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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
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe ~ Rev. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min.
I saw her, and I wept. In the summer of 2006, while I was studying the Spanish language in the city of Guanajuato, I traveled to Mexico...
susan mcgurgan
Dec 10, 20243 min read
Advent 2 C "Prepare the Way in the Wilderness" Lk 3:1-6 ~ Susan McGurgan
A voice in the desert cries, “Prepare the way for the Lord!” So often, when the Word of the Lord comes to us, it arrives—not from the...
susan mcgurgan
Dec 2, 20244 min read
Advent 1 C Lk. 21:25-27, 34-36 ~ "Raise your Heads and Stand Tall" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger
Preacher Fred Craddock shaped a sermon for Christmas Eve titled “The Eye of the Storm.” To a community that had been ravaged by a...
susan mcgurgan
Nov 26, 20246 min read
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe B Jn. 18:33b-37 ~ 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 20, 20245 min read
32 OT B ~ Mk. 12:38-44 ~"Clatter and Clink" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger
Jesus was once again in the Temple, sitting and watching people tossing their offerings into large brass horn-shaped collection...
susan mcgurgan
Nov 8, 20246 min read
31 OT B ~ Mk. 12:28b-34 ~ "Not Far From the Kingdom" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger
Immediately following Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the resistance to his teaching and his actions becomes heated. He returns to...
susan mcgurgan
Oct 29, 20246 min read
30 OT B Mk. 10: 46-52 ~ "The Call" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
She cringed when she realized that this Sunday’s Gospel was the story of Blind Bartimaeus. Good Old Blind Bart, the beggar by the side of...
susan mcgurgan
Oct 22, 20244 min read
29 OT B Mk 10:35-45 "Room at the Top" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
Pick up your school alumni magazine and turn to the “Class Notes” section. Before you have a chance to say, "gee, she sure changed!" you...
susan mcgurgan
Oct 15, 20243 min read
28th OT B ~ Mk. 10:17-30 ~ "Eye of the Needle" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
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 7, 20245 min read
27 OT B ~ Mk. 10:2-16 "Embraced and Blessed" ~ Rev. Richard Eslinger, PhD
The scene opens with Jesus as the center of attention, again. This time, people are bringing children to him that he might touch them....
susan mcgurgan
Sep 30, 20246 min read
26 OT B ~Nm 11:25-29 "My Lord, Stop Them!" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
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 24, 20244 min read
25 OT B ~ Mk. 9:30-37 ~ "Out of the Book, Into our Lives" ~ Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
High up on the shelf in my Sunday School classroom, there was a picture book about the life of Jesus. It had been written and illustrated...
susan mcgurgan
Sep 17, 20244 min read
24th OT B ~ Mk. 8: 27-35 ~ "Who do You Say I am?" Rev. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min and Susan McGurgan, D.Min.
HOMILY I ~ Rev. Benjamin Roberts, D.Min. It all began with an invitation from the Lord Jesus. Walking by the Sea, the master called two...
susan mcgurgan
Sep 9, 20245 min read
23 OT B ~ Mk. 7:31-37 ~ "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
Sep 3, 20245 min read
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