The Acoustic Word - Greg Ronning
March 9, 2014 Lent 1A Matthew 4:1-11
“And the Spirit immediately drove (Jesus) out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan.” This week the season of Lent begins, it is a season that lasts forty days.
Forty is a significant number in the biblical tradition. If [...]
March 2, 2104 Transfiguration A Matthew 17:1-9
“YOLO,” you only live once! That’s what first came to my mind when I read this week’s appointed Gospel for Transfiguration Sunday. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up with him on a high mountain, and then, suddenly, Moses and Elijah appear, and Jesus’ face lights [...]
February 23 2104 Epiphany 7A Matthew 5:38-48
Be perfect? What? In this week’s Gospel Jesus commands us to do the impossible and concludes, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) He tells us to resist, “an eye for an eye,” and instead asks us “to turn the other cheek.” [...]
February 16, 2014 Epiphany 6A Matthew 5:21-37; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
“For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? (1 Corinthians 3:3)
The appointed texts for this Sunday describe faith communities in conflict. In the epistle Paul chastises [...]
February 9, 2014 Epiphany 5A Matthew 5:13-20
“Baby you and I are different than that, we got something that shines”
In this week’s Gospel Jesus follows the Beatitudes with a reminder that people of faith are called to be different, that we will stand out in a desperate world.
“You are [...]
February 2, 2014 Epiphany 4A Matthew 5:1-12 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they [...]
January 26, 2014 Epiphany 3A Matthew 4:12-23
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, [...]
January 19 2014 Epiphany 2A MLK Day Isaiah 49:1-3 Micah 6:8
“Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of [...]
January 12, 2014 The Baptism of our Lord Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; [...]
January 5, 2014 Christmas 2A John 1:1-18 “Becoming Flesh” “We Dance”
In the beginning there was this Word, a Word that dwelt with God, a Word that was God, a creative Word that spoke and gave birth to life, to all of creation. This is how the story of faith begins in [...]
