Podcast appearances and mentions of mary hinkle shore

As I studied our gospel reading for today, I started thinking about fear. I have been thinking about the way fear moves us to focus on security issues, and the way fear and security play such an important role in our lives, controlling so much of our behavior.  It is fear that drives us to intently focus on and invest in various forms of security.  If we listen to the daily news we will inevitably hear about issues and concerns regarding global security, national security, security within our community, security in our homes and our own personal security.  Security issues have become so important to us they have evolved into big business in our culture.  Security is used as a marketing tool for cars, tires, homes, internet resources, investment banking, politics, travel – the list goes on and on.  Everyone is interested in keeping us safe.  Cell phones, security systems, airport security lines, getting the right medical tests before or after the age of 50 – just about everything can be sold as a way to keep us free from threats, a way to keep us safe.  And, while I do not want to minimize the need for security, I do want to suggest this incessant focus adds to the fear and anxiety that already permeates our culture and our very lives. Well, in the last chapters of Matthew's gospel, we find people who were fearful and intently focused on security concerns.  Security seems to be on everyone's mind.  When Jesus was betrayed, it was temple security personnel armed with swords and clubs who came to arrest him.  As this happened, the disciples sought their security in the cover of darkness, deserting Jesus and fleeing the garden.  Peter sought security and safety in a courtyard by trying to keep a safe distance from Jesus while following what happened to Jesus during his trial.  And, after Jesus was safely dead, the chief priests still felt this immense need for security and asked Pilate to place guards at the sealed tomb where Jesus' body was laid to rest.  So, Pilate told his security detail – the soldiers – to “make that tomb as secure as you can,” and he placed twenty-four-hour guards to keep watch. And guess what!  It did not work, and it does not work!  It did not work for Peter who ended up denying Jesus three times.  And it did not work for the chief priests who tried to secure and seal Jesus in a tomb.  It did not work because Jesus, the Word made flesh, cannot and will not be contained.  All attempts at achieving security were shattered when the very foundations of the earth shook.  And, by a power greater than all attempts to achieve security, Jesus was raised!  When the very foundations of the earth shook as tectonic plates shifted, even Pilate's security detail fell to the ground in fear.  As the soldiers become like dead men, paralyzed by fear, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are greeted by the angel who says, “Don't be afraid.  I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.  Come, see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.'  This is my message for you.” The women then go, and what is so interesting is that they leave the tomb with both fear and joy!  While they are joyful, an element of fear has not left them, and they apparently do not exactly feel secure and safe.  You see, they are living an experience in which the very foundation of the earth under their feet has shaken them to the core.  Their dear friend who was dead has not stayed dead!!  Talk about not feeling secure and safe!  And, as they run to tell the disciples, who should run into them but Jesus.  Jesus, their risen Lord stands before them and says to them, “Do not be afraid.”  They encounter the risen Christ and hear him say, “Do not be afraid,” and it is the very last time in Matthew's gospel that we hear anything about fear.  As the women encounter the risen Christ, it becomes very clear to them that reality itself had changed.  The Rev. Dr. Mary Hinkle Shore describes this change in the women and all of Jesus' disciples by saying: As the first Christians came to recognize the risen Christ, they experienced boldness and freedom of speech that surprises those of us who read their stories.  It is as if their security came from the inside out.  They were not afraid of people who scoffed at their claims.  They were not afraid of authorities who ordered them to stop speaking of Jesus.  They were free from what the neighbors thought about them and free from what the established power structure could do to them. Now, we know that the disciples did face threats and persecution following Christ's resurrection.  The history of the early church indicates many of them were killed for professing Christ as Savior and proclaiming their faith.  However, after experiencing Christ's resurrection, even the threats made against their lives by those who were in power did not own them or define them.  Fear no longer defined the way they lived or their proclamation of the good news.  And what is so amazing is that even all the mistakes they had made, all of their fear induced foolishness and prior cowardly behavior, was met by the risen Christ who did meet them in Galilee.  Their encounter with the risen Christ freed them from all that had been, and their reality was forever changed.  And, even more, the risen Christ promised to be with them to the end of the age.  So, on this Easter morning, what might that kind of freedom mean for you?  How does this good news free you from the fear that binds and imprisons you?  How does this good news change the way you hear the daily news reports?  How does this good news change the way you welcome strangers and those who are different, those you might consider other?  How does this good news transform all that defines you?  How does this good news transform this faith community and the way we live in the greater Okemos community and the world? How does this good news transform the way this faith community looks to the future? The risen Christ stands before us saying, “Do not be afraid!”  Because of Easter, we know the foundation of all that once was has been shaken and God is creating a new heaven and a new earth.  And, because of Easter our lives are secure and held with Christ in the very God of all creation.  Do not be afraid, because we know a Savior who died on the cross to break the power of everything that threatens to enslave or oppress or distort or destroy our humanity.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter we know a God who takes all our pain and sorrow and suffering and sadness and loss and even death and turns it all into new life.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter we believe the new life that came into being on that early morning two thousand years ago will one day transform everything and everyone.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter we believe in a God who brings hope out of hopelessness and new life out of death.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter we believe in a God who is working to bring grace and peace and mercy and love and justice and freedom and joy and life into every life.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter and because we believe in a God who raised Jesus from the dead, we know that even death does not have the last word.  God alone has the last word.  You are secure!!  We are secure!! Do not be afraid!  Because of Easter we are secure, and our future is secure!  For the powers of death have been defeated already and no matter how violently they rage and no matter what power or authority they try to claim, Christ has already won the victory!   Christ is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!  Alleluia!

A sermon by Jamie Howison from January 29, 2023, on Paul's deep wrestlings with the increasingly divided church community in Corinth. The text for the day was 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. The 1966 film King of Hearts  figures prominently in this sermon, do if you'd like to watch it you can access it at Kanopy. You can also rent the film at Apple, Amazon Video, Google Play or YouTube for a small fee. Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to audio and recommend this episode to your friends. We invite you to rate us or write a review of what we are doing on Apple Podcasts. Reviews help others join the conversation.* * *This podcast is created at saint benedict's table, a congregation of the Anglican Church of Canada in Winnipeg, where we've been making great audio since 2006. Listen to other recent episodes on our website and see our entire catalogue of over 600 shows on our hosting page.Our MissionTo provide rich and stimulating audio resources to the wider church and engage topics and issues relevant to the concerns and questions of the larger culture in which we live.

Dr. Mary Hinkle Shore says at Christmas, we celebrate that God does not stay at a distance. To receive Jesus is to know oneself as family--with him, with God, and with brothers and sisters too many to count.

In her sermon for the 1st Sunday after Christmas, Dr. Mary Hinkle Shore says in this story, the boy Jesus forms a community no one could have imagined before he created it. Jesus is still forming unimaginable communities around himself. Because that is the business he must always be about.

A sermon by The Rev. Dr. Mary Hinkle Shore on October 31, 2021, at Duke University Chapel

Safety is something that is on all our minds these days.  And, along with that concern, most of us are living with a certain amount of fear.  As we live with this stay at home order, we do so because we are rightly concerned for people’s safety, concerned for the safety of those in our families, and concerned for our own personal safety and security.  We do this because we are justifiably fearful of this COVID-19 virus and the way it is spreading in our world.  While this concern is necessary and required, the intentional focus on safety intensifies our fear and anxiety as it permeates our culture and each of our lives. Well, in the last chapters of Matthew’s gospel, we find people who were fearful and intently focused on safety, their own safety and security. When Jesus was betrayed and arrested, the disciples were fearful and so they sought safety in the cover of darkness by deserting Jesus and fleeing the garden.  Peter was fearful and sought safety in that courtyard by trying to stay a distance away from Jesus, while trying to follow what happened to Jesus during his trial.  And, after Jesus was safely dead, the chief priests asked Pilate to place guards at the sealed tomb where Jesus’ body was laid to rest.  They remembered that Jesus had said he would rise again in three days.  They were fearful and wanted a secure tomb.  So, Pilate told his soldiers to “make that tomb as secure and safe as you can,” as he placed twenty-four-hour guards to keep watch. Well, guess what!  It did not work!  It did not work for Peter who ended up denying Jesus three times.  And, it did not work for the chief priests who tried to secure and seal Jesus in a tomb.  It did not work because Jesus, the Word made flesh, cannot be contained.  All the chief priests’ attempts at achieving security and safety were shattered when the very foundations of the earth shook.  And, by a power greater than all their efforts, Jesus was raised!  When the very foundations of the earth shook as tectonic plates shifted, even Pilate’s security detail fell to the ground in fear.  As the soldiers become like dead men, grounded in fear, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are greeted by the angel who says, “Don’t be afraid.  I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.  Come, see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’  This is my message for you.” The women then go, and what is so interesting is that they leave the tomb with both fear and joy!  While they are joyful, an element of fear has not left them.  They apparently do not exactly feel safe.  You see, they are living an experience in which the very foundation of the earth under their feet has shaken them to the core.  Their dear friend who was dead has not stayed dead!  Talk about not feeling secure and safe!  And, as they run to tell the disciples, who should run into them but Jesus.  Jesus, their risen Lord stands before them and says to them, “Do not be afraid.”  They encounter the risen Christ and hear him say, “Do not be afraid,” and it is the very last time in Matthew’s gospel that we hear anything about fear.  As the women encounter the risen Christ, it becomes very clear to them that reality itself had changed.  The Rev. Dr. Mary Hinkle Shore describes this change in the women and all of Jesus’ disciples by saying: As the first Christians came to recognize the risen Christ, they experienced boldness and freedom of speech that surprises those of us who read their stories.  It is as if their security came from the inside out.  They were not afraid of people who scoffed at their claims.  They were not afraid of authorities who ordered them to stop speaking of Jesus.  They were free from what the neighbors thought about them and free from what the established power structure could do to them.             Now, we know that the disciples did face threats and persecution following Christ’s resurrection.  The history of the early church indicates many of them were killed for professing Christ as Savior and proclaiming their faith.  However, after experiencing Christ’s resurrection, even the threats made against their lives by those who were in power did not own them or define them.  Fear no longer defined the way they lived or their proclamation of the good news.  And, what is so amazing is that even all of the mistakes they had made, all of their fear induced foolishness and prior cowardly behavior, was met by the risen Christ who did meet them in Galilee.  Their encounter with the risen Christ freed them from all that had been, and their reality was changed.  And, even more, the risen Christ promised to be with them to the end of the age.            So, on this Easter morning, what might that kind of freedom mean for you?  How does this good news free you from the fear that binds you? How does this good news change the way you hear the daily news reports?  How does this good news change the way we feel as we live through this pandemic and indeed need to stay home?  How does this good news change the way you will live as, out of necessity, we will be living a new kind of normal for some time?  How does this good news transform all that defines you?  How does this good news transform this faith community and the way we live and minister to the greater community?  The risen Christ stands before us saying, “Do not be afraid!”            Because of Easter, we know the foundation of all that once was has been shaken and God is creating a new heaven and a new earth.  And, because of Easter our lives are safe and secure, regardless of our present circumstances because our lives are held with Christ, in the very God of all creation.  While we cannot escape the realities of this broken, fractured, hurting, diseased world, we defiantly place our hope and trust in the risen Christ who stands before us and says, “Do not be afraid.”  Do not be afraid, because we know a Savior who died on the cross to break the power of everything that threatens to enslave or oppress or distort or destroy our humanity.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter we know and trust a God who takes all our pain and sorrow and suffering and sadness and loss and even death and turns it all into new life.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter we believe the new life that came into being on that early morning two thousand years ago will one day transform everything and everyone.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter we believe in a God who brings hope out of hopelessness and new life out of the powers of death that are raging around us.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter we believe in a God who is working to bring grace and peace and mercy and love and justice and freedom and joy and life into every life.  Do not be afraid, because of Easter and because we believe in a God who raised Jesus from the dead, we believe that even death does not have the last word.  God alone has the last word.  You are secure!!  We are secure!!           Do not be afraid!  Because of Easter we are secure and our future is secure!  For the powers of death have already been defeated and, no matter how viciously they presently rage or what power and authority they try to claim, Christ has already won the victory!   So, we defiantly stand on this day and proclaim this good news:  Christ is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!  Alleluia!

"A New Season” Isaiah 2:1-5 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! Today I feel a need to offer a confession. My confession is centered around my use of my smartphone. It all started innocently, when I switched to using my smartphone as my alarm clock when my bedside alarm clock went on the fritz. My morning routine changed as a result. The alarm goes off. I silence it. Since it is now in my hand, I google the UCC daily devotion and spend a minute or two reading it. Feeling good that I began the day on a positive spiritual note, I then hit my news app. and for the next 10-20 minutes or more I spend reading the morning news. I had not thought about this change in my routine until I read an editorial in The Christian Century written by the editor, Peter W. Marty 1. He wrote the following, “Ever since I started using my smartphone as a morning alarm clock, my wake-up habits have shifted. Instead of engaging in prayer to open my day – once a regular feature of my rising…I check the news. When I lean over the edge of the bed to shut off the alarm, I notice my screen displaying news alerts that arrived overnight. Of course I click on them, wondering what I might have heroically saved in the world had I stayed up all night…I’m consumed by the news.” Then he asks the question, “Do we actually consume the news, or does the news consume us? Either way, it’s hardly a noble activity.” He goes on to quote Alain de Botton, a British-based philosopher and author of The News: A User’s Manual. Marty writes that, “de Botton believes that in contemporary culture, news has largely replaced religion as “our central source of guidance and out touchstone of authority.” The news – not scripture, tradition, or inspired ritual – informs how we handle suffering and make moral choices….It makes us more shallow than we may want to admit.” If he is correct, I am challenged by this thought. The last thing that I want to become is more shallow. My fear is that he may very well be correct. The ten or twenty minutes that I spent scanning the news feeds was time not spent in prayer or reading a devotional. And I must admit there is little in the news that is edifying or life altering, whereas time spent in prayer or reading spiritual writings is almost always edifying and life altering. Martin Luther King, one time quoted Theodore Parker, a Unitarian Minister from the early part of the 1800’s. In a sermon calling for the abolition of slavery Parker said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I would like to think that as a moral person I am participating in this arc of the universe. My morning rituals certainly do not appear to be bending me in that direction. So today on this first Sunday of Advent, the first Sunday of a new Christian year, if you are like me, spending precious time of your day responding to all of the chirps and vibrations coming from your smartphones, time that takes you and me away from participating in the bending of the arc of the universe, let us take this time to stop and reflect on who we have become. One thing that I suspect has happened to us as we spend more time being consumed by the news, is that we are less hopeful about the future. The more we read and watch armed conflicts, whether they be in Syria or Afghanistan, or the more we hear of another black youth or police officer killed here in the United States, the less likely we are able to connect with the vision that Isaiah was casting, that of a world where they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Sadly a vision that cannot be imagined is a vision that will never come into being. My fear is that we are a generation that is losing its imagination. For instance, when I was an early teen, the Vietnam was came to an end. Our country went for almost the next 15 years without involvement in war. By the time I was 30 years old, I had lived half of my life in peace time. Compare that time to my oldest son who was born in 1990. He is now 26 with no memory of a time when we have not been at war. His whole generation has not experienced a time of peace. We now have a generation for the first time in memory that cannot imagine what peace can be like for they have no experience of it. What cannot be imagined is not likely to become a reality. Isaiah’s prophetic words call us to reclaim our imagination. The prophet’s words are so graceful, so haunting, so expressive of our deepest yearnings that they have been etched into a wall called the “Isaiah Wall.” This wall stands in the park opposite the United Nations. It serves as a public reminder to the leaders of the nations of this world of the vision of the “Beloved Community,” a community where peace reigns and where there is justice for all people. There are many in this world that have lost the ability to imagine such a world that Isaiah envisions. In a reflection on peace and justice, Mary Hinkle Shore suggests, "even skeptics have to admit that justice, safety, and widespread prosperity have a better chance of resulting in peace than injustice, danger, and disparity of wealth" (New Proclamation Year A 2007-2008). So as we enter this season of Advent, a season that gives us four weeks to prepare to receive God’s gift to us, a gift that changed the world, a gift that lived Isaiah’s vision into being. It is a gift that challenges us to take the vision of a peace and justice filled world and to live it into being. So let us prepare by setting aside those things that distract us from participating in that great arc as it moves toward justice. Let us become like the 100 year old woman who on the occasion of her birthday, when she was being interviewed by a reporter and asked, Do you have children?” She responded, “Not yet!” Or let us be like a little farm girl on her 12th birthday, who got up before dawn and ran out to the barn. She had asked her parents for a pony and was hoping that it would be there. She flung open the barn door, but in the dim light, could see no pony, only mounds of horse manure. Being an optimist she declared, “With all of this manure around, there must be a pony in there somewhere.” Young or old, let us use this time that is given to us to and let us “walk in the light” of which Isaiah speaks. Do not allow the distractions of this world, whether they be the constant news alerts pinging on our phones, or facebook posts, or cute cat videos, cause us to lose our way. Let us keep our eye on that vision that Isaiah cast and for which Jesus lived and died. Let us find ways, whether as individuals or as a community of faith to continue to bend the arc toward justice and toward peace. Let us make that commitment as we enter this season of Advent, a season whose purpose is for us to prepare our lives for Christ to find a home. The arc awaits our bending… 1Peter W. Marty, “Consumed by the News,” The Christian Century, November 23, 2016, p. 3.

Mary Hinkle Shore talks about the elements of preparation and textual engagement that go into a well-thought out and genuine sermon. "When I listen to a sermon, I want to know that the preacher has 'shown up for work' earlier in the week." read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and Mary Hinkle Shore. Article written by Mary Hinkle Shore. Jesus was a small-town peasant in a Roman province far from the centers of political and religious power. People in such circumstances rarely threatened Rome in any serious way. A miracle-working read more...

Mary Hinkle Shore talks about what it means for a preacher to "show up for work." read more...

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Kathryn Schifferdecker and Mary Hinkle Shore. Article written by Mary Hinkle Shore. The New Testament includes four gospels. When two of them introduce Jesus, he is already an adult. The Gospels of Mark and John include no information about the birth of Jesus or read more...

Mary Hinkle Shore on investigating the "speed bumps" in the text. read more...

Mary talks about the good anxiety that comes with preaching read more...

Mary Hinkle Shore on "hanging out with the text until something happens" read more...

Mary Hinkle Shore discusses the challenges and risks in bringing forward the text in our sermons. read more...

wonders how "one more hour" would change our preaching Would you like to share this video with friends? You can find, share, send, and embed it from our http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-joIH4Q89hc [YouTube Channel]. read more...

on the time we need and adding an hour to our sermon preparation Would you like to share this video with friends? You can find, share, send, and embed it from our http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYm_7H1sGHY [YouTube Channel]. read more...