Claimed, gathered and sent

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 ...

This is the message I shared on Sunday, 2/28 at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran churches. The gospel text is Luke 13:1-9. When tragedy strikes, we often find ourselves puzzled. Sometimes the most innocent, wonderful people are struck by catastrophe. We wonder where God was when we hear the details of horrendous acts perpetrated by people. In the Denver theater tragedy just over a year ago, why were some killed and not others? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? When we experience pain, illness or adversity, it's tempting to ask what we have done wrong and to wonder why God is punishing us. The expression “What goes around comes around,” is one that we hear both when tragedy strikes and when good and wonderful things happen to people. It may sound right to us, but is it? What does Jesus have to say about disaster in his day? Some people brought up the disaster of the Galilean Jewish pilgrims who were slaugh...

This is the message I shared at the Midweek Lenten Service at First Lutheran in Jamestown. The text is Isaiah 50:4-5.  I am going to start out today by referencing two songs—one Christian   and one secular. We probably all know the Christian song, written by Rich Mullins, "Our God Is an Awesome God", don't we? Not only is God awesome, but God is wise and has a sense of humor. Did you ever wonder why God created us to look and function, the way we are as human beings? In their recording of the song, "One", the rock group Three Dog Night, said that "One is the loneliest number.”  But God said in creating the human body, two is a popular number. We have two of a lot of things... two eyes, two ears, two arms, two hands, two legs, two feet,(and sometimes some of us have two left feet....). I could go on, but you get the idea. And then, God in His infinite wisdom gave us only one of certain things... one head, one nose, one mouth. Did you ...

This is the sermon I preached at St. Mark Lutheran Church . The text was Luke 18:31-35. At St. Timothy, we had a wonderful cantata entitled "Once Upon a Tree."  The music is beautiful and the theology is rich.  We often think of the Pharisees in negative terms. They are mostly portrayed as enemies of Jesus and his mission. However, that was not true of all Pharisees.   In Luke's gospel, there are many Pharisees that seem open to Jesus (7:36; 11:37; 14:1). It was some Pharisees that brought the warning to Jesus that Herod wanted to kill him. How does Jesus react? He does not seem bothered at all. Now, don't take Jesus as being naive. Jesus was simply working from a different timetable--God's. I love the way Jesus talks about his plans and how this news regarding Herod is going to change them. He acts like he didn't even hear what the Pharisees had told him. Jesus would be following God's mission for him, in God's time...

These were the thoughts that came to me as I pondered Luke 13:31-35. Jesus does not seem bothered by the news that Herod is after him. Don't take Jesus as naive. He is simply working from a different timetable--God's. I love the way Jesus talks about what he's doing the next few days--like he didn't even hear what the Pharisees told him. He had a plan and that's what he was following until the third day. Jesus did not give into fear that Herod was plotting Jesus' death. Following that exchange, Jesus goes into a lament for Jerusalem and how they have missed the opportunity to let God protect them and hold them. Sundays and Seasons explains the imagery in this way: "Jesus’ desire to gather God’s people together in safety, love, and protection is reflected in the feminine image of a hen gathering her chicks under her wing. This motherly, passionate desire—rather than the resistance we or others may show toward it—lies at the heart of the gospel message i...

How did you spend Feb. 14th, Valentine's Day? Our morning was spent in worship with God's people at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran Churches. The scripture text was Romans 10:8b-13. In the reading from Romans, God is the ultimate enamored lover--who draws us to himself with grace before we were ever aware of Him. God not only lavishes his love and grace upon us, but God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves--that is making us right with God. Jesus restores our broken relationships with God the Father. The revelation of God’s great love was made clear to Martin Luther in the Book of Romans. It’s words opened Luther’s eyes to God’s wondrous grace. Concerning Romans, Luther wrote: This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian's while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. It is impossible to read or ...