Opening our HeartsThis week we are presented with another of Jesus’ parables: The parable of the dishonest steward (Luke 16:1-13). While all of the parables are puzzles, this one is perhaps the most baffling of all. But then, questions of money are often tricky. Perhaps the “answer” to this parable lies in allowing it […]
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go In this Sunday’s gospel (Luke 15:1-10) we get not one, but two stories about things lost and found. The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin are told to make the same point: The love of God is outrageous. Have you experienced the deep […]
In the Hands of the Potter Our Old Testament reading this week comes from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 18:1-11). In fact we have been reading from Jeremiah for a few weeks now, and will do so off and on through the end of November. Who was this prophet, and what exactly is […]
TablesideBiblical scholars tell us that Luke’s Gospel contains more references to eating, banquets, tables, and reclining at tables than any of the other gospels. In this week’s gospel lesson (Luke 14:1, 7-14) we learn a lot about table etiquette in Jesus’ time. Of course, the table is important to us as Christians, since we […]
Wounds and Healing This week’s gospel passion from Luke (13:10-17) tells the story of another healing by Jesus. We read of a woman “that had been crippled for eighteen years. She was bent over and quite unable to stand up straight.” Imagine almost two decades stooped over, looking at the ground, unable to see up […]
Heros in Faith: Our Example, Our Hope In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews he speaks of a great cloud of witnesses, those men and women from ancient times who were steadfast in their faith despite hardship, persecution, and deprivation. Paul reminds the early followers of Jesus that God’s faithful have run with perseverance the race of […]
Where your heart is… This week’s gospel passage (Luke 12: 32-40) includes that very familiar phrase: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Too often I hear this as a condemnation: I know that my spending rarely reflects my desired values. But what if we turned this phrase around, and made […]
How Much is Enough?Recent research featured in Forbes magazine showed that those who are wealthy are more likely to undertake unethical behavior to make money than those who have less money. The studies included observations of driving habits, participation in games at which one might cheat, and role-play of situations around wealth and greed. The […]
The Words of Worship If you’ve been at St.Paul’s in the last couple of months, you’ve noted that we are employing a liturgy that keeps us on our toes. For example, the Nicene Creed is very similar to what we are used to reciting from the Book of Common Prayer, but not completely so. We […]
Bienvenido José! This Sunday we are delighted to welcome to St. Paul’s The Rev. José Reyes, Missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries here in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts. José grew up in Springfield and received a degree in psychology from Williams College before working in various social work positions in the area. He then attended Virginia […]