Claimed, gathered and sent

Here are some thoughts I have on this Sunday's gospel. What do you think? This was sent to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church.    Gospel: John 3:1-17 1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses,...

This is the sermon I preached Sunday, 3/1/20 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The gospel was Matthew 4:1-11.  Do you remember the comedy of Flip Wilson? One of his frequent characters was Geraldine Jones. Her excuse for anything she shouldn’t have done was, “The devil made me do it.” The things the devil “made” Geraldine do were not inherently evil like buying a new dress. In today’s gospel, in Jesus’ encounter with Satan, the devil tempts him to do three different things, none of which are innately evil in and of themselves. As I said in my e-ministry reflection, this was a setup. Right on the heels of Jesus’ baptism, with the reassuring voice of his Father calling him the beloved Son. Then pow, God’s Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Why would the Spirit do this? There are three temptations: the temptation to attempt the miraculous, the temptation to spectacle and the temptation to political power. The three temptations stand for pride, power ...

Here are some thoughts on Sunday's gospel. Let's talk about it. Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11 1 Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.  3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”  4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”   5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,  6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”   8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all...

This is the sermon I preached on Sunday 2/23/20 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The gospel was Matthew 17:1-9. The season of Epiphany begins and ends with a heavenly voice in Jesus’ baptism and Transfiguration, making Jesus known to the world. After all, Epiphany means “to make known.” The Transfiguration marks the midpoint in a series of scenes that define who Jesus is. At both his baptism   and transfiguration, we hear the heavenly voice announcing that he is God’s Son. At his temptation, in Gethsemane and at his crucifixion, Jesus struggles with the humiliation, suffering and abandonment that he, as God’s Son, must endure. Finally, the resurrected Christ claims his identity, sending his disciples out to teach and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Judith Jones, workingpreacher.org). It’s easy to get caught up in the special effects in movies and other stories. Such things can either enhance or distract from the story line. There ar...

Here are some thoughts on this Sunday's gospel. What do you think? How does it strike you? Let's talk. Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9 1 Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.  2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.  3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.  4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”  6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.  7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”  8 And when they looked up, they saw no o...

This is the sermon I preached last Sunday, 2/16 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The gospel text was Matthew 5:21-37. The Ten Commandments don’t sound that hard, do they? Is Jesus doing away with the law? After all, that’s the Old Testament. It doesn’t really apply to us today…or does it? Jesus’ interpretation makes it sound like he’s making it a lot harder. Jesus doesn’t let any of us off the hook but levels the playing field. We all fall short and we’re all guilty. Jesus is not giving us a new, harder list of rules. Rather, he is talking about the intention of the commandments. Jesus is saying, “Yes, I am challenging interpretations of the law that are not consistent with its heart: whole-hearted love of God and neighbor." In today’s gospel, Jesus uses various examples to demonstrate that simply committing the act is not the root of the problem. The root is the intention behind the action. Another way to put this is that it’s not the letter of the law, but the spirit o...

What are your thoughts about this Sunday's gospel? This was sent to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. Gospel: Matthew 5:21-37   [Jesus said to the disciples:] 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown ...