Category: Sermons
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Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 11, 2025 “”Therefore, we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised, so we also might walk in newness of life.” These words are inscribed on the floor along the perimeter of the square beneath the baptismal font. The baptistery is what we first encounter when we…
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The Third Sunday in Lent
We still get the paper edition of the Seattle Times every morning. The other day I was going through my morning ritual and when it came time to start reading the newspaper, I was taken aback. I’m not always taken aback. Like most of us, I’ve become accustomed and maybe even numb to bad news,…
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The Second Sunday of Lent
One spiritual practice I recommend during this season of Lent and pretty much anytime is the practice of lament. Prayers of lament go back to ancient times. Many of the psalms are psalms of lament. To lament is to complain. We lament as we grieve, lamenting the death of a loved one. We lament over…
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The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany
Do you like happy endings? Not every story has one, but when they do, I sure enjoy them in a story I read or a film I watch. I’m a sucker for a happy ending, and the best happy endings are those that happen in real life. We learned of a happy ending in today’s…
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The Baptism of our Lord
When Jesus stepped into the waters of the Jordan River he stood beside a large mass of people who went to the river to be baptized by John. Jesus was going to receive the same baptism as everyone else. John the baptizer warned the people that the coming messiah would essentially “clean house” so they…
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The Second Sunday of Christmas
Dear Friends in Christ, Christmas is winding down. Tomorrow is Epiphany and it is the culmination of the twelve days of Christmas. The Gospel for Epiphany is the story of the Magi travelling from the East who followed a star to find the place of Jesus’ birth. Once they arrived, they offered their gifts of…
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Christmas Day
Some years ago, a friend invited me to join him and a few other mutual friends, on a trip to the Holy Land. We were part of a tour group visiting notable sites – old Jerusalem, the Western Wall, Nazareth, the Dead Sea, Temple Mount, Church of the Sepulcher and much more. Our first stop…
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The Second Sunday of Advent
St. Luke is a masterful storyteller. One feature of the way Luke presents the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is attention to detail. Luke locates the story of Jesus in real time. In the Gospel of Luke, “once upon a time” gets very specific. The appearance of John the Baptist preparing the way…
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Christ the King Sunday
Growing up in the church, the image of Christ the King was one that was familiar and over time was lodged in my head and imprinted on my heart. Why? Well, the name of the congregation where our family were members is Christ the King. Christ the King Lutheran Church. At the pinnacle of the…
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Funeral for Andrew King
Larraine, Elizabeth, David, Dean, sisters and brothers in Christ at First Lutheran, and dear friends: Grace to you and peace from God who is among us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. How do we live with wisdom? We pray that we may do so. In Psalm 90 we pray, “Lord, teach us to…