Sermon Archive (Page 21)

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 1 Advent – November 30, 2014 Mark 13:24-37 “Keep awake!” “Stay alert” Keep awake. We hear this every year in Advent – this church season before Christmas in which we anticipate, we wait and prepare for the coming of Christ. We wait. Consider the different ways in which we wait. Is there a difference between waiting for Christmas and waiting for Christ? Obviously, we know when Christmas will arrive and mostly what it will be…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 20 Pentecost, Proper 25 – October 26, 2014 Matthew 22:34-46 So, we hear in today’s gospel reading that a lawyer asked a question to test Jesus. He asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” And there is nothing new in Jesus’ answer. It is not something original. In Jewish writings long before Jesus’ time, these two commandments summarized the whole of the law. In fact, Luke’s Gospel attributes this summary not to…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 17 Pentecost, Proper 22 – October 5, 2014 Matthew 21:33-46 He was, by all accounts, a successful man. This builder of fine homes in an upscale American suburb was known to all as a creative craftsman, a shrewd businessman, a fair-minded employer, and a generous benefactor. But he was aging now, and before he set out for Florida for the winter, he approached his top superintendent and told him that he was retiring. “I want…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 16 Pentecost, Proper 21 – September 28, 2014 Matthew 21:23-32 On the surface today’s gospel may seem pretty straightforward. Which son did the will of the father? Actually, neither did – the first son blatantly disobeyed his father, and right to his face. The second son sucked up to his father – he even called him “sir” – but he failed to follow through. Which one did the father’s will? Neither one. David Lose, now…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 14 Pentecost, Proper 19 – September 14, 2014 Matthew 18:21-35 You may have heard the story of the woman who spent the first day after her divorce sadly packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.(1) On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things. On the third day, she sat down on the floor in the dining room by candlelight, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 13 Pentecost, Proper 18 – September 7, 2014 Matthew 18:15-20 Community and connections. Today’s gospel reading from Matthew has everything to do with community and connections. And community and connections are all about truth-telling and reconciliation. Community and connections demand both accountability and autonomy, both responsibility and individuality, both answerability and self-identity. We, as human beings, make mistakes. We mess up. We wind up hurting others. Who hasn’t been hurt or wound up hurting someone…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 12 Pentecost, Proper 17 – August 31, 2014 Matthew 16:21-28 So, this is a tough passage from Matthew for many of us – at least I think so. And the really tough piece of it for me is “take us your cross and follow me”. It’s tough because, what does that really mean, to ‘take up your cross’? How does Jesus’ cross have anything to do with life today? Sure, there are necklaces, rings, pendants,…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 11 Pentecost, Proper 16 – August 24, 2014 Matthew 16:13-20 “But who do you say that I am?” This question is posed to Jesus’ disciples, but it is a powerful question for us today. Who do you say that Jesus is? Gathered in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus wonders aloud what the crowds are saying about him but more importantly what the disciples think. It’s another way of saying, “Why are you following me? Why have you…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 9 Pentecost, Proper 14 – August 10, 2014 Matthew 14:22-33 and Genesis 37:1-4,12-28 My friend Karoline took a trip to the Holy Land and she stayed at a kibbutz on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. They could see Tiberius from the shore. From that location she traveled to various places where Jesus “could have” fed the 5,000, the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes; where Jesus “possibly” preached the Sermon…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 8 Pentecost, Proper 13 – August 3, 2014 Matthew 14:13-21 and Genesis 32:22-31 So, our gospel story today is the feeding of the 5000 – one of Jesus’ miracles. Today I want us to look deeper into just what this miracle represents. Notice, before going further into the story, the context of this scene. It begins with the transitional line, “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 7 Pentecost – July 27, 2014 Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 This week’s passage presents us with a series of parables that evoke distinct elements of God’s kingdom. The first two parables are about the surprising presence, even invasiveness, of God’s reality and reign, while the second set leans more in the direction of the extreme surprise and delight we experience when we discover, even stumble upon, the peace and joy of the kingdom. The promise of the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 5 Pentecost, Proper 10 – July 13, 2014 Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 “Let anyone with ears listen”. The verb “to listen” is in present tense. To hear God’s Word is not a one-time occurrence but an ongoing characteristic of discipleship. Listening is essential to discipleship. The story line in our gospel today is simple enough. A sower goes out to sow, and casts seed so that it lands in four kinds of places, with four different results.…