Tag: Generational Sin

Crooked Teeth

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Biblical Text: Matthew 21:23-32, Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

The proverb in the Ezekeil text has always caused me some problems. It never made sense in English until I broke it down. Part of the reason I believe is that we have a few English proverbs that cover the same space, including a different one from the Bible itself. God also tells them not to use it, so maybe that had some sway. Also I don’t think we exactly had this situation play out in the same way until the current generations. Because that is what the proverb is at its core, a generational conflict. And not just a conflict, but a generational blame game.

Which is why both the OT text and the Gospel lesson are about forgiveness. Our way, man’s way, may be about a full debt accounting and a desire for Karma. But that is not the way of God. The entire purpose of Christ is forgiveness. This sermon develops that theme and why forgiveness is the acid test of living the faith.

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Her Warfare is Over

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Biblical Text: Isaiah 40:1-11

The jump from Isaiah 39 to Isaiah 40 is one of the big discontinuities of the Bible. With Hezekiah’s cynicism Isaiah turns to a far future generation. That got me thinking this week about some of my mystery verses. What I mean by that is verses that make simple sense, but that simple sense doesn’t make theological sense. At least not easy theological sense. This sermon is an attempt, through John the Baptist promised by Isaiah, to understand what might be called generational sin. When the weight of sin long neglected catches up with us, what do we do?

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