A little lower than the angels

Epiphany 8 February 27 2011 St. Paul’s Bellingham So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34. I’m standing at the gas pump once again, and the little numbers indicating money spent are going faster than ever. That day I hear Donald Trump interviewed on TV, and he’s saying “you just wait; the gas is going to reach 5 dollars or more.” I stand there filling my tank, and it’s going over the $50 mark again on my modest Toyota, and I’m thinking of the affect on all prices this rise in energy prices will mean for us. Frankly, I don’t personally worry so much for myself. It’s going to take more than has happened to make me really worry, because I’m blessed with a decent income. I can make some adjustments, and I can make it work. At least, that’s how it is today. But I am aware of worry and concern all around, and the potential for worry to be amplified, and for unrest to grow around me. The more that ...

6th Sunday after the Epiphany, February 13, 2011 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Bellingham, WA Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37 The rose is red, the violet's blue The honey's sweet, and so are you Thou are my love and I am thine I drew thee to my Valentine The lot was cast and then I drew And Fortune said it shou'd be you .i Tomorrow we celebrate Valentine's Day, whose sentiments are typified in this old nursery rhyme from the eighteenth century. The symbol of the day is the symbol of a heart, and it calls to mind love and affection between intimate companions. Tomorrow the question of the day is “What is in your heart?” People will ask this of themselves, of others. People will hope for good things in store in each others hearts. It's a good question to frame our Gospel reading today. Perhaps you experienced this reading as hard to listen to. It's pretty demanding, and it has us pe...

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany February 6 2011 St. Paul's, Bellingham “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown and out trampled underfoot.” I've often wondered about one aspect of this passage. How does salt become not salty? I suspect it is when it becomes wet and the saltiness leaches out. I read about another possibility recently. For some years scholars have been studying the Bible in its cultural environment. What they publish is of interest to people like me. It is of interest today, because it is a possible answer to my question. Scholars Bruce Malina and Richard Rohrbaugh in their “Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels” call attention to an obscure passage from the Book of Job which reads: “As for the earth, out of it comes bread....”Job 28:5a What does this mean? If you've been to a pizza place recently – the kind that offe...