and a New Way of Being
Proper 19A | Matthew 18:21-35
I left home as the sun was coming up on my right, traversing the back roads of Georgia by GPS. It was about an hour and a half’s drive from Newnan to Rome. They had one service at 9:30 am at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration and I wanted to get there before nine. It was my first Sunday supplying for them, so I wanted to be there early to tour the place, ask about the service and expectations; then, to settlein and pray before the service started.
The drive was easy. Almost nobody on the road. Typical Sunday in that way. But there was nothing typical about this Sunday fifteen years ago this weekend.
I usually listened to podcasts then (still do!) or the NPR app on my phone, which provided newsfeeds when I couldn’t get a signal. But that Sunday, I had the radio on and the signal was strong. So I could hear the broadcaster describe the events in New York, announcing the speakers, a speech by president Obama, and the moment of silence at 8:46 am.
Fifteen minutes later, I got out of the car, carrying with me the vocational responsibility to preach forgiveness with God’s people.
For a limited time, you may find the audio here.
