Sermons from October 2011

By The Rev. Sherry Deets October 30, 2011 Matthew 23:1-12 Do as they say, not as they do. Jesus is calling the scribes and the Pharisees hypocrites. And we think to ourselves, yes, go get ‘em Jesus! But, there is movement in this story of Jesus’. The focus shifts from the scribes and the Pharisees – to Jesus’ first disciples – to the Christians of Matthew’s day – to us. Yes, us. As long as Jesus is talking about the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets October 23, 2011 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 Jesus but to the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets October 16, 2011 Matthew 22: 15-22 What we are witnessing in this confrontation between Jesus and some Pharisees is precisely that: a confrontation. The “Pharisees” represented here do not represent all of the Pharisees. There were some who saw Jesus as a worthy debating partner, perhaps even as a friend. The Pharisees we see in this passage, though, despite their flattering descriptions of his integrity, are not remotely interested in honest debate. These represent the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets October 2, 2011 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 you to build me a…