The "B" Word | Leonard Sweet, LenTalk#100, Preach The Story, Lectionary Semiotics, 20 FEB 2022

About this sermon

In the 100th LenTalk, Dr. Sweet talks about the inevitableness of the "B" word happening in our lives. Our Lectionary passages for this week are: Genesis 45:3-11, 15 Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42 Luke 6:27-38 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 “Then all the disciples forsook him and fled” (Mt.26:56). All Jesus' disciples betrayed him, not just Judas, not just Peter. We all betray Jesus and find new ways to flee him. Yet Judas still ate. And we all still eat, still share the table with Jesus, even though we betray him and flee him. In one of T. S. Eliot’s most celebrated poems, “Murder in the Cathedral,” four knights are sent by the king to kill Thomas Beckett. They start to enter the cathedral, and the initial reaction of the priests is to bar the door. But the archbishop intervenes with these words: Unbar the door! Throw open the doors! I will not have the house of prayer, the church of Christ, The sanctuary, turned into a fortress. The Church shall protect her own, in her own way, not As oak and stone; stone and oak decay, Give no stay, but the Church shall endure. The church shall be open, even to our enemies. Open the door! New media enables people to be generous and kind. But it also enables betrayals and empowers bullies, heresy-hunters (aka ODMs or “Online Discernment Ministries”), jihadis, and spammers to stir up cauldrons of hatred which are boiling over worldwide and scalding all within spraying distance. When Jesus is not being lifted up, mean-spirited self-righteousness rears its ugly head and Christians can become a shabby, unsavory lot. We would love for you to hit the "subscribe" button for these vlogs. Don't forget to hit the Notification Bell so that you never miss our most recent video. Support Len’s Ministry through his 510-c-3 “SpiritVenture Ministries” (SVM) https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=WLM4V9GAJDRVL Become a SpiritVenture Ministries (SVM) Supporter at $9/month or a Tribe of Issachar Member at $49/month http://preachthestory.com/donate/ Follow Leonard Sweet on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leonard.sweet​ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lensweet​ (Sweet’s daily micro-blogs) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lensweet​ (Sweet’s daily blogs) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/preachthestory​ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/preachthestorycommunity (Specifically for preachers and others who love those who preach) Access sermons, conferences, and more Leonard Sweet activities: https://preachthestory.com/​ (hundreds of written sermons) https://www.facebook.com/thesalishseapress (Sweet’s newest publications) https://salishsea.press/​ https://the-salish.com​ (Orcas Island getaway cottages for board, staff and church advances (aka “retreats”) #betrayal #leonardsweet #Miranda #MirandizedMinistry