Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the sermon I preached this past Sunday, 11/13 at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran Churches. The gospel text was Luke 21:5-19 . A while back, Ray and I watched the movie "The Agony and the Ecstasy." It is the story of Michelangelo and the conflicts and joys he experienced as he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. To begin with, Michelangelo felt ill equipped for the task for which Pope Julius had commissioned him. He was a sculptor, not a painter. Additionally, during his work on the chapel, Michelangelo experienced significant barriers to his artistic inspiration from society, his family, the Pope, and the Church leadership of the day. To produce the marvelous frescoes on the chapel's ceiling, he worked day and night for four years on top of scaffolding lying on his back! What a feat! In order to produce the wonderfully, amazing work of art, Michelangelo had to endure agony before experiencing the ecstasy of the finished work. Ho...

This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Churc h, on Sunday, Nov. 6. The scripture reading was Ephesians 1:11-23. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten is a book of short essays by American minister and author Robert Fulghum. Fulghum explains how the world would be improved if adults adhered to the same basic rules [learned by] children, [such as] sharing, being kind to one another, cleaning up after themselves, and living  "a balanced life" of work, play, and learning. (Wikipedia) Today’s second reading is telling us that all we need to know we learn in Christ. The fabulous, flowing language sweeps us away as we hear about all the wonderful things Paul asks God to do for the saints of Ephesus. This letter was meant to be circulated to other churches as well as the church at Ephesus. This message is meant for us today. The phrase "in Christ" begins this reading and runs throughout it. That relationship o...

Martin Luther was right on the money in this respect. Many thanks to David Lose for posting this. Good Government | ...In the Meantime

Journey with Jesus - Post-Election Day Walter Brueggemann hits the nail on the head.

  This is the sermon I preached on Reformation Sunday, 11/30 at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran Churches. The scripture text is Romans 3:19-28.   Doing seems to be an intrinsic part of who we are, especially as Americans. We are a nation of doers. In the church, we are a community of doers--it's part of our DNA. This sometimes carries over into to our faith life as well. There are even pious cliches that may sound good, but are dead wrong; such as "God helps those who help themselves."    In faith, we are not to be passive. We are to participate in our relationship with God, just as we would any other relationship. However, we cannot on our own, make ourselves right with God. That's what today's second reading is all about. These verses lifted the burden from Martin Luther's life and opened his spiritual eyes.   You see, at that time, Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk. He did everything he knew of to become a better...