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July 26 17A Romans 8 26 39

Preachers and teachers of preaching speak about the application of a text. When I grew up, appliqués were simply ironed onto jeans and T-shirts. We were often frustrated when the washer and dryer began the ugly process of separating appliqué from fabric. The best of our art and words were ruined. They could not withstand the cycle of water and heat.

July 19 16A Genesis 28 10 19a

A few years ago a group of clergy friends and I were at our general synod in Cleveland. We went to the breakfast buffet at our hotel and ran into more friends there. Soon, we were pushing the bounds of our table.

Next to us was a group of small tables with a Reserved sign on top. We asked the waiter if we could pull one of them over so our friends could join us. He said he thought the party that was coming would have enough space, so that was fine.

June 28 Ordinary Time 13A Matthew 10 40 42

I remember the first time I preached on this short passage of scripture, out in rural South Dakota. Just three verses, and I thought I had a rousing sermon on reaching out to the little ones, giving a cup of water to those who need it, and seeing Jesus. I even told a story I gleaned from the Century, about a family who prayed “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest” at a local fast-food establishment, and how the little girl saw Jesus in the face of a homeless man who needed a hamburger.