Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the message I shared on Sunday, 12/6 with St. Timothy Lutheran Church and St. Mark Lutheran Church. At St. Timothy, two young men had their first communion. They are referenced in the message. The gospel is Luke 3:1-6. Is it just me, or do you hear music in your head when you hear these words, "Prepare the way of the Lord?" For some of us, it's from Handel's Messiah. Others may think of Godspell or some other music. After hearing this list of names that are foreign, it's nice to land on a phrase that resonates with us. We know some of these names--like Pontius Pilate and Herod. It seems Luke floods us with a list of the high and mighty of that day. There are a couple of reasons for that. Luke is careful to place John in secular history as well as religious history. Luke supplies these names to set the time of Jesus' life and death in a historical framework. We know when John began his ministry and from that, when Jesus' ministry began. I

It's been a long time and it's time to get back to blogging. Whenever I read gospel accounts regarding Jesus' identity, I hear in my head the NCIS theme, "Who Are You?" This past Sunday, John the Baptist was the one doing the wondering. The gospel text is Matthew 11:2-11. This is the message I shared with God's people at Bethel Lutheran Church in Portville, NY. Have you ever struggled with doubt? Perhaps you have been in a situation which made everything that was formerly clear and certain, murky and uncertain. You pray and nothing happens. Where is God? You’ve done all the right things, but nothing has turned out the way it’s supposed to or the way you thought it was supposed to. I imagine that is how John the Baptist felt. A chunk of time has passed between the events of last week’s gospel and this week’s. John has been arrested. He has been in prison during Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. John may have been in prison as long as a year. If Jesus is

This was my first week as pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church. Last week was my ordination. In this picture, Bishop Marie Jerge is praying with and for me while everyone else sings a hymn of invocation of the Holy Spirit. This is something unique to the Upstate NY Synod and Bishop Jerge.  As I read the difficult gospel text assigned for this Sunday, I was reminded of the ordination and installation vows I had taken regarding my call to preach the Word faithfully to God's people in Portville. So, with that challenge and the encouragement of prayer, I have finished my sermon for tomorrow, on the beheading of John the Baptist. The text is Mark 6:14-29 and my sermon is below.             God you have to be kidding! Where is the good news in today’s gospel? You want me to preach about the beheading of John the Baptist?   Believe me, I tried to avoid it. After all, there are the other readings. I like the book of Ephesians—adoption, redemption, blessings—yes that’s the stuff I l

This is the message I shared this morning with the congregation of Grace Lutheran Church . The gospel text is Matthew 11:2-11.             As a child, do you remember how excited you were by Christmas? Do you remember wishing and hoping for that special present? At your house were the packages piling up under the tree over the days leading up to the holiday. Maybe your family had nothing under the tree when you went to bed Christmas Eve. But, when you got up on Christmas morning, there were all these glorious gifts. It’s so much fun to receive presents isn’t it?             How excited you may have been--tearing off the wrapping paper, wondering what is inside, hoping it was something you had asked for. You finally get to the gift and………………………………….it’s a pair of pajamas or socks or underwear. It isn’t the gadget you hoped for. It isn’t the music you wanted. It isn’t really ANYTHING YOU WANTED. And it wasn’t what you expected. You’re a little or maybe a lot disappointed.