Inks Lake © Casey Clough title credit and inspiration: the humbling river – puscifer In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. I would like to ask you to join me in imagining a scene. Jesus has just found out from his disciples that his friend, his mentor, a man he admired very much, is dead. His friend did not die of illness, or old age, or even by accident, no. His friend had been murdered, the result of a reckless promise made by a politician to a young woman who charmed him with her dancing—a young woman with secret instructions and a secret plan…

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. We continue in Matthew’s parables this week. This week, we are focused on verses 31-33 and verses 44-52. When we have a reading that is separated like this, I usually find something in the omitted text that I wish the powers that be who made the lectionary decisions had left in: this time it is verse 35, where Jesus is quoting Psalm 78, verse 2. In Matthew, it goes like this: “I will open my mouth to speak in parables—I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” In the Psalter, on…