The Rev. Noah Van Niel
The Chapel of the Cross
Sunday June 6th, 2021
Proper 5 (B Track 1): 1 Samuel 8:4-20, 11:14-15; Psalm 138; 2 Cor 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35
On certain occasions it is the task of the preacher to stand in the pulpit and provoke their listeners with words they know will be controversial, and then to weather the blowback in the hopes that they will have stirred some holy fire in the hearts of their hearers. Today may be one of those days. For the rhetorical lightning rod with which I stand before you is this: I do not understand why so many people love Bob Dylan. Now, I have nothing against the guy and begrudge him not his fame and fortune. But there seems to be a level of appreciation for his work that I just don’t understand. Rolling Stone has him as the number 1 greatest songwriter of all time; he was given the Nobel prize for literature; even at 80 he’s still selling out concerts. I have no doubt some of you will take time this week to set me straight.
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