Christendom is directly opposed to the reign of Christ

Today's homily is based on the following lectionary readings selected for Christ the King Sunday:

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be leader among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

Matthew 25:31-46 (The Inclusive Bible)

31 “At the appointed time the Promised One will come in glory, escorted by all the angels of heaven, and will sit upon the royal throne, 32 with all the nations assembled below. Then the Promised One will separate them from one another, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. 33 The sheep will be placed on the right hand, the goats on the left. 34 “The ruler will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you blessed of my Abba God! Inherit the kindom prepared for you from the creation of the world! 35 For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me; 36 naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you comforted me; in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 Then these just will ask, ‘When did we see you hungry and feed you, or see you thirsty and give you drink? 38 When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in, or clothe you in your nakedness? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison and come to visit you?’ 40 The ruler will answer them, ‘The truth is, every time you did this for the least of my sisters or brothers, you did it for me.’ 41 “Then the ruler will say to those on the left, ‘Out of my sight, you accursed ones! Into that everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and the fallen angels! 42 I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you gave me no welcome; naked and you gave me no clothing. I was ill and in prison and you did not come to visit me.’ 44 Then they in turn will ask, ‘When did we see you hungry or thirsty, or homeless or naked, or ill or in prison, and not take care of you?’ 45 The answer will come, ‘The truth is, as often as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.’ 46 They will go off to eternal punishment, and the just will go off to eternal life.”

Welcome, Chickmonks! If you’ve ever wondered “why religion? or why church?” I think this conversation will resonate with you. 

If you’ve ever wondered what the heck the Episcopal church is, you will learn so much in this conversation, and, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s (really) like to be a priest or clergy person,

or if you’re feeling like the only person in your field who sees the potential and you’re up against the momentum of “the way we’ve always done things”

Contact Heather
Contact Mary Lynn

A homily based on the following lectionary reading for the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin:

Luke 1:46-55

 Mary said:
 “My soul proclaims your greatness, O God, and my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior. For you have looked with favor
upon your lowly servant,
and from this day forward
all generations will call me blessed. 
For you, the Almighty, have done great things for
 me,
and holy is your Name.
Your mercy reaches from age to age
for those who fear you. 
You have shown strength with your arm;
you have scattered the proud in their conceit;
 you have deposed the mighty from their thrones
and raised the lowly to high places. 
You have filled the hungry with good things,
while you have sent the rich away empty. 
You have come to the aid of Israel your servant,
mindful of your mercy— 
the promise you made to our ancestors—
to Sarah and Abraham
and their descendants

Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible (pp. 2220-2221). Sheed & Ward. Kindle Edition. 

A homily based on the following reading:

If you love me
and obey the command I give you, 
16 I will ask the One who sent me
to give you another Paraclete, another Helper
to be with you always— 
17 the Spirit of truth,
whom the world cannot accept
since the world neither sees her nor recognizes her;
but you can recognize the Spirit
because she remains with you
and will be within you. 
18 I won’t leave you orphaned;
I will come back to you. 
19 A little while now and the world will see me no more;
but you’ll see me;
because I live,
and you will live as well. 
20 On that day you’ll know
that I am in God,
and you are in me,
and I am in you.

Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible (pp. 2325-2326). Sheed & Ward. Kindle Edition. 

A homily based on Matthew 27:11-54, read from The Inclusive Bible

Looking for spiritual support? Have questions? Comments? Feedback? Contact Heather

A homily based on John 4:5-42 (read from The Inclusive Bible by Priests for Equality)

Questions? Responses? Comments? Looking for spiritual counseling or mentorship? I love hearing from you!
Reach out to Heather here.

A homily based on the following reading from the Revised Common Lectionary:

Luke 6:20-31

Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, 
for you will be filled. 

“Blessed are you who weep now, 
for you will laugh. 

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets." 

"But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation. 

"Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry. 

"Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep. 

"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

"But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

A homily based on the following reading from the revised common lectionary: Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.