The Choices We Make

Today's service at ECOOS was shorter than usual because of the need to have our annual parish meeting. Our sermon was based on the O.T. reading,
Sirach 15:15-20,

If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
He has placed before you fire and water;
stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
Before each person are life and death,
and whichever one chooses will be given.
For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power and sees everything;
his eyes are on those who fear him,
and he knows every human action.
He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,
and he has not given anyone permission to sin.

To Mary Cat's credit, she mentioned sin and our propensity towards it several times during the course of her sermonette. It seems like the shorter the sermon, the less likely the preacher is to stray from the scripture.

Curious that the Gospel reading for today was ignored (Matthew 5:21-37)
. Maybe not so curious as that is where Jesus teaches about adultery, divorce, name callin, and cussin.

It is easier to talk about generic sins than to dive into the nitty gritty. It also takes less time. Besides, who, on a pleasant spring like Sunday morning, would choose to stay and listen to what our Lord has to say about those things anyway?