Year B, Advent 1, November 27th, 2011

Mark 13:24-37 (click on the scripture to read it)

Green Shirts, Green Shorts, and Green Knee High Socks

My dad was an Eagle Scout and my brother was a Boy Scout too.  I was not a Boy Scout, though I was a Cub Scout for a couple of years.  Scouting didn’t keep my interest, or at least not enough to compete with the time I devoted to sports.  I learned a lot from sports, but I could have probably used a little scouting in my earlier years.

Year A, Proper 28, November 13, 2011

Matthew 25:14-30 (click on the scripture to read it) 

An Honest Day…for Honest Pay

Do you know how much minimum wage in Nevada? I didn’t.  I had to look it up, and my lack of knowledge spoke to me right there.   Minimum wage in Nevada is 7.25 per hour if you are receiving health benefits from your employer. It is 8.25 per hour if you are NOT receiving employer health benefits.  If a worker is lucky enough to be able to work 8 hours in a day, their minimum wage job (without health benefits) would earn them $66.00 a day before taxes.  A days wage in Jesus’ time was a denarii.

Year A, Proper 25, October 23, 2011

Are you holier than thou?"


Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18  (Click on the scripture to read it)

Matthew  22:34-46         (Click on the scripture to read it)

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of being the guest preacher at Trinity Episcopal Church in Reno.  It was a great to travel less than 5 miles away and experience worship with our Episcopal neighbors.  It was good to see some familiar faces and to be reminded that as an Episcopal parish, St. Paul’s does not stand alone.  We are a part of a greater wholeness and a greater holiness.

Year A, Proper 23, October 9, 2011

On this day, I was the guest preacher at Trinity Episcopal Church in Reno, Nevada.

Matthew 22:1-14 (Click on the scripture to read it)

Jesus told stories to help us ask questions and to help us understand what he wanted us to learn.  Today, I’m going to begin with a story.

One day a police officer is called to assist in directing traffic around a stalled car.  The information the dispatcher had given the officer did not include a description of the stalled car…..only the location of the intersection.  As the Officer approached the four lane intersection the traffic light was RED and there were 3 cars in front of him. The light turned green and cars in his lane did not move so he knew he was in the right spot.  The cars in the line in front of him slowly pealed off one by one into the free lane.

Year A, Proper 22, October 2, 2011

The Giving and Receiving of Thankfulness

I have been following my friend’s blog about her experiences with having breast cancer.  Her name is Tina Frey, some of you may remember her and her husband Nathan, and at that time their new born son Logan.  They were parishioners here at St. Paul’s for about a year, but moved out of state two years ago for another job.

Year A, Proper 20, September 18, 2011

But God...I think I ordered pumpernickel

Exodus 16:2-15   (Click on the scriptures to read them)

Matthew 20:1-16

WE need something.  What is it? 

We often get lost in what we want in such a way that we can’t even begin to see what it is that we really need. 

YOU need something.  What is it?

Year A, Proper 19, September 11, 2011

Ten Year Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks 

Matthew 18:21-35 (click on the scripture to read it)

We gather together today to remember...  

On one hand, remembering can trigger a sense of feeling lost, and on the other hand remembering can give us strength and hope.  Either way, remembering is good; it’s a part of who we are; it’s a part of our story; remembering leads to healing.  Though remembering is good, it is not always easy... At times I still become overwhelmed by strong emotions...  So many questions… Why?  Why did this have to happen?  Some say it was from God, others say it was humanities doing.  In looking back, I see ignorance, arrogance, politics, anger, and fear.  I think I will always struggle as I process my understandings of why it happened.