[RCL] Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Note: During the 2024 Season after Pentecost, Sermons That Work will use Track 2 readings for sermons and Bible studies. Please consult our archives for many additional Track 1 resources from prior years. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He…

RCL: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a; Psalm 89:20-37; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 What do you suppose are the most prevalent metaphors that we use for God? Likely Father, King, and Shepherd are in the top three, if not the top three. There are, of course, hundreds of names and images in the scriptures for God. The sheer number…

What do you suppose are the most prevalent metaphors that we use for God? Likely Father, King, and Shepherd are in the top three, if not the top three. There are, of course, hundreds of names and images in the scriptures for God. The sheer number of images for God present in the scriptures is enough to…

We humans are great builders – towns and turbines, subways and satellites, farms and factories. We can take justifiable pride in these accomplishments, but too often we tend to do our building for all the wrong reasons. Remember the Genesis story of the Tower of Babel? Those builders achieved amazing things – they were on…

We are in many ways a weary people. Literally and figuratively, we are tired. A survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that 47 million American adults suffer from sleep deprivation. That’s almost a quarter of the adult population in America. That’s a lot of weary people. And it is a serious problem. Fatigue…

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is about Naaman, the Syrian army commander. Naaman is a very important guy. I picture him dressed in an impressive uniform, riding in a big chariot, and surrounded by his officers and staff. What happens is that Naaman contracts leprosy. His skin is a mess — big, ugly…

The world into which Saul of Tarsus was born was a world in which people were divided into two camps: the Jews — that is, the chosen people of God, the ones to whom God had been revealed, the ones to whom all the promises of Hebrew Scripture had been made — and the Gentiles…

As [Jesus] went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Back from a long trip, exhausted yet exhilarated, eager to report to their master, the disciples leap at Jesus’ offer to give them a day off in a relaxing spot with no…

The General Convention of the Episcopal Church is ready to open in Philadelphia. Thousands of people will be traveling, taking with them thousands of pieces of luggage. If delegates, they will be there just short of two weeks. How much would you take if it were you? How many changes of clothes? For what occasions?…