Faith, Grace, and Hope

In Damascus there was a certain disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!” He answered, “Yes, Lord.” The Lord instructed him, “Go to Judas’ house on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying.   In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias enter and put his hands on him to restore his sight.” Ananias countered, “Lord, I have heard many reports about this man. People say he has done horrible things to your holy people in Jerusalem.     He’s here with authority from the chief priests to arrest everyone who calls on your name.” The Lord replied, “Go! This man is the agent I have chosen to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.     I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Ananias went to the house. He placed his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord sent me—Jesus, who appeared to you on the way as you were coming here. He sent me so that you could see again and...

The audio from Transfiguration Sunday's sermon, 3/3/19.

Joshua 24:1–2a, 14–18, John 6:56-69 If, in the morning, I open my eyes, My first decision thereupon lies. Will I continue to lie in the bed, Allowing my thoughts to run through my head? Will I get up and go to the shower, Regardless of both the weather and hour? What of the children, who may want me to play? What of the tasks that call me this day? From the moment of waking, there are choices to make, What will I give this day? What will I take? I want to be saintly, say my first thoughts are of God, But sometimes they’re not and, in that, I’m not odd. We may rise with the sun or maybe at noon, And most of us promise to get with God soon. Yet, that instant, a choice has been made- The balance of time  against God has been weighed.  We can’t do it all. Surely God understands. Did not God make this world, its chores, its demands? But in each thing we choose, and it  is choose we must We have decided in which...

Pentecost 12B 12 August 2018 Ephesians 4:25-5:2               There is a phrase:  If you don’t have something nice to say ,  don’t say anything at all . What does this mean? (If you can’t say something that’s helpful or kind, then stay quiet.) There is an alteration of this quote that I’ve been thinking of lately:  If you don’t have something nice to say, come sit by me. [1]             In our society, “nice” doesn’t usually mean kind, truthful, or helpful. Usually, “be nice” means “don’t make a fuss” or “just go along with it” or “don’t be loud” or “stop making such a big deal”. Being nice often means less about fixing a problem and more about pretending there is no problem. When I think of the stress I feel on a daily basis, when I think of the news stories we hear, when I think of people who are being hurt daily by situation...

Sermon for 18 July 2018, Feast Day of Mary Magdalene Some of this sermon was inspired by this book: God, Improv, and the Art of Living . The person who helped with the sermon works for this theater company:  https://www.tbatheatre.org

Sermon for Sunday, August 13

Sound for a sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 on 1/29/17

1 John 1:1-4                         How many of you have at least one sibling, whether living or dead (or estranged or close)? What does it mean to have a sibling or a close friend? That person becomes part of how you remember events, people, and places in your life. You compare notes, repeat the stories, and recall facts that the other person forgets. Having a close relationship with someone else, especially a brother or sister or close cousin, is the way that you make sense of history and your place in it.             When a community formed around the teaching and understanding of the apostle John, the writer of the Fourth Gospel lifted up the divinity of Jesus. In that gospel, Jesus’ feet are just a little bit above the ground. The theme of the gospel according to John is “Like Father, like Son.” When we read...

Philippians 2:1-13             A few weeks ago, I watched a great local production of the play Charlotte’s Web , put on by TBA. The play, based on the book, is about a little pig named Wilbur whose bacon is saved by Charlotte, a spider, who spins words in her web that describe Wilbur. Coming up with the words requires some help from other animals.             When Wilbur has been carted off to the fair, because he’s not just some pig, Charlotte and Templeton the rat go with him. Charlotte tasks Templeton with finding piece of paper with a good word on it that she can use as inspiration. Templeton comes back with a paper scrap that he asserts has a great word, “Humblé”. (“Hoom-blay”- like it’s French.)             Charlotte rolls her eyes, “The word is humble!” There is a big audience laugh at that moment. Humb...

John 13:1-17          In Lutheran understanding, a sacrament is 1) an event associated with the life of Christ that we are commanded/commended to repeat, 2) an event that has an earthly element or elements (tangible parts or acts), and 3) has a promise of God attached to it.          What makes foot washing not a sacrament?          When Jesus tells his disciples to serve one another in this humble way, what’s happening? - He’s wearing nothing, but a towel (exposure). - He’s physically close to them (proximity). - They have to respond by receiving (communion).          It’s a terribly, terribly intimate scene. Intimacy is a word we don’t use a lot in church. We talk about sex occasionally. (Okay, I do and you listen horrified.) We talk about service. But we rarely discuss intimacy.    ...

Advent 2 Ezekiel 37:1-14             God is wild and holy, untamed by our efforts to tame, contain, or fully understand. The book of Ezekiel reveals some of the nature of a wild and holy God. The prophet Ezekiel speaks to the people of Israel as they are in exile in Babylon. He is among the first deportation from Israel and is still there as two generations of children have been born on Babylonian soil.             Ezekiel rails against Israel’s idolatry (worshipping of other gods) and failure to trust in the covenant God has made with them. He receives and presents visions of God’s holiness that pursues Israel in a chariot, seeking to overtake them, even as God’s people flee to other paths.             Ezekiel notes the unfaithfulness of the people again and again. In almost the same breath,...