Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Sunday, 6/23. The text was Mark 4:35-41 I always refer to the Galilee as a lake because that is exactly what it is, a lake. It is located in a depression about 700 feet below sea level, surrounded by hills. Although larger than Chautauqua, on a clear day you are able to see across it. And just like Mark writes, violent storms suddenly come up on the Galilee. Signs were posted around the lake warning of the winds. However, it was mistranslated, “Beware of western whips.” Evidently they were trying to warn the public of western winds or winds that come whipping in from the west.  We never did quite figure that out. This drama from Mark hinges on four questions, the final one combined with an exclamation.  The first question from the scared disciples is, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" If we paraphrase the disciples’ question, we get something like this, “Why aren’t you as anxious about dying as we are...

This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, 6/16/24 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The scripture text is Mark 4:26-34 . Ray and I love mysteries-the kind with multiple layers of intrigue. My favorites are those stories that let me think I know the answer to who dun it. I really like the mysteries of the Canadian show, “Murdoch Mysteries.” As the story continues, you become more or less sure of the conclusion you have reached. The plot twists and turns until you reach the end of the story and…THAT’S the culprit? Didn't see that coming at all. Life in Christ has its share of mysteries. We think we know how God is leading us and then--BAM--God comes on the scene, and we are blown away by the way God has worked in the situation. We didn't see that coming.  Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. We may think of a parable as a story that illustrates a truth. It is different from a fable; a clever story meant to offer insight and instruction about life, like Aesop's Fables. Parable...

  This is the sermon I preached on 6/9/24 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The gospel text was Mark 3:20-35. Have you ever felt like an outsider? You are with a group of people who may be friends, classmates or co-workers, or even family. You just don’t feel like you fit in. Furthermore, you’re different; on the outside. I have often felt like that. My nuclear family was more dysfunctional than my friends’. Both my parents were alcoholics. My home life was different from that of my peers. There were only a couple of close friendships that developed during my early years. I was longing for a family. I found family in Jesus and his church. Over the years, it is those relationships that supported me through the ups and downs of life. In Christ, I had found a family that loved and accepted me just as I am.  Jesus struggled as well with being an outsider. In today’s gospel, he experienced family opposition as well as religious opposition from the scribes. Finally, Jesus explains wh...

  This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, July 14 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was  Genesis 32:24-28. Picture

  This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Sunday, 6/2/24. The text was Mark 2:23-3:6.  Mark’s gospel is contentious. It is filled with stories of escalating controversy. Today’s gospel passage portrays a series of five controversies, each raising the level of conflict. We even have an angry Jesus here.  As commentator, Judith Hock Wray explains:   The earlier controversy stories call attention to table fellowship (2:13–17), fasting (2:18–20), [and]wine and wineskins (2:21–22)…First-century Christians listening to Mark’s account probably heard these stories within the context of their experiences of controversy about table fellowship, fasting, breaking bread and sharing wine in worship. ( Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 ) The first portion of the text is about when, [all this takes place], namely the Sabbath. The [text] …beginning [with chapter] 3…relocates the story to a [different] where, the Sy...

  This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, May 26, Holy Trinity Sunday at St. Timothy Lutheran Church.  The text was Romans 8:12-17 .  The Holy Trinity is something we will never fully understand in this life because it is a mystery. I love how the mystic, Hildegard of Bingen, who lived from 1099-1179, described the Trinity as “sound and life—wondrous splendor which is life in all things.”  How does that “sound and life” infuse us and the church? It all starts with the work of the Holy Spirit. That is how God’s people become so intimate with God. By the Spirit, the deeds of the body are put to death. Here, “death” points us beyond mere physical death. We will all die some day. However, Paul is talking about the life-destroying power of death that, in partnership with sin and the law, keeps life from being what God created it to be (Boring & Craddock). Paul contrasts two ways of life with two different results. Living according to the flesh ends in death, while li...