Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Sunday 3/31/19. Sorry for the late posting. Had trouble with Blogger.  In this chapter of Luke, Jesus answers the Pharisees’ complaint about how he welcomes sinners and even eats with them. This could mean that Jesus was host to them as guests. It was an issue of table fellowship—breaking bread together being the sign and seal of full acceptance. How scandalous! Jesus uses three parables illustrating something lost and then found: the lost sheep, the lost coin and today’s parable, the lost son. Jesus begins the parable with these words, “There was a man who had two sons,” (v. 11b). The role of the father is primary. In the parable, the focus is on his relationship with his sons. The father is featured in both the return of the younger son and in the reaction of the older son. The brothers are referred to as “sons “of their father, but not as “brothers.” This focuses on their relationship to their fat...

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 ...