When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." -- Matthew 5:1-3 Why, Socrates, I always thought it was expected of students…

The Sermon on the Mount is not a law to be obeyed, but theology to be intellectually appropriated and internalized, in order then to be creatively developed and implemented in the concrete situations of life. -- Essays on the Sermon on the Mount, Hans Dieter Betz I always hope that when you arrive here at…

It is worth reflecting once and a while on my rather odd job of preaching.  And no better time to do that than after a long time out of the pulpit.  It's been five weeks since we've been here worshipping together!   Every July I can't wait for the break and I think to myself…

As many of you know, last week was the occasion of the ground-breaking at the location of the newest Habitat for Humanity House.  The house will be located on the corner of Crosset Hill Road and Morse Road.  At the ground-breaking, which I'd taken to calling a mud-breaking, I reminded all of us gathered for…

Today’s gospel reading relates a story about one of the three possible ways people can respond to Jesus.  In the preceding story, people respond to Jesus and his disciples' ministering to them with enthusiasm and with welcome. But today, we hear from those who are incensed by him and from those for whom his ministry…