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6th Sunday after Pentecost

The Good News Written

A meditation from the light of Frances W. Foulks

“O Thou Christ of God within me, shine forth thy light continually on my path, that I may not turn aside. Be thou my guide every moment of every day… Give me courage! Give me strength! Give me faith! Give me love and patience and tolerance! I would follow all the way. I would cling to thy glorious presence until I too become glorified and a shining light in [the] world. So let it be for me… and for whosoever else may seek [the] inheritance of the All-Good.”

Luke 10.1-3, 8-9 (NRSV)

¹After this [Jesus] appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. ²He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into [the] harvest. ³Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. ⁸Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The [commonwealth] of God has come near to you.’”

The Good News Proclaimed

Preached by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins at the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, July 4, 2010.

The narrative of the founding of this nation, that is, the United States of America has a few wrinkles to the 21^st century mind.

We can’t help but recall that there were already native inhabitants of North America before European colonizing powers seized their lands and exploited their resources.

And while we celebrate the colonies boldly seceding from the British Empire, we can’t help but ask ourselves, “What would happen if Florida decided to declare its independence from the United States today?” I’m guessing the US Government would respond in much the same way King George III’s government did, but much more swiftly and with much deadlier force. I am certain Floridian independence would be short-lived. Continue reading »