Sermons from 2023 (Page 3)

2 Pentecost, Proper 5 – June 11, 2023 Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26          Cheat. Collaborator. Greedy. Shameful. That’s how people saw Matthew as he took in money dishonestly, unjustly, there in his little booth. Tax collection appeared on the lists of despised occupations that no practicing Jew should follow. People like Matthew were regarded as lost souls. But one day grace knocked on the door. Grace in the form of a person, Jesus. Jesus doesn’t ignore or condemn him, or otherwise…

Pentecost – May 28, 2023 John 20:19-23          Consider creation. Genesis tells us that God made humanity from two ingredients.  One is dust, mud, dirt, the stuff we find outside under our feet. God shapes us from this earthy clay like a kid making a mud pie. But, the Creator does not stop there. God breathes into this shape made from mud, God’s own breath, and the human becomes alive, a creature of matter and spirit. It’s God’s own breath that makes…

6 Easter – May 14, 2023 John 14:15-21          The word “in” is a tiny word.  It seems as if it should not matter all that much.  But today we hear Jesus promising to be “in” the people who keep his commandments and promising that the disciples will be “in” him too.  So, is Jesus actually “in” us?  And how would we know? The key may be that Advocate, that Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, who Jesus has promised will…

5 Easter – May 7, 2023 John 14:1-14          Our gospel reading this morning is one that is often read at funerals, and for good reason. It is comforting in the face of the death of a loved one. But this piece of scripture is not only about life after death, it is a text that has everything to do with our lives here and now. The setting is Jesus’ farewell address at his last supper with his disciples. Jesus…

4 Easter – April 30, 2023 John 10:1-10          This morning John’s gospel gives us ten verses of packed metaphor; we are given sheep, a sheepfold, a shepherd, a gate, a gatekeeper, a pasture, a sneaky band of thieves and bandits, and an even more sinister group of smooth-tongued “strangers.”  This passage though, at it’s heart, speaks to us about life. About God’s abundant life. About our relationship with God. Jesus says that he is the gate. “I am the…

3 Easter – April 23, 2023 Luke 24:13-35          Today, Luke’s gospel has us walking on the road to Emmaus. This scene is set on the same day as the women’s discovery of the empty tomb from Easter. The scripture tells us that this was about a seven-mile walk. Not really that far in those days when people were used to walking. But, there are some walks that are longer than others — not because of the miles or even…

2 Easter – April 16, 2023 John 20:19-31          We’re hearing about two resurrection stories this morning. Jesus appearing one week after the first, coming through locked and closed doors, saying “peace be with you” for the second time. It is the juxtaposition of fear and peace. And so, today, one week after we shout, “Alleluia!” and sing, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today!” John invites us to face our doubts, speak our fears, and yearn for more — more intimacy, more…

Easter – April 9, 2023 Matthew 28:1-10          Happy Easter!   Matthew presents us with one of the most dramatic readings of the resurrection.  There was a great earthquake and an angel of the Lord descended, his appearance like lightening.   In other words, light has split a crack in the universe and everything we thought we knew has changed.  To meet Jesus is for the ground to move beneath you, nothing remains as it was. Now in the early morning, the…

5 Lent Year A – March 26, 2023 John 11:1-45          We have two very powerful stories presented to us today…the story of the dry bones and the story of Lazarus. Two big and powerful stories.  Both remind us of the physical realities of our experience of death. In Ezekiel the prophet is dropped in the middle of a valley of dry bones. In John, Jesus weeps in response to the lamentations of Martha and Mary and the others. And…

4 Lent – March 19, 2023 John 9:1-41          I’ve asked Betty to hand out a picture for you to look at. What do you see — one vase or two faces? That is the optical illusion made famous by the Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin (1886–1951), who specialized in “figure-ground perception.” When shown a simple picture of his Rubin Vase, as it’s known, some people see a black vase on a white background. Other people see two white faces on a…