Since our fiery, razzle-dazzle remembrance of Pentecost last month, Scriptures have been speaking to biblical images and symbols of the Holy Spirit. First came water, with a full-throated invitation to abundant living from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come, buy andContinue reading “How Much More, Then”
Category Archives: Sermons
Quench Your Tongue
Any number of signs herald the arrival of sultry, warmer weather. Over at our place, one such signal is the re-opening of the garage-roof reading room and tanning salon. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the neighborhood, the nippy jets of lawn sprinklers goose-bump young skin and loose chilly squeals of full-bodied excitement. “Summer is here,” you whisperContinue reading “Quench Your Tongue”
Living Wet
To the farmer standing in the barn and staring out at waterlogged fields, more rain right about now feels more like curse than blessing. A couple of you privately have already asked that I prayerfully ask God to cork the clouds and close the spigot. Yet these cold, wet days that fill the barns withContinue reading “Living Wet”
Sober Inebriation
Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus leaves the earth in physical form, and his body returns to heaven, where he sits down in his seat of honor at the right hand of God. That’s the story we heard last Sunday. We were “looking at feet,” as we stood with the apostles and watched Jesus ascendContinue reading “Sober Inebriation”
Staring at Feet
Six weeks ago, we celebrated Easter, and the Gospels proclaim the stories of Jesus appearing to his apostles over the span of 40 days after his resurrection. Luke’s Gospel sees Jesus joining two men traveling a dusty road to Emmaus, and together with them at table, Jesus makes himself known in the breaking of bread.Continue reading “Staring at Feet”
God’s Naughty Child
Ouch! My month-long sabbatical didn’t exactly go as planned. Just a handful of days into my much-needed break from the demands of daily life and responsibilities of ministry, I took a tumble down a short set of concrete steps, as I set out for a hike on an otherwise-sunny spring day in northeast Wisconsin, theContinue reading “God’s Naughty Child”
Spotting Jesus
Sprinkled across the Gospels are scenes that all play out with similar plots. In the presence of his closest friends and followers – the Twelve Apostles, Jesus does something extraordinary. He cures the sick; he cleanses the unclean; he raises the dead. What for Jesus is the stuff of daily ministry understandably leaves the ApostlesContinue reading “Spotting Jesus”
By the Lord’s Arithmetic
It’s the kind of banner headline that catches my attention and stops me cold: “How to Save a Sad, Lonely, Angry and Mean Society.” It tops a compelling essay by the conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks. Long one of my favorites, he well argues that consuming culture bathes the human mind with emotionalContinue reading “By the Lord’s Arithmetic”
Two Worlds Collide
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ How beautiful are the feet of the messenger.” (Isaiah 52:7) My feet hurt. My right knee aches. My left shoulder twinges. Some of my aches and painsContinue reading “Two Worlds Collide”
The Covenant: An Invitation into Lent
The 40-day season of Lent – a time of prayer, reflection, fasting, and repentance – leads up to Easter’s celebration of Jesus’s resurrection. According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert wilderness before beginning his public ministry. During his wilderness time, Jesus endured and fought offContinue reading “The Covenant: An Invitation into Lent”