Feast of St. Francis - Wen Stephenson (10/4/20)

‘The Cry of the Earth, and the Cry of the Poor’

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11)

“Those words of Jesus in this morning’s Gospel reading are surely among the most comforting in the entire Bible. Lord knows, they hit me somewhere deep—because my burden this morning is a heavy one.

As your preacher this morning, I’m afraid I’m not here to offer comforting words. Rather, I’m here to tell the truth, as hard as it may be to hear. Because that’s what I owe each and every one of you. Because there is no such thing as any real comfort without facing the truth. I think the Gospel teaches us that.”