Sermon on Matthew 18: 21-35 preached at Community of Christ in Whitehouse, Ohio on September 17, 2023 Whoa. There’s nothing like Sunday morning threats. This parable did not end well for the main character (and we always think of ourselves as the main character, right?)! OK Jesus, honestly, how can the kingdom of heaven be… Continue reading No “cheap grace”
Loving Letting Go
Sermon on Matthew 16:21-28 preached at Community of Christ Lutheran Church on September 3, 2023 Peter loves Jesus. Peter’s got his flaws, sure, but he loves Jesus like a brother, like a father, like a mentor who shapes his entire world. Peter is ready to die for Jesus, he claims. No one can say that… Continue reading Loving Letting Go
In the Pause
Sermon preached at Community of Christ Lutheran Church on August 20, 2023, based on Matthew 15: 21-28. This is a story only a mother can love. At its center is a mother, a Canaanite (so, not a Jew, as Jesus is) but she shows a kind of desperation that translates across ethnic lines, economic lines,… Continue reading In the Pause
We’re in the Middle of the Story
Sermon based on Matthew 4:13-21 preached at Community of Christ in Whitehouse, OH on August 6, 2023. The disciples’ impulse in this story is 100 % relatable: “Jesus, we really feel you should send the people away to take care of themselves. We have nothing for them here.” It sounds like the tapes that replay… Continue reading We’re in the Middle of the Story
Carry It Together
Sermon based on Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 preached July 9, 2023 at Community of Christ in Whitehouse, OH Jesus invites, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” And just about all of us can raise our hands and say, “Me, he’s talking to me!”… Continue reading Carry It Together
Choosing What to Bring With Us
Sermon based on Genesis 21:8-21 at Community of Christ, Whitehouse, OH on June 25, 2023 In pre-marital counseling, one common exercise has each person naming some patterns of behavior they want to bring with them from their family of origin into the marriage, and some that they know they want to leave behind. We name… Continue reading Choosing What to Bring With Us
Blessed to be a Blessing
Preaching text: Genesis 12: 1-9 Preached at Community of Christ Lutheran Church on June 11, 2023 A clear word from God sounds awfully good right now. If God would just speak clearly and undoubtedly to the next pastor for Community of Christ, to the call committee, to the synod office, to the person who knows… Continue reading Blessed to be a Blessing
“I’m trying…” to speak your language
Based on Acts 2:1-21 for Pentecost The pouring out of the Holy Spirit sounds like chaos to me. Tongues of fire, wind blowing things everywhere, people speaking in languages that are new to them—that is a lot. When a story includes people of different mother tongues all in one place, we know that it means… Continue reading “I’m trying…” to speak your language
The Way is a Person
This sermon was delivered a bit differently than it is written. If you'd like to watch/hear that version, find the Facebook page of Community Christ Lutheran Church, Whitehouse, Ohio and look for the May 7, 2023 worship service. Confession: followers of Jesus do a lot of damage by pretending we are certain. Since Jesus says… Continue reading The Way is a Person
Vulnerable, about our collective heartbreak
Hope, in the past tense, is heartbreaking. You can almost see the slump of their shoulders, and feel the raspy catch in their throats when these folks admit to a stranger: “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” This is Easter too, that same triumphant, holy day… A-a-a-lleluia. But it doesn’t… Continue reading Vulnerable, about our collective heartbreak