That troublesome tongue from James! Will you be preaching from that text this week, or Isaiah's "tongue of a teacher"? Or perhaps from Jesus' question to the disciples in Mark: "Who do people say that I am?" Or something else entirely?
The readings for this week may be found here. Share with us in the comments what you are planning and pondering!
Getting a slowwww post-holiday start? Me too.
ReplyDeleteWow, MB, that is an INCREDIBLE image. Thanks for posting it, even though it makes me kind of go "ouch." But these scriptures do, too.
So, everyone will be back from summer on Sunday, and I'm reading these and thinking about how the Church (capital C) has failed people sometimes by saying one thing and being another. And wondering how my particalr small c church can be part of the healing of that particular wound.
That's what I got so far, having done some studying on Jamees, which is my focus these days. Will maybe change mind after reading the gospel...
Hee -- we got TWO lectionary posts this week!
ReplyDeleteI read this week's gospel and discovered something new in it, at least for me. I ended up reflecting on how we live in relationship, and how that means that sometimes we have to correct each other. I know Peter must have felt crushed by Jesus' words, but sometimes we need to nudge each other back onto the right path. Generally, I try to do this more gently than Jesus did, but sometimes gentleness just doesn't work.
Looking forward to other reflections!
Love and blessings,
Sr. Hedwyg
Hedwyg, thanks for that angle- relationships and correcting each other. Thanks, too for sharing the personal story on your blog.
ReplyDeleteAround here, just now, I feel as if I'm the one calling folk to reality, out of the worldly to the divine. It's not a comfortable - or a popular place to be. In fact I'm wondering if I can even preach on these lines or if it's too close to the bone right now? Do i need to get some courage or just bodyswerve? Mmmm an interesting week.
I've posted my initial musings here
ReplyDeleteThank you, Liz -- I'm glad to hear that you found that helpful.
ReplyDeleteBTW, all, don't forget to check out the comments on the second Lectionary Leanings post for this week here; there's some good stuff there. I guess two different awesomely wonderful RevGals leaders wanted to help jumpstart us this week, after our long weekend. :-D
Love and blessings,
Sister Hedwyg
This is the Sunday we always celebrate Christian Ed and acknowledge all of our Church School teachers. This year, we are also going to do a "backpack blessing" - saying prayers of blessing over all our students, and we will be praying for all educators and school workers as well. So I am intrigued by the first verse of the James lection about those who teach being judged with great strictness!
ReplyDeleteI'm considering that, and how we are all teachers in a way, and that our tongues do a lot of our teaching for us, and frequently unintentionally - showing what we believe and who we really are. Current sermon title is "The Littlest Teacher."
This will be my first time back in the pulpit in awhile - I've been on a leave of absence for the last year and only preached 3 times during that year. So I'm anxious to figure out what my own tongue is going to do and say!