Waxing Theological

8-24-14 (Proper 16/Ordinary 22 A, Semi-Continuous) Exodus 1:8-2:10; Matthew 16:13-20                                                                      Identity Crisis     Identity is a huge deal in the Bible.  And it’s interesting to note the various ways in which people’s identities play a significant role throughout the scriptures.  Stories of mistaken identity, false identities, and even new identities are crucial defining moments in the story of the Bible.  People and places are give names, or even given new names, that have particular meaning and significance to a major event or situation.  Abram and Sarai are changed into Abraham and Sarah to be the parents of a multitude.  Sarah names her son Isaac because she laughed when God told her she would have a child in her old age.  Jacob is renamed “Israel” because he wrestles with God.     So when we enter into this new chapter of the biblical narrative, it’s natural that identity once more plays a defining role here.  Joseph and

8-17-14 (Proper 14A/Ordinary 20A Semicontinuous) Genesis 45:1-15; Matthew 15:10-28                                               Dogs, Dirt, and the Deep Deep Depths of Grace     Every summer at church camp, we’d take some time that first night together to go over the major list of “Camp Rules.”  One of the big rules we went over was that we wanted the campers to not have their tech out at camp.  When I was a camper, it was “No walk-mans, boom-boxes, or CD players.”  When I was a counselor, it turned into iPods, iPads, computers and, most of all, cell phones.  We had good reasons: camp was a place to come and disconnect from the distractions and the fast pace of the “outside world” so that you could reconnect with God in God’s world.     So when the camper caught me over by the camp store with my own phone in hand, carefully responding to a message I had just received… well, I’m sure you can imagine his reaction.  “Why’d you take away my phone when you have yours in your pocket?!  Wha

8-10-14 (Proper 14A/Ordinary 19A Semi-Continuous) Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Matthew 14:22-33                                                                           Up To Your Neck     Once again we find ourselves looking at another incredibly familiar passage - one that has been etched into our collective memory, even to the point that it has infused our culture as we talk about people who have a high opinion of themselves as “thinking that they can walk on water.”  But the one thing that I am continually reminded of as I go into sermon preparation each week is that it’s often the most familiar stories from the Scriptures that are also the most difficult.  Sometimes, we know a story so well that we forget to even hear it anymore.     So as we study this passage today, let’s step away from the story we know - let’s move away for a moment from that familiar imagery of Peter stepping out of the boat and onto the water, of Jesus’ arm reaching out to take him as Peter begins to falter and

 8-3-14 (Proper 13A/Ordinary 18A, Complementary) Isaiah 55:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21                                                                  Enough To Feed 5,000     It’s a scene more amazing than even we tend to give it credit for - even though it’s a miracle, we have no idea how miraculous, how tremendous it really was.  It happens naturally, even unintentionally, as we explore through the Scriptures piece by piece - we miss some of the larger story as we look at smaller stories.  But as we look at this smaller story, it becomes even more amazing once we understand the things that happened just before this.     It might seem a little strange that we begin today’s passage with “Now when Jesus heard this…”  what was it he had heard?  Why did he go out into a deserted place by himself after he heard whatever it was that he heard?  If we look just a few verses back into the beginning of Matthew 14, we learn that Jesus has just been informed that John the Baptist was executed.