jim Schmitmeyer
“He stood the child in their midst, and said to his disciples, ‘Whoever receives a child such as this in my name, welcomes me.’” We’ve...
susan mcgurgan
Sep 13, 20212 min read
24th OT B ~ "Who?" ~ Susan McGurgan
But who do you say that I am? She had gone to church her whole life. The flicker of candles and the smell of beeswax; the light glancing...
susan mcgurgan
Sep 6, 20213 min read
23rd Sunday OT B ~ "Beyond Astonishment”~ Rev. Richard Eslinger
Jesus had completed his ministry among the Gentiles after the healing of the Syrophoenician Woman’s daughter in Tyre. At least that is...
susan mcgurgan
Aug 30, 20215 min read
22nd Sunday OT B ~ "Chipped, Mended, Buried, Flushed...and Called" ~ Dr. Susan McGurgan
When her sons were little, she lived in a neighborhood and worshipped in a parish that honed competitive parenting to a fine art. The...
susan mcgurgan
Aug 24, 20214 min read
22nd Sunday OT B ~ "Kicked in the Mouth" ~ Rev. Jim Schmitmeyer
In the Book of Psalms, there’s a verse that says: “Lord, set a guard at the door of his mouth.” In other words, help me from committing...
susan mcgurgan
Aug 24, 20213 min read
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