Proper 20.A.20/08
Matthew 20:1-16
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Proper 19.A.20
Romans 14:1-12
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Here’s a bit of trivia with which to begin your day. At what liturgy do we hear these words from today’s reading from Romans: “For none of us has life in himself, and none becomes his own master when he dies. For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord, and if we die, we die in the Lord. So, then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s possession.”? If you guessed “The Burial of the Dead”, you’re right. These words are contained in the opening anthem read by the priest at the beginning of the service.

Proper 18.A.20
Romans 13:8-14
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. … it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. …Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light…”

Proper 17.A.20
Exodus 3:1-15
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Proper 16.A.20
Exodus 1:8-2:10
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Poet, author and activist, Maya Angelou once wrote: “We are braver and wiser because they existed, those strong women and strong men… We are who we are because they were who they were. It’s wise to know where you come from…”

There are a number of strong women in the story of Moses found this morning in our Old Testament lesson. Their story is worth telling.

Proper 13.A.20
Genesis 32:22-32
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Jacob was a heel. No…really, he was. In truth, that’s what the name Jacob means. The root of the Hebrew name “Jacob” means to “supplant, circumvent, assail and overreach.” It also means “heel.” What’s more, remember that Jacob was born grasping the heel of his brother Esau. Jacob was a heel.

Proper 12.A.20
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Today’s lesson is chock full of parables. Five of them, in fact: The mustard seed, leaven in a loaf, treasure in a field, the pearl of great P andRICE a dragnet of the good and bad.

But look closely, and we can discern a similarity amongst several of these stories as well. Jesus, here, is teaching us one of the most remarkable truths that comes from the Gospel—he’s speaking of the hiddenness of the kingdom of God, and encouraging us to search for this mystery and make it our own.

Proper 11.A.20
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

There is something about human nature that prompts us to divide people into groups. Think about it. There are upper, middle and lower class individuals: blue collar and white collar workers, smart and stupid, nobles and serfs, tall and short, skinny and fat. And, of course, how can a clergy person omit the saved and the damned.

Proper 10.A.20
Isaiah 55:10-13; Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23
The Rev. Melanie McCarley