Sermon: Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Amy Welin (Proper 27): Without context, we are left to our own devices. We read meaning into the words, and construct our own interpretation, distinct from what a person may be trying to say. This is what happens when we listen to gossip or rumors – we hear a partial truth repeated out of context, and then we make up the rest of the story in our heads.
Context can be a very subtle - sometimes almost invisible to us - and still it is very powerful. This can be part of the difficulty with interpretation of the Scriptures, because not only are they many centuries old, they also were written in different languages, and their situational context is occasionally ambiguous. We hear a story, and we cannot take it at face value if it is going to teach us well. The context of our scripture lessons influences what they actually say to us. In each passage, God says something about the challenge of living a faithful life. Read More Read more • Leer más → “Sermon: Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost”