“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

 This morning we hear these words in both Isaiah and our Gospel reading….

Light has shined on those who live in deep darkness!…

"What are you looking for?"

In John’s Gospel, these are the very first words out of Jesus’ mouth.

“What are you looking for?….”

John the Baptist spent his adult life preparing the way for Jesus. 

He spent his own ministry pointing beyond himself to Jesus.

 He tells the crowds:
“I baptize you with water for repentance,
                      but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me;        I am not worthy to carry his sandals…..”  (Mt 3:11)

“Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?” 

What a curious question to come from a group of star-gazers from far away Persia!

And what an irritant to King Herod’s quest for unabated power!….

Our God is a God of speaking.

Our God is a God who wants desperately to have a conversation with us.

In the beginning God spoke the heavens and the earth into existence. . ..

This evening, we gather together to celebrate something spectacular…

            something that seems a bit far-fetched if applying only our rational minds…

      yet something we proclaim every time we gather for worship….

I wonder how often each of us feels like we are wandering in the wilderness?

As I think about our Old Testament scriptures, it seems like God’s people are frequently wandering in the wilderness or the desert…

When I first read today’s Scriptures passages, I was struck by the beautiful and peace-able imagery of Isaiah…

“About that day and hour no one knows,

            neither the angels of heaven,

nor the Son,

        but only the Father….”

“Do not be afraid, little flock.”

 Do not be afraid.

 Easier said
           than done.

 It seems, these days, that fear is all around….

“One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions,”
Jesus says in today’s gospel story.

 Jesus has been hammering home this truth,
turning the Pharisees and lawyers against him,
    because he says they are tithing commodities
while neglecting justice and love….

As Jesus and his disciples continue on their journey to Jerusalem,
            Jesus takes some time to pray.

 This time he is allowed to finish before someone asks something of him….

As many of you know,

            I enjoy gardening,

       and if time and my body allowed,

                        I’d garden all day, every day….

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 Seems like a great question.

 Just short-circuit the small talk
and get to the crux of the matter!

The Kindom of God has come near.

Bidden or unbidden…
            welcomed or not welcomed…
       the Kindom of God has come near!

 What wonderful news!
           That includes an invitation….

In Paul’s letter to the Church in Galatia, he says:
            “The whole law is summed up in a single commandment,
      ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

 You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Salvation.

That’s a word you probably don’t hear very often from the pulpit in The Episcopal Church! Or anywhere else in The Episcopal Church, for that matter….

Today, Trinity Sunday, is the day the Church sets aside to focus on the Trinity: the one, holy, living, and loving God.

For the disciples,
the day of Pentecost started just like any other day.

They had gathered together in one place as a community,
and then SUDDENLY,
                        suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind,
       and it filled the entire house….

I always find today’s reading from Acts a good story…
 part of it seems a bit confounding
        and other parts are absolutely miraculous…!