Sermon 11.20.22 – A Different Kind of Reality
The Word this Sunday – 11.20.22
Christ the King Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43 The gospel reading for this Christ the King Sunday Festival feels like a second holy week before the Holidays. The King of Kings literally has no clothes. He is betrayed, shamed, accused, beaten, mocked, and about to be killed. Through the crucifixion, he receives the punishment of …
Sermon 11.13.22 – We Can Do Hard Things
The Word this Sunday – 11.13.22
23rd Sunday after Pentecost Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19 Unsettling may well describe the gospel reading for this coming Sunday. There will be no shelter provided by strong and tall buildings. They all can be burned down to the ground. Once that happens, watch! False prophets and teachers will come. They will be followed …
Sermon 11.06.22 – At The Same Time Blessings and Woes
The Word this Sunday – 11.6.22
All Saints Sunday Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31 This week I have been drawn to the verse that opens the gospel lesson (Luke 6:20). The biblical Greek idiom "ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς" - meaning to look closely and intently - is repeated only 4 times in the 4 gospels. The only other …
Sermon 10.30.22 – It Is All God’s Doing
The Word this Sunday – 10.30.22
Reformation Sunday Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 46; Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36 This Sunday, Christians of the Lutheran perspective celebrate the Protestant Reformation. In 1517, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, the Reformer, nailed 95 academic theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Saxony, Germany, for debate among fellow professors and students at the University of the same name, …
Bridging Faith 