Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the sermon I preached last Sunday, 1/28/24 at S t. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text  was Mark 1:21-28.   In today’s gospel, we see the kingdom of God on the move. Where King Jesus is, there is the kingdom. Where we are, with Christ in our lives, is the kingdom.  One thing that stands out to me in this reading is, how can there be a man with an unclean spirit in the synagogue where Jesus is teaching? Isn’t that supposed to be a safe place where worshipers would not encounter evil? His shouting out to Jesus was so disruptive. Where are the ushers when you need them? We don’t have much experience in our daily lives with demons. However, if you talk with missionaries, they likely have knowledge in this area. For us, the best definition of a demon or unclean spirit is, “…anything that has power that is not of God” (Eric Fistler and Robb McCoy, pulpitfiction.com). It’s all about the source of power and authority.  One would think that a sanctuary would be a safe place to be. It w

  This is the sermon I'm preaching tomorrow at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. We have both a drive-in service and an inside the sanctuary, in-person service--whichever you're more comfortable with. Join us is you're in the area. The gospel is Matthew 21:23-32. I’d like you to join me as we listen in on an exchange between Jesus and the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Jesus was in the middle of teaching in the temple and the chief priests and elders of the people interrupted him saying, “Who do you think you are, Jesus? You’ve caused so much trouble lately.” Talking among themselves we hear, “Why didn’t he just stay put in Galilee?” while another chimes in, “He comes marching in here like he belongs here!” Then an elder says, “And the crowd! Not one bit of decorum among them! They kept crying out, ‘Hosanna!’” “And if that weren’t enough, did you hear about the incident with the money changers? Jesus confronted them, tipping over their tables and making a huge scen