Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, 6/16/24 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The scripture text is Mark 4:26-34 . Ray and I love mysteries-the kind with multiple layers of intrigue. My favorites are those stories that let me think I know the answer to who dun it. I really like the mysteries of the Canadian show, “Murdoch Mysteries.” As the story continues, you become more or less sure of the conclusion you have reached. The plot twists and turns until you reach the end of the story and…THAT’S the culprit? Didn't see that coming at all. Life in Christ has its share of mysteries. We think we know how God is leading us and then--BAM--God comes on the scene, and we are blown away by the way God has worked in the situation. We didn't see that coming.  Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. We may think of a parable as a story that illustrates a truth. It is different from a fable; a clever story meant to offer insight and instruction about life, like Aesop's Fables. Parable...

This is the sermon I preached last Sunday at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was Luke 15:1-10. There is no one definitive interpretation of any parable. Parables are like multi-faceted jewels. You hold it and look at it one way and think you understand. Then you turn it over, gaze at it from a different angle, and you still have a different perception of its beauty. One way to interpret this parable is: lost, found, party. Amen.   But today, I want to focus on the numerous times we find joy and rejoicing in this gospel passage.   First, I want to ask a question. Who all is rejoicing and experiencing joy in this passage? Let’s look at the reading. First, the shepherd rejoices when he finds the lost sheep and calls on his friends to rejoice with him. They’re gonna party!   Looking at the story of the lost coin. It doesn’t say, but we can assume the woman rejoiced when she found the lost coin. She, too, calls on her friends to rejoice with her because of the...

Yesterday I had the opportunity to preach at Bender's Lutheran Church . The scripture passage was Matthew 20:1-16 . It has been over a year since I've had the opportunity to be with these folks. Here is the sermon:             In this week’s gospel, Jesus is doing what he does best—turning everything upside down. Was there anything in the gospel that made you wonder—that puzzled you? I sure hope so. That is just what parables are supposed to do—catch us off guard—shock us—grab our attention.             In this reading, the surprises start right out of the gate. I find it curious that the landowner is the one who goes out to look for workers for the field. He has a manager who works for him because he is the one who pays the workers at the end of the day. Why didn’t he have his manager do the hiring?             ...

The parable of the dishonest manager Luke16:1-13 is a tough one. This is what I came up with. It was preached this morning at my internship site, Grace Lutheran Church, Petersburg, WV. This parable is one of the continuing series in Luke where Jesus seems to be messing with our minds. It has been likened to a watermelon coated in Crisco being used as a football. It can be played with, but you just can’t get a hold of it. Like that slippery watermelon, parables are meant to keep us on our toes. Let’s see if together we can see what God is saying to us through this passage. The parable of the dishonest steward or manager is familiar and puzzling to most of us. It makes us think. You heard me read the story. How many of you were puzzled? You’re not alone. You should have seen all the comments on Facebook as my classmates and pastors were preparing their sermonsAnd what do we do with phrases like, “ I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when i...