Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the sermon I preached Sunday, Sept. 4 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The text is Luke 14:25-33.  The enthusiastic crowd following Jesus was unaware that he was going to Jerusalem to the cross. They decided on their own to follow him. Jesus emphasizes the importance of his words by t urning to address the hasty volunteers. He tells the crowd, “Think about what you’re doing and where I’m going and what that will take, then decide if you're willing to go with me all the way.” Woven throughout the fabric of today’s gospel are the words, “if you’re not willing…you can’t be my disciple.” The first not willing is refusal to let go of family ties. Jesus then goes one step further, telling the crowd to let go of, “ even one’s own self!” What did Jesus mean?   In Luke’s world, high cultural value was placed upon the family network. Jesus says disciples must disavow their primary allegiance to their family. Families would certainly disapprove of Jesus’ instructions. ...

This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, 8/28/22 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The gospel text was Luke 14:1, 7-14 .  Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem to the cross. Along the way, he has altercations with the religious leaders, hence, “they were watching him closely.” “They” were those religious leaders of the day who were waiting for Jesus to make a misstep.  Jesus was not simply invited to eat at the home of a friend. This was no simple meal. The Greek shows us that it was a lavish affair—hence the jockeying for position at the table. The closer you sat to the host, the greater your importance. There were no place cards. You just can’t take Jesus anywhere without there being a scene. As Jesus arrives at this lavish dinner party, Luke describes the scene as if we were seeing it through Jesus’ eyes. Can you imagine Jesus walking in and slowly taking in the setting—the extravagance, the opulence, the rich and famous, and a few poorer folks? There was likely plenty of...

This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Sunday, 8/21/22. The text was Luke 13:10-17 . It’s easy to identify what God is up to in today’s gospel, “God is reaching out to the bound-up to proclaim release from captivity…God is satisfying the needs of the afflicted…a precious daughter…of Abraham [is] set free” (sundaysandseasons.com). In this case of Jesus healing, the woman or her friends are not initiating the healing. It totally belongs to Jesus. He was in the middle of teaching and seeing her, stops what he’s doing.  Being of shorter stature than most, I can identify with the woman. We are not often seen. At the deli counter or pharmacy, I typically have to call out to get the attention of someone behind the counter.  The woman could not see Jesus—not all bent over with her eyes facing the floor. Jesus saw her. She did not have to look to him for healing, but was used to her situation, as painful as it was. But Jesus saw her. He not only saw her, but c...

This is the sermon I preached at S t. Timothy Lutheran Church on Sunday, August 14, 2022. The Gospel passage is Luke 12:49-56. Dear friends in Christ. Am I the only one here who struggles with the words of this text?  If Jesus seems unduly harsh in today’s gospel, admit it. This text is full of opposites: fire and water, peace and division and then finally a weather report. Don’t you feel pulled apart just hearing this lesson? Where is the Jesus of peace, the One who brings families together? This seems like angry Jesus here. There seems to be so much accusation in his words throughout the text. What are we to make of all this? I must admit, when I read this for the first, no second, even third time, it rubbed me the wrong way. Does anyone else feel that way? Let’s see if we can break this passage down a bit to hear what God might be saying to us today. In my studies this week, I found something helpful about the fire Jesus is talking about. At first, I think we all assume the fir...

  This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, August 7 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The gospel text was Luke 12:32-40. Do you remember the game show, “Let’s Make a Deal?” On the show, guests choose between various doors concealing contents. In the beginning of our gospel are three doors we, the contestants, can pick from. Rather than numbers, they have words on them. Door One is, “Kingdom,” Door Two is “Sell,” and Door Three “Purses.” So, we find out a bit about what’s behind the doors, but not much.  Let’s check out Door One, “Kingdom.” The host opens the door and we see more. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Oh, Jesus gives the kingdom. It’s not something we have to work to get. Even with nothing in our hands, we can have the kingdom because the king has us. The whole kingdom. Yup. Children of the King live in the kingdom here and now and in the future. Door One’s pretty good then. Let’s check out the others. D...