January 8, 2023 Isaiah 42:1-9, Matthew 3:13-17 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. Cornell West once said that justice is what love looks like in public. Which sounds catchy, but…
A Christian Unitarian Church Serving Newton, Brookline, and the Boston Area since 1861
Sunday Service at 10:30am
Rev. Mark J.T. Caggiano
26 Suffolk Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Sermons by Rev. Mark J.T. Caggiano (Page 7)
December 11, 2022 Luke 1:46b-55 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed… This reading sets forth Mary’s reaction to the news that she is with child. It is not the initial…
November 20, 2022 Jeremiah 23:1-6 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. A righteous branch for David. A righteous heir to become a righteous king. One who is wise and just. And of…
November 13, 2022 Isaiah 65:17-25 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. For half of the book of Isaiah, the prophet has been warning the people about trouble that will befall them if they do not mend their ways. The second half describes what has…
A parable is a story, a teaching story. Please do not be concerned that any fig trees were injured in the course of these events.
A parable is a story, a teaching story. Please do not be concerned that any fig trees were injured in the course of these events.
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals. Not blessed are those who do this or that, but cursed. Cursed for trusting in mere mortals. The decisions of mortals, the actions of mortals. Those who trust in others. Those who trust in themselves. For the judgements of mortals, yours, mine and others; are not to be trusted.
This is a vision or a dream. A dream Isaiah is said to have had about his purpose as a prophet. And yet Isaiah in the dream questions his worthiness for the task. “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Fuller’s soap was used to clean wool for weaving – it was like bleach, sometimes made from ashes and water, sometimes made from far less pleasant things. Refiners would smelt metal to make it pure, leaving behind precious silver and gold. The idea is that the one predicted to come would bring about purity, making others righteous as well. The wool bright and white, the gold and silver pure and shining.
A holy day, a day of celebration. The Book of Nehemiah tells the story of the return of the people of Israel to their homeland. This moment depicts the reading of the law to a people who have been without it for some time, separated across a foreign empire, broken apart as a community.