Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the sermon I shared with God's people at St. Timothy Lutheran Church and St. Mark Lutheran Church on Sunday, 3/6. The text was Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 . The setting of today’s gospel consists of three statements: Jesus attracts tax collectors and sinners (v. 1). The Pharisees and scribes criticize his receiving and eating with such people (v. 2) and so Jesus responds with a parable. The issue at hand is table fellowship, breaking bread together and that being the sign and seal of full acceptance. How scandalous! Let’s think about this in our context. It’s one thing to go someplace, like a soup kitchen, to help needy people, spend some time with them, but would we bring them home with us? Many of those living on the edge struggle with mental illness, addiction issues, hygiene issues and who knows what all else. Could we ever see ourselves opening up to the troubled, when the image of God is so marred in their lives that it is barely recognizable? The story of ...

This is the message I shared on Sunday, 2/28 at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran churches. The gospel text is Luke 13:1-9. When tragedy strikes, we often find ourselves puzzled. Sometimes the most innocent, wonderful people are struck by catastrophe. We wonder where God was when we hear the details of horrendous acts perpetrated by people. In the Denver theater tragedy just over a year ago, why were some killed and not others? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? When we experience pain, illness or adversity, it's tempting to ask what we have done wrong and to wonder why God is punishing us. The expression “What goes around comes around,” is one that we hear both when tragedy strikes and when good and wonderful things happen to people. It may sound right to us, but is it? What does Jesus have to say about disaster in his day? Some people brought up the disaster of the Galilean Jewish pilgrims who were slaugh...