November 27, 2004
Homily
For our solo homiletic flight in seminary, we drew texts out of a hat. I got John 3.16, and it got me. Over twenty hours of commentaries and scribbling plus as many minutes of delivery before faculty and fellow students drew this comment from the Dean: “Nice homily perhaps for cathedral dons at evensong, but for heaven’s sake, don’t ever preach it on your Sunday layreader circuit in the diocese of Texas.”
Fifty years or so later this fall and back at that same seminary now writ larger and once removed I was invited again to preach to the faculty and students. The honor of standing where our founder John Hines and other giants and apprentice giants had stood was just short of overwhelming.
The day commemorated James of Jerusalem. The gospel text polished off the overwhelment. “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house” (Mt 13.57b).