Lectionary Readings: Year A – Proper 22 Today’s Gospel gets presented to us as a parable, but it’s actually what we would call an allegory. What’s the difference, you ask? A parable is a short story focused on human experience in order to teach a moral or spiritual lesson. An allegory is a story where…
There once was a ruler of a nation who erected a large golden statue of himself. At the unveiling and dedication of this statue, important political figures in the nation, the governors, the spiritual and political advisers, the judges and magistrates, and many others, came to show their support of this marvelous statue. These people…
As many of you know, this past week I was at a conference for clergy. The name of the conference is CREDO, which is Latin for “I believe.” It’s the root of the word “creed,” as in the Apostle’s Creed, or the Nicene Creed. The conference is intended to help clergy get the various aspects…
Which leads us to this particular evening, when Herod was entertaining guests and dignitaries, both from the leadership of Galilee, and from the Roman Empire. His step-daughter, which we know from Josephus to be named Salome, dances for him and the guests. And this is where the story goes off the rails a bit. We are told that Herod was so pleased with Salome’s dancing that he offered her half his kingdom as a reward.
And the result of this was the death of John the Baptist.
Drama! Intrigue! It’s a story that leaves us full of questions.