Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany 2025

I remember as a child watching the Wizard of Oz for the first time. Dorothy and her companions Scarecrow who wants a brain; Tin Man who wants a heart, and Cowardly Lion who wants courage, are on a quest to the Emerald City to see the great Wizard of Oz. Dorothy and her dog Toto just want to be back home in Kansas. I can still picture the fear and trembling the companions had as they finally stood in the presence of the flashes of fire and light, the billowing clouds of smoke, and the thunderous voice of the great Oz. And yet, this presence turned out to be a ruse, a mere projected image. That said, an encounter with the holiness of God is not a trick or hoax, as both the Prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Peter well know…