Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, August 7 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The gospel text was Luke 12:32-40. Do you remember the game show, “Let’s Make a Deal?” On the show, guests choose between various doors concealing contents. In the beginning of our gospel are three doors we, the contestants, can pick from. Rather than numbers, they have words on them. Door One is, “Kingdom,” Door Two is “Sell,” and Door Three “Purses.” So, we find out a bit about what’s behind the doors, but not much.  Let’s check out Door One, “Kingdom.” The host opens the door and we see more. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Oh, Jesus gives the kingdom. It’s not something we have to work to get. Even with nothing in our hands, we can have the kingdom because the king has us. The whole kingdom. Yup. Children of the King live in the kingdom here and now and in the future. Door One’s pretty good then. Let’s check out the others. D...

This is the message I preached on Sunday, Oct. 22 at St.Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran Churches. The text is Matthew 22:15-22. I had to laugh when I first read today’s gospel reading. You see, this year we got sticker shock when we received our tax return back from the accountant. Previously we owed a little, but this year it was a LOT. On top of that, because we had to file for an extension while I was in the hospital and rehab, we found this out just about a week ago. Now the taxes spoken of in this lesson are nothing like any of our taxes. Instead it was a flat-rate personal tax on all men from age 14 and up and women from ages 12-65. It was levied at around at least a day’s annual wage. Later it was combined with a percentage tax on property as well ( The Oxford Companion ). The tax was a painful reminder that the land of the Jewish people was occupied by foreign powers who worshipped false gods. There was only one way to pay the tax; with Roman coins which served...

The gospel reading for this Sunday is Mark7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Here is the message I'll be sharing with the people of God at Bethel Lutheran Church,, Portville, NY where it is my privilege to serve as pastor.             Jesus has been busy in Mark’s gospel. He has already fed the 5,000, walked on water, and healed the sick. Jesus was like a rock star. The people would not leave him alone. The verse preceding today’s reading says, “ And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak …” (Mark 6:56).      Some of the scribes and Pharisees had come from Jerusalem to observe Jesus. He and his disciples were in Gennesaret, in the Galilee. That is over 97 miles away! It was no easy trip to get there in Jesus’ day. Why did the scribes and Pharisees go to Galilee? The crowds followed Jesus every...