(A sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost A 2017, August 13, 2017, based on Matthew 14:22-33 and 1 Kings 19:9-18) This week hatred and its hideous cousin, fear, reared their ugly heads once again. They showed up with all their usual terrifying baggage: tweets and taunts and threats, as they strutted across … More Love Casts Out Fear and Conquers Hate
(Sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter A, 30 April 2017, based on Luke 24:13-35.) Luke the Evangelist tells us that the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus is a distance of seven miles, but you and I know better…. We know better, because even though most of us have never been to Jerusalem, at one … More Companion, Stranger, Sacrament: Christ is With Us!
(In lieu of a sermon, this pastor’s perspective on the process of writing a sermon, with a bit of commentary on John 20:19-31, the gospel lesson for the Second Sunday of Easter, near the end–couldn’t help myself!) When I was serving at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Vancouver a few years ago, members of the congregation … More How Does a Sermon Come Into Being?
(Sermon for the Resurrection of Our Lord, 16 April 2017, based on Matthew 28:1-10. Apologies for the lateness in posting!–MM) Christ is risen! [“He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!…] This is no harmless message we proclaim because in this often-heartless world we live in “harmless” just won’t cut it!… “Harmless” won’t cut through the…hard-heartedness of modern … More Christ is Alive!
Remember. Receive. Respond. These are the three lessons I took home with me from the interfaith Seder I attended at our local Jewish community center last Thursday….. But before I continue, I just have to say: As gifts from God, these lessons are by no means confined to ritual seders and sacraments; they can—and do–show … More Seders, Sacraments, and the Stuff of Life
Jesus didn’t see “a blind man.” Jesus saw “a man.” “Blind from birth.” Do you hear the difference?… But wait—there’s more! You know how things tend to get lost in translation? Well, in the original Greek of the New Testament it says Jesus saw an “anthropos,” a fellow human being, as in the word … More Learning to See Our Own Blindness
When we meet up with Jesus in today’s gospel lesson, he’s been walking all morning. So, by the time he finally sits down near Jacob’s well, he’s really tired and thirsty. (I think we all know what that feels like! Amen?!…) To be in need of rest and refreshment after a long journey … More Jesus Was a Rule Breaker
(Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent A, March 12, 2017, based on John 3:1-17) “The time is surely coming when we must all become mystics, or we will all become atheists….” These thought-provoking words were posted on Facebook several days ago by a retired pastor-friend. In response, I typed, “Amen!,” and I’ve … More We Must All Become Mystics
(Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent A, March 5, 2017, based on Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11) Some things never change. Adam and Eve had it all: Every day they walked and talked with God in a beautiful, bountiful Paradise. What more could any human being possibly want?!… Ummm…well, according to today’s lesson from … More Some Things Never Change!
(Sermon for Ash Wednesday A, March 1, 2017, based Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21) Some of you know I had a birthday last week, and I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more I see birthdays as kind of a “mixed blessing.” On the one hand, it’s always nice to be the center … More Birthdays, Baptism, and Our Heart’s True Treasure
Rose City Ramblin' 