D-V's Desk

  Do you remember the old announcement? This is a test. This is only a test. screech - if this were an actual emergency, you would have been instructed to….” How many of us recall the Emergency Broadcast System?   Let’s see a show of hands.   Raise them nice and high.   Perhaps we need such an alert for our Gospel reading this morning.   Matthew warns us that the religious leaders and the elite are up to their tricks again.   This time they send an expert in the Torah, the instructions of Moses.   The expert asks Jesus which of the over 600 commandments (248 positive, 365 negative) is the greatest.   All of the Laws were to be considered equal.   Yet Rabbis and scholars loved to debate the question.   So this is a definitely a trick question to trap Jesus.             The leaders want to find some way to trick Jesus.   They want Jesus to say or do something that th...

               Have you ever let your no be yes or your yes be no?   Maybe it is when a boss asks you to do something outside of your job description.   Perhaps it is when a friend asks you to coffee or lunch.   Have you said yes and then changed your mind?   Have you said no and later changed your mind? The chief priests and the elders come this morning with a question.   They have heard Jesus teach.   They’ve seen Jesus heal.   Now, they want to know by what right, by what authority, Jesus is doing what He does.   In essence, they want to know what lies behind Jesus’ ability to heal and to teach with such power and authority.             In good rabbinical form, Jesus answers their question with a question.   Jesus asks where John the Baptist received his authority to Baptize.   The chief priests and the elders hedge their bets and a...

“But that’s not fair!”               Bill’s death came as a shock to all who knew him.   Bill took care of himself and swam laps almost daily.   After being diagnosed with Munier’s disease, Bill carefully watched his diet.   He was fanatical about limiting his sodium intake.   A brain bleed and a fall down some stairs changed all that, however.   Bill’s death was so unfair.             You or I may do everything right- exercise, diet, see our doctor.   And still the cancer diagnosis comes.   We may do everything right at work.   We work hard, we do all that is asked of us.   And still we are fired.   Life can hand us many such situations that are unfair.   Jonah and the workers in the Vineyard can relate.   The prophet and the workers both face unfair situations.        ...

  “Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day? Were you in the yard with your wife and children Or working on some stage in L.A.?”               So writes country singer Alan Jackson in his song, “Where were you?”   Jackson’s song is about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.   Just the other day we marked twenty-five years since the tragedy changed our lives forever.   I am sure most of us can remember where we were that fateful day.             I was a newbie to ordained ministry.   I had not yet seen one year of priestly ministry.   I was working at a church in Columbia, Missouri.   I did not know what had happened.   I heard strange reports on the news as I drove to the church.   It was not until I got in that I discovered the horror of what had happened in New Yo...

  WWJD? What Would Jesus Do?               About a generation back, this was a popular question.   Folks even had bracelets to remind themselves to ask “WWJD?”   The question itself is inspired by Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps .   In the book, a tiny congregation finds itself upended by the visit of a homeless man.   Inspired by the man’s witness, the pastor gathers a group.             For one year that group is to ask “WWJD?” before making any decisions.   The group meets for mutual support and accountability.   A businessman invites the pastor to hold a devotional time for his workers during lunch.   A budding singer starts singing gospel songs down by the bars instead of chasing stardom.             Last week, Jesus established His identity as the Messiah, the Son o...

             Many years ago there was a game show called Identity, hosted by Gilette Penn.   The show featured 12 people, some celebrities and some everyday people.   For example, Stan Lee (Spider Man) and Peter Mayhew (Star Wars) were featured on episodes.   A contestant tried to guess the identity of each person.             Our Gospel reads like an episode of Identity.   Jesus begins by asking what the crowds, what the people, are saying about Him.   “Some say you are John the Baptist,” and “Others say you are Elijah” come the answers.   Jesus then zeroes in on the question, the BIG one, “what about YOU, who do YOU say that I am.”             This is the moment of truth.   Just like when Penn would ask “is that your identity?” after the contestant’s guess.   There would be a dramatic pause before t...