Sermon Archive (Page 7)

23 Pentecost, Proper 28 – November 13, 2022 Luke 21:5-19          So, this morning we hear that “some were speaking about the temple”.  Now, the temple, in Jerusalem, was beautiful. It had recently been refurbished by Herod the Great. And apparently, the work had been done very well. The rebuilding project had taken eighty years to complete and included new foundation walls through which Herod had significantly enlarged the temple. It was huge. Sparing no expense, he had employed the…

All Saints Sunday – November 6, 2022 Luke 6:20-31          Today, in our church calendar, we celebrate All Saints Sunday.  All Saints is an occasion to celebrate and revisit the faithful people who have gone before us – it’s not just about those who have been canonically designated as saints.  It is more so about those people whose lives provide inspiration for us. Saints, who are not models of perfection, but real people who opened themselves to the ways that…

21 Pentecost, Proper 26 – October 30, 2022 Luke 19:1-10          Crowds follow Jesus nearly everywhere he goes, now. They parade behind him and in front of him, crushing in close or watching from a safe distance. They are curious and want to hear, touch, or maybe just see what happens when others interact with this man people say has come from God. Do you every wonder what essence does he emanate? What do they sense in him, what do…

20 Pentecost, Proper 25 – October 23, 2022 Luke 18:9-14               “You Might Be Wrong.”   So says a sign over a bar in a drinking establishment.  “You might be wrong”. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells us the story of two men who went to the temple to pray. One, a sleazy, good-for-nothing tax collector and collaborator with the Romans and swindler of his own people prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  He had nothing, claimed nothing and…

18 Pentecost, Proper 23 – October 9, 2022 Luke 17:11-19 This morning we hear that Jesus is “on the way to Jerusalem”. It’s a phrase that Luke repeats often. In other words, we are on the way to the cross. We’re on the way to Jerusalem. And on the way, Jesus is said to be out in the region between Jerusalem and Galilee….so he is out on the border, out in ‘no man’s land’, the shadows.  And there he runs…

17 Pentecost, Proper 22 -October 2, 2022 Luke 17:5-10          This morning we hear the disciples say to Jesus, “Increase our faith!”. And then, how about Jesus’ response that request? I’m not sure I even like Jesus in this passage.  He sounds irritated, and He seems to promise the impossible — a mulberry tree uprooted and planted in the sea?  And then he expects his disciples to regard themselves as slaves.  What is happening in this passage? Despite more than 2000 years separating their…

16 Pentecost, Proper 21 – September 25, 2022 Luke 16:19-31          My friend Barbara says that “each of us has things we tell ourselves to protect us from the pain of those around us. For example: we’ll say things like, well, if only he had not dropped out of high school. If only she had not had so many babies. If he would just learn more English. If she would only stop drinking. It’s human nature to find some reason…

13 Pentecost, Proper 18 – September 4, 2022 Luke 14:25-33      I don’t know about you, but I see today’s reading as quite challenging. Hating father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and even life itself.  What’s that about? Here is another case in which context is important.  The phrase “to hate” is a Semitic expression which means “to turn away from, to detach oneself from.”  So, it shouldn’t be taken literally here.  It does not intend to…

12 Pentecost, Proper 17 – August 28, 2022 Luke 14:1, 7-14          This morning we are ushered into a room where a dinner party is in progress. At the head of the table is the host, a Pharisee, a leader of the local community. The leaders were watching Jesus closely. But, as the guests arrive Jesus notices how they are jockeying for the seats of honor next to the host. If we’re honest with ourselves, this sort of things still…

10 Pentecost, Proper 15 – August 14, 2022 Luke 12:49-56          Oh my!  Our gospel passage for this morning is unsettling to say the least. Jesus coming to bring fire to the earth, division, calling us hypocrites.  Where is the good news for us in this message? This is certainly one of those readings where context is important – in other words, remembering what the world was like when Jesus walked the earth. Back then, following Jesus meant division and…

9 Pentecost, Proper 14 – August 7, 2022 Luke 12:32-40          This week’s gospel reading is full of shifting identities. For example, it seems to describe a thief as both a threat (verse 33) at the beginning of our passage and then as creation’s salvation at the end (verses 39-40). How do we account for metaphors that keep shapeshifting from verse to verse—particularly in relation to the Divine? We might call this week’s reading: Shepherd, Master, Servant, Thief.            Is God’s arrival…

8 Pentecost, Proper 13 – July 31, 2022 Luke 12:13-21          As is often the case the case with Jesus’ parables, there is more here than meets the eye.  At first read, we could look at this and say, why is the rich man a fool? Isn’t it wise and responsible to save for the future? The rich farmer would probably be a good financial advisor. He seems to have things figured out. He has worked hard and saved wisely.…