Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the sermon I preached on 1/14 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The text is John 1:43-51 . The other day I was in the grocery store. I noticed a couple wearing Bills regalia and decided to say to them, “Go Bills.” They smiled and responded in kind, “Go Bills.” Because they identified themselves as fans, we were able to identify each other and greet each other as fans. They displayed their identity and I saw it. I wonder how often we display our faith, not so much by t shirts and colors as by our actions. Others can then see Jesus in us. Sight is key in John’s gospel. In fact, the number of times it’s coupled with “come” is impressive. We hear “Come and see:”  A) When Jesus begins his ministry B) When the woman at the well returns to her hometown to invite others.  C) When they bring Jesus to Lazarus' tomb D) When they find Jesus on the cross E) When they come to the empty tomb. Today's gospel passage is found at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. We use the words “t

  This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, Jan. 7, Baptism of Our Lord at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The scripture text is Mark 1:4-11 . This last part of this morning’s gospel reading grabbed my attention. It stood out like the words were neon lights.They are action-packed and we are going to concentrate on the part which is Jesus’ baptism. Today we have the appearance of all three members of the trinity at this event—Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father’s voice.  In one sense, Jesus did not need to be baptized, since he had nothing to repent of. He was sinless, so why did he get baptized by John? In doing so, he more fully identified himself with sinful humanity. As the Nicene Creed says, Jesus “ became truly human.” In this passage, as Jesus starts coming out of the water, four things are happening simultaneously: as He comes out of the water, the heavens are ripped open, the Spirit descends and enters Jesus like a dove and lastly, the Voice—declaring Jesus as the beloved Son. Th

  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 migrant

  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 grateful

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