sermon

Loving Our Enemies?

Homily from February 24 2019 by Jo Connelly

In our first reading from Genesis, Joseph clearly had enemies. In preparation for this homily I re-read Joseph’s history, going back as far as Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel—what tales of treachery and deceit! Joseph was the favoured son of Jacob’s favoured wife Rachel. Not only was he given a very special cloak but he announced to his brothers, dreams suggesting they would bow down to him. His brothers seethed with jealousy and somehow Joseph seemed a bit clueless in the lead up to their plot. Though they had originally schemed to kill Joseph, in the end they put him in a cistern and decided to sell him into slavery. They brought the hated cloak back to their father Jacob covered in animal blood to convince him that Joseph had been killed by an animal.

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“May we be courageous today. May we learn today. May we love today.”

 June 10, 2018 – Church of Holy Trinity, Trinity Square

Our sisters and brothers at the Corrymeela Community, Northern Ireland’s longest-serving centre for peace and reconciliation, begin their day with these words:

“We resolve to live life in its fullness:

We will welcome the people who’ll be part of this day.

We will greet God in ordinary and hidden moments.”

What a remarkable story from the Book of Samuel. The elders of Israel complain to Samuel about the judges who were the government of the day. Israel was a group of scattered tribes under attack by the Philistines. The elders wanted a strong man for protection.

Read More »“May we be courageous today. May we learn today. May we love today.”