Sunday, September 24, 2023 – Pentecost 17
Jonah 3:10-4:11; Psalm 145:1-8; Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me guess I’ll go eat worms.” Growing up whenever my sister pouted about not getting her way, she would plop herself down at the dinner table and sing this song in response to being asked why she was unhappy. Over […]
Sunday, September 10, 2023 – Pentecost 15
Ezekiel 33:7-11; Psalm 119:33-40; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer For years I have lamented the billboard on I-65 North, “Go to church or the Devil will get you” as a sign of our backward, judgment-oriented relationship to God. It seems more threatening than inviting, making a claim that we should be more scared […]
Sunday, August 27, 2023 – Pentecost 13
Isaiah 51:1-6; Psalm 138; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer Petunia, one of our basset hounds, has more nicknames than any dog we have ever had. As a puppy, all she did was tinkle and toot—so we called her “P-Toot”. We’ve read that dogs learn their names faster if they end in a “y” sound, […]
Sunday, August 13, 2023 – Pentecost 11
I Kings 19:9-18; Psalm 85:8-13; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer In the name of the One Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen Jesus and Moses head out to fish. They are about to rent a canoe when Moses says: “Jesus, can’t you still walk on water? Why not just walk out there?” So Jesus takes […]
Sunday, July 23, 2023 – Pentecost 8
Isaiah 44:6-8; Psalm 86:11-17; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer Storytelling has always been a significant part of every culture. It is how we share our traditions, how we learn, and it is how we shape society. Jesus understood the power of stories in helping people to reframe their context. His parables were not meant […]
Sunday, July 2, 2023 – Pentecost 5
Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer My favorite childhood story book was The Tales of Winnie the Pooh. I love Pooh Bear and Tigger and Rabbit and all of those wonderful inhabitants of The Hundred Acre Wood. Hearing about their adventures, Pooh’s obsession with honey, Rabbit’s paranoia, Eeyore’s pessimism, and […]
Sunday, June 18, 2023 – Pentecost 3
Exodus 19:2-8a; Psalm 100; Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer Between the years of 1830 and 1850, an estimated 60,000 Native Americans along with a few white sympathizers were removed from the Southeast and forced to relocate in the mid-West. We know that as the Trail of Tears—a five-thousand-mile trek. Most of the Indians forcibly […]
Sunday, June 4, 2023 – Trinity Sunday
Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Psalm 8; II Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer Our world has devolved into one of division and despair. At least that is our common perception. We live in a time of angst and anxiety that has difficulty pointing toward a hopeful future, one filled with possibility and promise. Instead, we look back and […]
Sunday, May 14, 2023 – Easter 6
Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:7-18; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer In the early 1940s a young GI wrote to his sister from overseas. He was homesick and weary of the war, though he knew its necessity and importance. Trying hard to overcome a despair that might easily catch him unawares, he spoke of […]
Sunday, May 7, 2023 – Easter 5
Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5,15-16 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14 The Rev. Candice B. Frazer Stephen Is not one of the original disciples. He seems to have converted after Jesus’ ascension. He knows the Jewish story well and when challenged by the religious authority, retells the story of the Patriarchs pointing out the failings of man while highlighting […]