Category: Sermons
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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…
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Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost
What should I do to inherit life? What should I do? The rich man wants to know what he should do to live a godly life. Jesus speaks to him directly. “You lack one thing – go sell all that you have and give your money to the poor.” Before he can do a new…
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St. Michael & All Angels
Today we celebrate Michael, to my knowledge the only non-human named saint. More than Michael, this day has become a day to honor all angels. Who or what are these angels? The word angel in Hebrew and Greek means “Messenger.” In scripture, angels are messengers of God. They bring messages from God. An angel of…
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The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
This past winter I read a wonderful book called How to Know a Person by the New York Times columnist David Brooks. In his book, David Brooks contends that one of the essential elements in getting to know another person is to listen and to listen well. He calls it “loud listening.” Brooks contends that…