Isaiah 58: 1-14 (links validated on 1/31/24)

New Resources

  • Exegesis (Isaiah 58:1-14)

    by Richard Donovan
  • The God Who Craves

    by Ragan Sutterfield
    In 1602 a Spanish ship was sailing along the coast of California when a terrible disease took hold of the crew. Their skin erupted with purple dots, their gums swelled, and teeth loosened, death came to many. After reaching port, a group of soldiers rowed out to a nearby island to dispose of the corpses that had piled up. When they came to shore, one soldier saw a fruit growing from a cactus. He picked one and ate it. It tasted good and he craved more. He began eating the fruit, wherever he could find it, and shared it with others on board. As they ate, they felt their gums tightening and energy returning to their bodies. They did not then know the mechanism, but we now understand that they were experiencing scurvy, a disease caused by fatal lack of vitamin C. Those little prickly pear fruits that the soldiers found so good to eat are chock full of it. Their bodies needed vitamin C and so they began to crave exactly the fruits that provided it. The human body, it turns out, is miraculous at craving what it needs...
  • Ash Wednesday (ABC)

    by Howard Wallace

Resources from 2022 and 2023

  • Ash Wednesday (C)(2022)

    by Charles L. Aaron, Jr.
  • Proper 16C (2022)

    by Brennan Breed
  • Epiphany 5A (2023)

    by Juliana Claassens
  • Turning Us Inside-Out

    by Jonas Ellison
  • Epiphany 5A (2023)

    by Tim George
  • Keep Shining

    by Owen Griffiths
  • Being Light, Inimpeachably

    by Dennis Hamm, SJ
  • Ordinary 5A (2023)

    by Phil Heinze
  • Sermon Starters (Epiphany 5A)(2023)

    by Scott Hoezee
    Some years ago many of us were troubled and saddened when a few more of the Nixon secret tape recordings were released. Because in this particular batch of tapes, one of the people heard on the recordings was the Rev. Billy Graham who was heard uttering some rather fiercely anti-Semitic remarks. Not only were Rev. Graham’s remarks at variance with his public approach to Jewish-Christian dialogue but they were, more significantly, so very, very un-Christian. To his credit, Rev. Graham apologized, and I at least have no doubt that the same divine grace he preached to millions over the years proved to be more than a match in forgiving also this sin. But I mention this not so much to think about what Rev. Graham once said but more because of the way some people reacted to this at the time...
  • Epiphany 5A (2023)

    by Anne Le Bas
  • Setting the Table for God

    by Jim McCrea
    I’m not sure exactly where newsman Dan Rather stands on that spectrum, but he has written about a time he stayed in a large Florida hotel prior to giving a speech before several thousand people. He had flown into Florida late the night before and was not at the top of his game because he had to be up early in morning. Perhaps that’s why he was in no mood to be the center of attention, but as he rode the elevator down from his room, he says, “I felt all eyes on me.” He thought to himself: “Didn’t any of these people’s mothers teach them that it’s rude to stare?” And he quietly stewed about the rough start his day was having. When the elevator reached the lobby and people exited, one woman lingered behind. She gently took hold of his sleeve and said quietly, “Mr. Rather, I don’t mean to intrude.” Then she paused to look around, making sure no one else was listening. “I don’t want this to be embarrassing. But your fly is unzipped and a piece of your shirt-tail is sticking out through it.” She then smiled and walked off the elevator leaving Rather to tidy up...
  • Epiphany 5A (2023)

    by Steve Thorngate
  • Epiphany 5A

    by Howard Wallace

Resources from 2019

Resources from 2020 and 2021

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  • The Fast I Choose

    by Danae M. Ashley
  • Roll Down Justice: Conviction

    by Lynn Carman Bodden
  • Nostalgia and Politics

    by John Boopalan
  • The Law and the Prophets

    by Cameron Fraser
  • Epiphany 5A (2020)

    by Tim George
  • Sermon Starters (Epiphany 5A)(2020)

    by Stan Mast
    Like all Americans I have been deeply moved by the tragedy of multiple mass shootings that have spattered blood all over the face of our country. I have prayed that God would stop this bloody epidemic of violence. I appreciated it when officials would say, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.” So, I was initially stunned by the bitter words of survivors and activists who said, “We don’t want your thoughts and your prayers.” Who wouldn’t want thoughts and prayers in such times? Well, maybe God. Those bitter folks always concluded their remarks by saying, “We don’t want your thoughts and prayers. We want action. We need someone to do something to stop this senseless slaughter.” Isn’t that what God is saying to Israel and to us in our text...
  • Why Do We Worship?

    by AnnaKate Rawles
  • Light in the Darkness

    by Michael Ruffin
  • The Yoke's On Us

    by Nichola Torbett
    I was reminded this week of a short story by science fiction writer Ursula LeGuin. The story is called “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” It’s the story of a city called Omelas. Imagine a place where everyone lives happy, peaceful, rich lives, a place filled with music and dancing and cultural expression, where everyone has what they need. Well, almost everyone. There is one exception. A small one. Very small, in fact. In a tiny, dark mop closet of a dank, unfinished basement in a single building within this vibrant and beautiful city lives a small child—emaciated, terrified, and alone. She has been in there for years, but you wouldn’t guess how old she is, because her development—physical, intellectual, and emotional—has been stunted by neglect and malnourishment. The only interruption to her unending empty terror comes when someone rattles the door open and slides in some meager food. At these times, she cries out, “Please help me! I promise I’ll be good! Just let me out. I’ll be so good! Just help me!” But every time, the door slams closed and she is left in the dark. Now, you might think, well, it must be that no one in Omelas knows about this child, but in fact, everyone knows. As young people come of age, they are told about her. And many of them come to see her or hear her cries for themselves. But they do not let her out...
  • Pour Out Your Soul

    by Lawrence Webb

Resources from 2015 and 2016

Resources from 2017 and 2018

Resources from 2010 to 2014

Resources from the Archives