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Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion ~ "Deep Wounds" ~ Rev. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min.
I read the passion of Jesus and I am convicted by one question. How shallow is my faith? When I hear of the arrest, the trial, the...
susan mcgurgan
Apr 9, 20252 min read
Lent 5 C ~Jn 8:1-11 ~ "Crossing the Kidron" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger, PhD
The span of earth from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives is etched into our spiritual geography. The heights of the Holy City are capped...
susan mcgurgan
Apr 1, 20258 min read
Lent 4 ~Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 ~ "Robe, Ring and Sandals" ~ Rev. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min.
One of my favorite passages in the Scriptures was the first reading last Sunday. The passage shows Moses going up the mountain, taking...
susan mcgurgan
Mar 24, 20253 min read
Lent 3 C ~ Ex. 3:1-8a, 13-15 ~ "Holy Ground" ~ Susan McGurgan
A young Ukrainian violinist, standing alone in a basement in Kyiv, plays a haunting arrangement of an old Ukrainian folk song, filming...
susan mcgurgan
Mar 20, 20253 min read
Lent 2 C~ Lk9:28b-36 ~"Beloved" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
From his miraculous birth to his baptism in the waters of the Jordan— from the feeding of the five thousand to the empty tomb on Easter...
susan mcgurgan
Mar 12, 20254 min read
Lent 1 C ~ Lk 4:1-13 ~ "Company in the Wilderness" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger, PhD
St. Luke sets the scene quickly and with attention to the key details. Jesus has been baptized at the Jordan by John and now a new drama...
susan mcgurgan
Mar 5, 20256 min read
8 OT C ~ Lk. 6:39-45 ~"The Store of Goodness" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger, PhD
In his sermon on the plain, Jesus provides sayings that instruct his followers in the way of life. We hear him tell us, “Good fruit”...
susan mcgurgan
Feb 25, 20256 min read
7 OT C ~ Lk 6:27-38 ~ "A New Vision" ~ Rev. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min.
A friend of mine is a judge and we were talking one day about the sacrament of reconciliation. She said that my job was a little like...
susan mcgurgan
Feb 18, 20253 min read
6 OT C ~Lk 6:17, 20-26 ~ "A New Lens" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min
When I was in grade school, our Brittney Spaniel reached up to snatch a ball I was throwing, and her claw scratched my cornea. During the...
susan mcgurgan
Feb 12, 20254 min read
5 OT C ~ Is. 6:1-2a, 3-8; Lk 5:1-11 ~ "The Deep" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
For Simon and James and John, it had been one of those nights. One of those long, cold nights when every fish in the sea seemed to be...
susan mcgurgan
Feb 4, 20254 min read
"A Reflection on Method" Preparing a Homily for the Feast of the Presentation ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger, PhD
As I prepare to send this homily for the Feast of the Presentation to Susan McGurgan—wonderful friend and homiletics colleague—I hunched...
susan mcgurgan
Jan 31, 20258 min read
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Lk 2:22-40 ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger, PhD.
There is a structure to biblical praise. Patterns and rituals order the prayer and praise of God’s people. So, in faithfulness to...
susan mcgurgan
Jan 28, 20256 min read
3 OT C ~ "Fulfilled" ~ Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21, Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 ~ Rev. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min
Last Sunday we heard the first words and the final words of the Mother of Jesus in the Gospel of John. Today, we hear the first words...
susan mcgurgan
Jan 21, 20253 min read
2 OT C ~ "Tidal Wave" ~ Jn 2:1-11 Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
Who knows what really happened that day? Maybe the guests were unusually rowdy, or the party, unexpectedly fun. Maybe the host scrimped...
susan mcgurgan
Jan 15, 20253 min read
The Baptism of the Lord C ~ "Walking in the World Wet" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
The Gospel of Luke takes us into the wilderness this week, to the banks of the Jordan River, a holy spot of remembrance and hope for the...
susan mcgurgan
Jan 7, 20253 min read
Shaping a Homily for the Epiphany: An Exercise in David Buttrick's Homiletic ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger, Ph.D.
When it came time for David Buttrick to offer a sample of his distinctive method of preaching, he selected the Gospel Lesson for the...
susan mcgurgan
Jan 2, 202512 min read
The Epiphany of the Lord C ~ "Following the Star" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger
These Magi are probably Persian and would be devoted to studying the stars in order to find learning in the events here on earth. They...
susan mcgurgan
Dec 31, 20246 min read
The Nativity of the Lord ~ "Which Shepherd?" ~ Rev. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min.
I have always loved the shepherds in the Christmas story. And it might have a little to do with having played the part of the shepherd...
susan mcgurgan
Dec 23, 20245 min read
Advent 4 ~ "Journey to the Hill Country" ~ Lk 1:39-45 ~ Rev. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min.
We are almost ready to go to Bethlehem. We are almost ready to look for an inn and to hear the angels and see the shepherds. The trees...
susan mcgurgan
Dec 16, 20242 min read
Advent 3 C ~ "Emmanuel, the God who Arrives" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
Advent comes. The beginning of the church year arrives again after a long year of political unrest, religious division, and global...
susan mcgurgan
Dec 11, 20243 min read
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