On Sunday, we heard from the prophet Jeremiah, who was called by God to warn of the impending doom of the Babylonian Exile to a people who did not want to listen. And during this week, we have been hearing the Exile unfold as it is recounted in the Second Book of Kings. Jeremiah, who came to be known by the message he proclaimed, namely, “terror on every side,” was preaching a message no one wanted to hear. It was as if the people were in denial and complacent, more interested in business as…
“Whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” These words of Jesus from today’s Gospel should give us all pause. It seems that much of our nation today is suffering from denial, and to see the effects of this denial, we need look no further than any of the major news outlets. On one channel it’s COVID-19 numbers are rising; on another it’s chaos in Seattle; on another it’s the tearing down of monuments. Now, the denial we suffer is not that these things are happening,…
“Not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord.” These words of Moses, from the Book of Deuteronomy, focus our attention not on signs or miracles, but rather, on the Word of God. We should not become fixated on what happens as a result of some miracle, but rather, on what that miracle reveals to us about God. In the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus addresses this very issue when he says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not…
This weekend marks the 76th anniversary of D-Day, the Battle of Normandy, where we remember and honor the brave soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy during World War II. At the time it was the largest naval, air, and land operation ever launched in history. And what was the motivation behind mustering so large an outpouring of American soldiers in a foreign land? It was the threat of one of the greatest evils humankind has ever encountered; it was the threat not only of Nazi fascism, but…
