Posted on Sun 02 August 2015 in misc •
What are you looking for?
In the very first chapter of the Good News of Jesus Christ according to John, Jesus asks this question of the very first disciples. “What are you looking for?” This might call our attention to something that happens throughout the Gospel story of John and …
Continue readingPosted on Sun 26 July 2015 in misc •
Here we are in the middle of the summer, and it’s time for a good ol’ sermon series. Actually, this sermon series is already laid out for us in the Revised Common Lectionary (the three year cycle of readings that many churches use to hear a wide variety of …
Continue readingPosted on Wed 22 July 2015 in misc •
“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:5–6 NRSV)
How can we …
Continue readingPosted on Sun 12 July 2015 in misc •
One distinctive mark of Lutheran preaching is to separate God’s word into two functions: the Law and the Gospel; Bad news and good news; words which convict us, and words that forgive us. If you were to look at today’s Gospel lesson through that lens, you might wonder …
Continue readingPosted on Wed 01 July 2015 in misc •
Jesus and his band of disciples are on tour. Jesus leads and the disciples follow him from place to place, town to town, as he teaches and heals and performs miracles along the way. And at the beginning of this Gospel that we’ve read today, Jesus is making a …
Continue readingPosted on Sun 28 June 2015 in misc •
Today’s Gospel lessons brings together two stories about two people who are very different.
One is …
Continue readingPosted on Sun 21 June 2015 in misc •
For a very long time, it has been a Christian tradition to think of the church as a boat. A lot of church buildings are actually designed to resemble an upside down boat. Actually, even the word for this part of the building — nave — means ‘boat.’
So, in that same …
Continue readingPosted on Thu 11 June 2015 in misc •
The tree is a powerful image.
These texts about great trees remind me of the Good Ol’ Days. You know, the Good Ol’ Days. Whenever those are in your imagination —- I think the Good Ol’ Days are probably different for different people. When the texts talk about ‘noble cedars’ and …
Continue readingPosted on Sat 06 June 2015 in misc •
I have an important question for you: when you eat your meals, do you like to keep each item separate…or do you like it when the different parts mix together? Ok, so it’s not that important of a question — but I am going somewhere with this. I’ve …
Continue readingPosted on Sat 30 May 2015 in misc •
Nicodemus is one of my favorite characters in the Gospel of John. Not only because he has this somewhat humorous conversation with Jesus that goes back and forth, but also because he shows up exactly three times in the Gospel —- and changes each time. The first time, he is curious …
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