Sermons from July 2023

9 Pentecost, Proper 12 – July 30, 2023 Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52          Given a choice most of us would probably prefer a “what you see is what you get” kind of life and world. We want to look at the world and know what is coming and what will be asked of us. We want to know that if we work hard and do the right thing we will get the result we expect and think we deserve. We don’t…

8 Pentecost, Proper 11 – July 23, 2023 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43          We live in a world where judgment and criticism are a way of life. A day never passes when we do not make a negative comment about something someone else has done. We criticize people for the way they dress, for the way they talk, and for the things they do. But in today’s gospel story, we hear Jesus tell a parable about wheat and weeds, good and…

6 Pentecost, Proper 9 – July 9, 2023 Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30          Jesus describes a generation that cannot recognize the truth that is right front of them. They thought that John the Baptist was a demon and considered Jesus to be “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Interestingly, they describe Jesus by the company he keeps.  Jesus, on the other hand, compares them to children. They are oblivious, like children who are preoccupied with…

5 Pentecost, Proper 8 – July 2, 2023 Matthew 10:40-42          When Jesus sent his disciples out into the world to share the good news of God’s kingdom, he sent them out as vulnerable outsiders.  They had no religious institutions to back their efforts.  No political tools to wield.  No cultural capital to spend.  They had no power at all, save the power of the Holy Spirit moving through them to heal and serve. Remember, Jesus told his first messengers…