Please read the passage before the homily: Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king Artaxerxes. His primary function was to ensure that the wine had no poisoning in it. He would certify the integrity of the wine served the king, often … Continued
Please read the passage before the homily: Wow! Thrones were set up, and God takes his seat in powerful glory. We should have expected this, something much grander than the coronation of the king of England. God’s “clothing” is radiant. … Continued
Please read the passage before the homily: I have heard that the twenty-first day of the seventh month of the second year of the reign of Darius was 17 October 520 BCE. The temple had not been rebuilt. The people … Continued
Please read the passage before the homily: Israel had gone into exile with its capital city and temple destroyed. Under Cyrus the Israelites had returned to the land and had begun the hard work of rebuilding. They had found the … Continued
Please read the passage before the homily: We start a series of readings from Ezra, Nehemiah and Haggai. Their books speak to the same historical time, the return from Exile and the rebuilding of the temple. Our reading today begins … Continued
Please read the passage before the commentary. This is a story about a steward and his master. Two thousand years ago, the steward was more than an employee, he was a member of the household, much as a nanny or … Continued
Por favor, lean este pasaje ante de la homilía. Esta es una historia de un hombre rico y su administrador. Hace dos mil años, un administrador era más que un empleado; era un miembro del hogar de su amo, al … Continued
Please read the passage before the homily: If I should have written these opening words to you about the sound words of Jesus Christ, perhaps if you were a recent convert, you would have needed to be reminded of this. … Continued
Please read the passage before the homily: Paul writes about the “mystery of devotion” as being great. He then quotes a early Christian hymn. We may ask what is the mystery of devotion. Devotion here does not mean the favorite … Continued
Please read the passage before the homily: The dominant political figure in the ancient world was the Roman Emperor. Ephesus seems to have had an especially strong devotion to the emperor. It seems that Timothy was in the area of … Continued