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Sermon given on Pentecost Sunday of 2017, June 4, at St. Mark's in Teaneck

Sermon given on Pentecost Sunday of 2017, June 4, at St. Mark’s in Teaneck

I In the languages of the Bible, “Spirit” and “breath” are the same word. In the gospel of John, on the evening of Easter Sunday, Jesus breathed himself into his gathered disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Jesus became communicable. He is the living One, who through the process of his death, made his life communicable—all he is, his divinity and humanity, his virtues and excellence,…

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#Holy Spirit #Pentecost

2017, April 17, Monday

Easter Sunday has been a time, for me, to reflect a little more on the Gospel according to John which takes us into some depth about the resurrection, the co-inherence of the Persons of the Trinity, and the indwelling of Christ, which is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Organized as a mandala, or more like a labyrinth, it is an ingenious document that reflects decades of reflection on the…

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2017, April 12, Wednesday

2017, April 11, Tuesday I have been away from my “Journal” for several days now. We went to my daughter’s Senior Art Exhibit at Oberlin College for the weekend, returning early Sunday morning. I went to the Palm Sunday service, participating in the reading of the Passion. Afterwards I was quite tired. In fact, I was not feeling well, not on Saturday, not on the drive home, nor on Sunday or…

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2017, April 6, Thursday

I did not post yesterday. I came home from work in the mid afternoon and after picking up some food I fell asleep. My stomach was aching and my concentration unsettled by it, so I got little else done. I then had stomach issues all day today. I rested to get well before tomorrow. I will be traveling to Ohio to see my daughter’s art show. Let’s finish up the outline of the “Sermon on the Mount” in…

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2017, April 4, Tuesday

Let us jump to the other side of 6:1-18. Matthew 6:19—7:11 In the first part, 6:19-34, Jesus seem to suggest that worldly treasure and even worries over basic needs are only distractions from the reality of the Divine is enough. In 7:1-4 Jesus tells us to leave judging to others, and in 7:5 to instead pay attention to ourselves. In 7:6 Jesus takes the gain from verse 5 and repeats the warning of…

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2017, April 3, Monday

I am finally feeling better. I slept deeply and wanted to sleep longer, and my appetite is back. A little congestion remains, so I still need to be careful. Besides Sister Sickness’s own time, oil of oregano might have helped me make the quick come back. Today I gave back my leased car and leased a new car for another three years. In my judgment I need a car; I wanted a hybrid because I want my…

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2017, April 2, Sunday

Continuing my reflection on Clare’s form of life with Sister Diana Papa, and seeing that Clare never endorsed the papally imposed “rule of enclosure,” I am considering the “extern sisters,” those who left (went in and out of) the enclosure. C. Gennaro (quoted yesterday) thinks they might have followed Francis’ Rule for Hermitages in which they alternated between serving outside and returning to…

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2017, April 1, Saturday

2017, April 1, Saturday I am still recovering for Sister Sickness is keeping me congested in the chest and short of breath. I went to work for a couple of hours this morning, but did not feel as though I would have the strength to walk the floor for five hours in the evening without it taking a toll on me, so I called in sick. I spent a little while working on my stiff hips and ankles. They have…

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March 31, 2017, Friday

Sister Sickness still has me laid up. And Mother Rains waters the earth outside the windows. What Is the First Teaching-Section of Matthew About? Yesterday I reflected on Matthew 1—2 and concluded that Matthew has in mind a divine Being who works for our salvation (and glorification) by impoverishing herself. Of course, this is scandalous if one conceives of “God” as all-powerful, practically by…

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2017, March 30, Thursday

It seems Sister Sickness was not content with her residence in my sinuses and throat. She has ensconced herself in my lungs. Well, I did not invite her and I hope her visit is short, but here she is. As I welcome the gift of a new day, and pray to know the light of the divine presence to set aflame my heart, I accept her—irritating—company. How do I know she isn’t here as a messenger? However,…

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Baptism

The Name into Which We Are Baptized Is the Form of Our Life [May 22, 2016] Today is Trinity Sunday. On Easter Sunday Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, after which his human nature became glorified; he then met with his gathered disciples and breathed into them his own breath, that is, the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, who now dwells or abides in everyone who believes into…

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John 1:29-42, Seeing and Abiding

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 “This is he of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who has become ahead of me, because he was before me.’ 31 And I did not know him, but in order that he might be manifested to Israel, for this [reason] I came baptizing in water.” 32 And John testified, saying, “I beheld the…

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Luke 18:9-14, Being Before God and Letting Go of Our Past

[October 23, 2016] Here is another familiar parable. Let us look at it again and be careful to not let it say more than it says so that we can hear as much as it says. In other words, it might be easy to confuse the message of this parable with the cheap “grace” of modern Evangelicalism. Evangelicalism dumbed-down can be morally bankrupt, a phenomenon on display now to the whole world. This…

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Luke 14:25-35, The Cost of Discipleship

[September 4, 2016] The outline of the sermon I gave at the First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) of Passaic, NJ: Recalling how chapter 14 of Luke’s gospel began … In verses 1-6 … When Jesus healed the man with edema on the Sabbath, the kingdom of God had come into their midst. – The veil between heaven and earth became thin – and the witnesses could see into the mystery of life’s…

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Luke 14:1, 7-14, Becoming the Least for the Sake of the Lesser

[August 28, 2016] In Luke 14:1—17:19 two things are set in contrast: The way of the self-righteous Pharisees and the way of Jesus and those whom he sends. In this section Jesus demonstrates by word and deed that he has been sent and anointed by God in the way of God’s favor and graciousness to the lost and scattered sheep of Israel’s house. The Pharisees are depicted as the foil to this. They are…

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Romans 1:26-27, Is This Passage Referring to Homosexuality?

[June 20, 2016] People often refer to this passage to “prove” that God condemns same-sex orientation and sexuality. It is a bad idea to interpret any passage of Paul in isolation from its context, so let us try not to make that mistake here. Paul is a great expounder of the Jewish Scriptures and usually forms his arguments on this basis, and we need to also keep that in mind. Let us try now to…

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The Name into Which We Are Baptized Is the Form of Our Life

[May 22, 2016] Today is Trinity Sunday. On Easter Sunday Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, after which his human nature became glorified; he then met with his gathered disciples and breathed into them his own breath, that is, the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, who now dwells or abides in everyone who believes into Jesus. Forty days later he stopped manifesting himself to his…

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