Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Christmas Eve. The text was Luke 2:1-20.  We gather to proclaim the coming of the light. In this familiar account of Jesus’ birth, the eveningsky is bright with the heavenly host singing, “Glory to God in the highest.” Amid our broken world,we proclaim that the prince of peace is born among us. (Sundaysandseasons.com). Keeping a distraught family together, struggling to get a job, and worrying about a loved one serving overseas are some of the things that we have to do after all the shopping, cleaning, cooking, and preparing. The short, simple, peaceful word that we are of infinite value and worth to God is perhaps just what we need to hear this morning. We long and hope that God will counter the challenges of our lives and our world. We look to One who claims us from marginal lives and engages us in this story of hope and promise. In Bethlehem, God reveals his power in weakness and the people who count include...

  This is the sermon I preached Sunday at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24. Today, the third Sunday of Advent, is Joy Sunday. Our celebration of our Lord’s birth is right around the corner, and there is much to rejoice about. Today’s epistle reading begins with the words, “Rejoice always” (v. 16). The verbs are all plural. Paul is not addressing individuals, but the community of faith. This is a church that has experienced much persecution, and yet Paul writes,  “Rejoice always” (v. 16). Really??? Rejoice is but the first of three quick, staccato-like commands to be done “always, without ceasing... [and] in all circumstances” (vv. 16–18). The command is to rejoice not only when things are good, but when they are bad as well. Paul says to pray always; that is the only way to be joyful in times of trial. This conversation grows out of a relationship with God and God’s people. To pray always is to cultivate “the habit of gratitude [so] that being...

This is the sermon I preached (yes, I'm finally over COVID and I'm back!) on Sunday, Dec. 10 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text is Mark 1:1-8.     It is impossible not to love Mark’s version of things. He cuts right to the chase. There is no birth story. His gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The rest of the gospel explains how he can make that claim.  The good news doesn't start with the gospel or anything else in the New Testament, because the story of salvation and God's loving interaction with humanity began in Genesis "in the beginning;" Immediately after Mark’s introductory verse, he goes back to the prophets of Israel and the promises God made through them. Mark cites Isaiah, but what we have here a mash-up of Isaiah, Malachi and the author of Exodus (Exodus 23:20; Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3). We hear “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness” (v. 3). “The wilderness is key to Israelite history. It was in the wilderness t...

  This is the sermon I wrote and Kristie Bloomquist preached for me at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, while I was home with COVID. Thank you Kristie! Good job! The text is Mark 13:24-37 .  Today is the first Sunday of Advent! We lit the first Advent candle, the one of hope. And what is the gospel about? It’s not about a cute little baby or a manger. It seems to be all about disasters and death. Likewise, it doesn’t seem to go together, does it? The thrust of this gospel reading is not a dystopian future as is portrayed in movies and elsewhere. Jesus is teaching his disciples, disciples throughout the ages, how to live and believe in the midst of tragedy—how to be alert for his coming. Jesus comes to us in many ways. That can be seen with the eyes of faith. In Advent, we look for the coming of Christ as the One who will return in majesty and power at the end of the ages. We also look for the incarnation of the Savior of the world. In the midst of all of that, there looms the cro...