Neli ML

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost 2023 Matthew 21:23-32 Rev. Neli Miranda   “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” This is how the chief priests and the elders question Jesus while he was teaching in the temple. On the preceding day, Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem in the company of his disciples and a very large crowd of pilgrims who had come to celebrate Passover. Given the political meaning of the Passover celebration and the possibility of revolts, the Romans were used to sending extra troops to Jerusalem to control any situation. So, while the Roman army entered Jerusalem with great power and force, Jesus entered riding on a donkey peacefully and with great authority, recognized by the pilgrims who hailed him as the son of David, the One who comes in the name of the Lord (Matthew 21,9). Jesus’ impacting entry into Jerusalem created great turmoil in the whole city, whose inhabitants were mostly the socio-economic and religious el

  Rev. Betsey Moe Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost 2023 St. Alban Sermon 9.24.23 “Fairness, or Generosity?”   “Fair and square” was a term that helped keep the peace between my three siblings and me when we were young. I wanted the same number of candies or toys or minutes in front of the TV as my older sister, because that was what was FAIR. Our parents, wanting to keep the peace, sought to be as fair as possible in how much they spent on Christmas presents for each of us, or on how they rewarded our good grades, even though it gets tricky as you realize that all kids are different and different things motivate or encourage. We were a family similar to other families in that way – seeking fairness and equity to keep the peace. Maybe we ALL carry around the ideal in our minds that things should be fair. Fair wages for workers, so that somehow the amount and intensity of work would be matched in pay, fair or equitable pay for men and women, so that women make the same amou

  Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 10, 2023 Matthew 18:15-20 Rev. Neli Miranda In the Gospels, the word “Church” is mentioned only twice, and it occurs only in Matthew in Chapters 16 and 18. The English term Church is derived from the ancient Greek term Ekklēsia, which in the Roman Empire referred to a local public assembly, much like a town meeting. These assemblies, Ekklēsias, were constituted only by citizens who discussed local political concerns, assigned elders, and offered prayer and worship to Caesar, among other activities. The same word was used by the early Christian communities to refer to the participation of Jesus’ followers in the Ekklēsia of God, an alternative society to the Roman Empire order (Claiborne & Haw, 2008) . Thus, “Church”, Ekklēsia , meant a group of people called by Jesus to form a new community of life and love in a world infected with violence and hatred. This community was called to fulfill the dream of God for a humanity living