Today’s text from Isaiah is talking about the potency of God’s Word. Isaiah is saying that God does not speak just to hear himself speak, but to accomplish a purpose. The reading from Romans is talking about the hostility that exists between God and sin. Paul is saying that if the Spirit of God dwells in you, then you are not the target of this hostility. Finally, the text from Matthew is talking about why some people do not respond favorably to God’s Word. Jesus is saying that regardless of the reason why, those who do respond more than make up for those who don’t.

For Isaiah’s exiles, his prophecy assured them that God had not forgotten his promise to them. The half-hearted converts among Paul’s readers were warned of the severe consequences of continuing to live by the standards of the world, while believers were confirmed in their hope. For the disciples, this parable was a primer for understanding why people responded the way they did to Jesus’ message. Christians today are called to examine their lives and their churches for evidence of the “hundredfold yield” Jesus speaks of, and, if we are not seeing changes in the way we think, in the way we live, and in our parish life, we need to examine our response to God’s Word.

Paul says that God sent his Son, made him to resemble our distorted way of living, and then cursed him (instead of us!) for that resemblance. Thus, the demands of God’s justice were satisfied. If we believe this message we can walk away free, blessed by the Spirit, and without ever having to look back over our shoulders in fear. But, if we let the cares of the world choke this Word, we can expect nothing.

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Readings from 6 Pentecost, Proper 10, Year A, Track 2. Isaiah 55:10-13; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23.

Preached by the Rev. Jake Dell on July 16, 2017 at Holy Trinity Church Inwood.

In today’s reading from Matthew, Jesus is talking about removing the onerous burdens placed on the Jewish people by their religious leaders. Jesus is saying that these leaders do not know God the Father and behave more like name-calling children than the spiritual elite they claim to be.

For Jesus’ hearers this meant an invitation to bypass a corrupt, state-sponsored system of spiritual oppression to obtain direct access to God the Father — through a man claiming to be his Son! For us, that Son, now vindicated and raised from the dead by his Father, continues to choose to reveal God to us.

Jesus rescues us from the waterless pit of our sins, replacing the heavy yoke our works had fashioned for our destruction with his own easy one. Thus we are now his “prisoners of hope” and he our gentle and humble King. What our sins took away from us, he now restores double to us, as he chooses to show us the ways of his Father in which we must now live.

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Readings from 5 Pentecost, Proper 9, Year A, Track 2. Zechariah 9:9-12; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30.

Preached by the Rev. Jake Dell on July 9, 2017 at Holy Trinity Church Inwood.

Today’s texts from Jeremiah and Matthew are talking about prophecy. The texts say that there is a need to distinguish between true and false prophecies, and to support the work of true prophets. Paul is talking about the need to avoid sinful behavior. He is saying that God will teach us a new way of living.

For Jeremiah’s and Matthew’s readers, the call to heed true prophecies and to support the ministry of true prophets shook the status quo. Paul’s readers were also shaken, particularly if they had become complacent, thinking that as Christians, their personal behavior no longer mattered. In our own day, we are reminded to take seriously the high standard of personal morality to which Christians are called.

Christ was “obedient from the heart” when he accepted his Father’s will and died for our sins on the cross. Ever since, we have been free from sin, and no longer need to obey our former master. Instead, we have been apprenticed to a new Master, Jesus Christ, who is teaching us in our new craft of holy living.

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Readings from 4 Pentecost, Proper 8, Year A, Track 2. Jeremiah 28:5-9; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42.

Preached by the Rev. Jake Dell on July 2, 2017 at Holy Trinity Church Inwood.

Today’s texts from Jeremiah and Matthew talk about the derision, persecution, and violence (up to and including death) that those who bring God’s message to the world can expect from the world. Both texts agree, however, that in spite of the shame and humiliation, God’s servants will be publicly vindicated, and in ways no one expects.

For Jeremiah’s audience, the Babylonian captivity proved that his message of violence and destruction was true. For the disciples, knowing that Jesus would advocate for them before the Father gave them confidence in the face of rejection from their fellow Jews. In our own day, we should expect the gospel to continue to cause division and provoke anger.

Jesus Christ experienced violence, humiliation, imprisonment on false charges, and finally death, but was vindicated in a most unexpected way when God raised him from the dead. Because of this sign, we can live in hope, and proclaim our faith in thought, word, and deed — come what may.

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Readings from 3 Pentecost, Proper 7, Year A, Track 2. Jeremiah 20:7-13; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39.

Preached by the Rev. Jake Dell on June 25, 2017 at Holy Trinity Church Inwood.

The readings from Exodus and Matthew are talking about the commissioning of Israel and the Apostles to carry out God’s mission to the world. Romans talks about how Jesus completed this mission in a unique and particular way. Together the texts are saying that by obedience to the Father, Jesus is the priest-king Israel failed to be.

Knowing that their ancestors had failed to obey God, the early Christians found hope knowing that Jesus did. Moreover, they found purpose as Jesus commissioned them to help him carry out his mission to the lost sheep of Israel, and, in time, to the whole world. In our own day, we should remember the urgency of evangelism, because judgment will come before everyone can be warned.

Christ comes to us in our weakness with a message of hope. His death proves that even if no one else loves us, God does. In turn, we must share that message of love and hope with the failing world around us, while there is still time.

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Readings from 2 Pentecost, Proper 6, Year A, Track 2. Exodus 19:2-8; Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23).

Preached by the Rev. Jake Dell on June 18, 2017 at Holy Trinity Church Inwood.