Last Sunday’s Scripture lesson was grounded in brokenness – in the rips tearing the fabric of intimate relationship between Jesus and the apostle Peter, the three-time denier of his association with Christ. During a humble shore lunch of freshly caught fish and bread, Jesus – recently arisen from Good Friday’s grave – makes the firstContinue reading “On the Turning Away”
Category Archives: Sermons
Yelling at Squirrels
Dramatic scenes set just days on either side of Easter provide the settings for our two Scripture lessons this morning. They unfold a couple chapters apart in John’s Gospel, yet the passages are tied intimately. The Lord Jesus and the apostle Simon Peter take lead roles in both episodes, and with good reason the relationshipContinue reading “Yelling at Squirrels”
Crunch, Crunch
Strained, toxic, lethal. Fragile, hostile, disrespectful. Fleeting, controlling, intimidating. Violent, dependent, dishonest. Rude, crude, and unacceptable. Such are the gloomy descriptors of many current-day relationships between spouses and family members, boyfriends and girlfriends, roommates and significant others, acquaintances and next-door neighbors, co-workers and classmates, politicians and citizens. But in the Kingdom of God, where unconditionalContinue reading “Crunch, Crunch”
For God So Loved Nineveh
I know there’s at least one of you who’s been reading ahead in the story of Jonah. And that’s OK. It’s a good thing, really. Eager hunger for Scripture is a really, really good thing. And the story of seafaring Jonah is a voracious page-turner, as we’ve discovered in the nourishment of the Old TestamentContinue reading “For God So Loved Nineveh”
When Minds Change
The more things change, the more things stay the same. The old adage offers a spot-on summary of the story of Jonah, whose cowardly, seaside shenanigans have been spotlighted in our Scripture lessons of the past two Sundays. We’re halfway through the whale-themed tale of the Old Testament’s reluctant prophet, but we’re right back whereContinue reading “When Minds Change”
In the Weeds
In the weeds – when you’re burdened with so many problems, or so much work, that you find it exhausting and draining to deal with life and living. “We’re down in the weeds here in customer service! Got too many missing orders!” “The nurses were so deep in the weeds, with too many patients, thatContinue reading “In the Weeds”
The Hound of Heaven
A young woman once complained, “I get so angry with my husband’s friends!” Why? Because her husband – like her, a newcomer to Christianity – often had non-Christian friends over to watch a ballgame. And during the festivities, a couple of the visiting bros always liked to grab the couple’s Bible from the coffee table,Continue reading “The Hound of Heaven”
Church Is Hard
Most holiday decorations now repose in attics, closets, and basements – yet another season of Yuletide work lingering in savory, still-warm memory. But even without December’s seasonal trappings, the stories of Christmas retain their allure – like bright, red bows still tied atop the already-splendid gift of Christ’s birth. And inside that glittering package clashesContinue reading “Church Is Hard”
Christmas Mourning
Across the 11 years that I’ve served as your pastor, the Christmas season has wrought a couple frustrating mishaps in ministry. Along about 2015 came the Great Glitter Debacle. Sparkling bits of tiny glitter were key ingredients in a faith-formation craft project set up for the church youth, and our Fellowship Hall would serve asContinue reading “Christmas Mourning”
His Name Is Rod of Jesse
Of the many names for Jesus, the one you very-rarely-if-ever call on is “Rod of Jesse.” Yet, there it is – perched awkwardly atop a stanza of a familiar Advent carol: Rod of Jesse. “O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny.” We lift up the unusual name “Rod of Jesse,”Continue reading “His Name Is Rod of Jesse”