Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the devotion I shared with the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church .  John 21:4-14 ( The Message ) 4  When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him. 5  Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?” They answered, “No.” 6  He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.” They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in. 7-9  Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Master!” When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren’t far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it. 10-11  Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish yo...

This is the sermon I wrote for St. Timothy Lutheran Church for Easter Sunday, 4/12/20. The text was Acts 10:34-43 . Easter turns the world upside down. It defies our expectations. We see radical reversals—prophesied in scripture, revealed in Christ’s life and ministry, culminating in the good news we proclaim today. Christ has triumphed over death! We see the resurrection at work in Peter and ultimately in us. First, there’s a back story to today’s lesson from Acts. Peter just had a vision that abolished the Jewish food laws, which God interpreted for Peter. Then he understood that “What God has made clean, you cannot call unclean.” This is the basis of God’s impartiality. Cornelius had a vision to call for Peter. Peter goes and preaches to and among Gentiles. This sermon takes place at Gentile Cornelius’ house with his family and friends (Eric Fistler & Robb McCoy, pulpitfiction.com). Peter was sure, as were most Jewish people of his day, that God had an exclusiv...

Here are some thoughts about this Easter Sunday's first lesson. This was sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. First Reading: Acts 10:34-43 34 Peter began to speak to [the people]: “I truly understand that God shows no partialit y, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him . 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil , for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses , and who a...

This is the sermon I prepared for the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church for Sunday, 4/5/20. The text is Matthew 21:1-11 . I loved living in the Holy Land during Palm Sunday. There was a procession from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. All the churches of all languages along with visiting pilgrims participated in this. Throngs of people walked the way of Jesus into the city. This year we celebrate a Palm Sunday, unlike any we have ever experienced. Where are the palms? Where is the parade from the fellowship hall into the sanctuary? Can we celebrate the Palm Sunday procession without these elements? Open your hands and look at them. What do you see? You have palms on your hands. We may not have palm branches, but we certainly have our palms with us that can be lifted high in cries of praise and pleas for help, as well as being used to help those around us. Everything in this gospel story illuminates the identity of Jesus Christ. We see various aspects of Christ’s cha...

This is what was shared with the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church . What are your thoughts?  Processional Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11 1When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ...

This is the sermon for Sunday, 3/29/20, the Fifth Sunday in Lent. This was for the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The text was John 11:1-45 . “Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs...Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign” sang the Five Man Electrical Band. In John’s gospel, we don’t encounter parables, but there are plenty of signs. Jesus performed miracles, but they were not the big picture. They were signs, which do not point to themselves, but elsewhere, to Jesus. John’s gospel surprises us with frequent and personal expressions of Jesus’ self-disclosure. This week’s reading too is fraught with double meanings and further revelation of who Jesus is. The raising of Lazarus signals the beginning of the end of Jesus’ teaching and signs. It was the tipping point of Jesus’ relationship with the Jewish authorities and the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, putting into motion the events that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus’ enemies shifted ...

Here are some thoughts on this Sunday's gospel. What do you think? Let's talk about it. I shared this with the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church.   Gospel: John 11:1-15, 38-45 1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.  2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.  3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”  4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”  5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,  6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.   7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”  8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying...