Funny The Way It Is
(This sermon was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TN on Sunday, September 2, 2012, The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17B. The sermon derives from the RCL pericope of the day, specifically James 1:17-27 and Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 ) “Funny the way it is, if you think about it” sings Dave Matthews , "Somebody’s going hungry and someone else is eating out. Funny the way it is, not right or wrong Somebody’s heart is broken and it becomes your favorite song.” 1 Of course, by funny , Dave Matthews does not mean humorous . He means something more like fascinating , interesting , perplexing , or maybe even ironic . Funny the way it is, if you think about it. Like, for example, this past week’s tropical storm turned hurricane, Isaac. As you know initially there were concerns the storm would hit Tampa and interrupt the Republican National Convention. But then, interestingly, it missed. A Florida pastor, the Rev. Jesten Pete...