Tag Archives: wonder

Every Child of God

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Proper 20B, September 22, 2024.  The Very Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

  • Proverbs 31:10-31 A capable wife who can find?…Give her a share in the fruit of her hands.
  • James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
  • Mark 9:30-37 Welcomes…welcomes…welcomes…welcomes.

O God of our radical welcome, grant us the strength, the wisdom and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth, come when it may, and cost what it will.

Hello! I’m so glad you’re here! This is a happy new year of sorts, the first of several that will be observed in this sanctuary. Today we begin a new year worshiping in the sanctuary, which is looking particularly shiny, thanks to the restored stained glass window in the clerestory and the restoration of the apse walls and reredos, and Emmanuel Music begins a new season with us. We are anticipating the High Holy Days observances of Central Reform Temple in a week and a half. Those days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called “The Days of Awe.” I love that. This is such a wonderful place to cultivate awe, isn’t it? 

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G-AWE-D

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Epiphany 5B, 4 February 2024. The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

  • Isaiah 40:21-31. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? [Yes!]
  • 1 Corinthians 9:16-23. In my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge.
  • Mark 1:29-39. So that I may proclaim the message.

O God of wonder, grant us the wisdom, the strength and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth, come when it may, and cost what it will.

I’m going to interrupt my preaching on the Gospel of Mark this week to spend a few moments to talk with you about our Hebrew Bible lesson from the fortieth chapter of Isaiah, because it’s one of my favorites. Actually it’s Second Isaiah, which is what Chapters 40 through 55 get called, because they were so clearly written at a different time by a different author than the first thirty-nine chapters or the last eleven. The writer of Second Isaiah might be considered the great poet, rather than the great prophet. This writer never once refers to herself as a prophet. I imagine her words might have come to Jesus’ mind sometimes, especially when he was able to find a deserted place to pray while it was still very dark. Continue reading →

Endless Mercy

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Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 19A, September 17, 2017; The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

Exodus 14:19-31 The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground.
Romans 14:1-12 Welcome.
Matthew 18:21-35 Have…mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?

O God of mercy, grant us the wisdom, the strength and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth, come when it may, and cost what it will.

Did any of you see the pictures of the strong east wind that blew the water right out of Tampa Bay during Hurricane Irma? The opposite of a storm surge, Tampa Bay was emptied as the hurricane advanced north. For a few hours, parts of Tampa Bay were six feet below sea level and people could walk across the floor of the bay. Meteorologists speculate that the receding water saved Tampa, because by the time the eye of the hurricane arrived, the storm was weaker and the predicted storm surge just filled the bay back in rather than swamping the entire city. The water never came over the city’s barriers. Whatever the explanation, it was a miracle for the residents of Tampa. Continue reading →