Claimed, gathered and sent

Here are some thoughts on the reading from Philippians from which I'll be preaching Sunday. This was shared with the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. Philippians 4:1-9 The Message   My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God. 2  I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want his children holding grudges. 3  And, oh, yes, [ my loyal companion], s ince you’re right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans—worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the Book of Life. 4-5  Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the M...

This is the reflection sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church on this Sunday's gospel for Michael and All Angels. What strikes you? Do people have angelic experiences today? Have you ever experienced one? Let's talk about this. Gospel: Luke 10:17-20 17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” The seventy were reporting to Jesus, “Lord, this and this and this happened and even ‘in your name…the demons submit to us!’” They were overwhelmed with the thrill of all that had taken place on their missionary trip. And Jesus said, “You ain't seen nothin' yet. B-b-b-baby, you ...

Here some thoughts about this Sunday's gospel that were shared with the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. I'd like to hear from you. What are some of your thoughts? Gospel: Luke 15:1-10 1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus.] 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”   3 So he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.   8 “Or what woman having ten silve...

This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran churches. The text was 1Thessalonians 5:16-24. Today is the third Sunday of Advent, also known as gaudete or rejoice Sunday. We are near the end of our advent pilgrimage and that much closer to the celebration of our Lord’s birth and so there is much to rejoice about. Today’s epistle   reading begins with the words, “Rejoice always” (v. 16). The more I looked at this reading, the more I noticed a whole lot of “dos” and “don’ts.” In fact, the chorus of the 1970 song, “Signs,” by the Five Man Electric Band came to mind:   “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?” The first four verses are filled with the “Do this, don’t do that[s].” It seems like Paul is laying down rules for the Thessalonians and for us, what we Lutherans would refer to as law. The verbs in this passage are all plural. Paul is not a...

This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, Oct. 15 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church and St. Mark Lutheran Church . The scripture text is Philippians 4:1-9 . “Celebrate God all day, every day…revel in him” (v. 4). Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice! How can an attitude like that make any sense in today’s world of violence, fires and storms that devastate people’s lives and property? Additionally, it seems like we are on the threshold of war. Does such an attitude seem callous or fanatical? What was Paul thinking as he wrote this to the Philippian church? For one thing, Paul had been through the school of hard knocks. He wrote this letter from prison and had experienced beatings and all kinds of problems for the faith. Remember that before becoming a follower of Jesus, Paul was a well-respected Jewish leader. He was zealous for his faith to the point of persecuting believers in Jesus. The Philippians themselves were experiencing persecution, so you c...