Hear the full audio of "First, Be Reconciled"A sermon on Matthew 5:17-26Sixth Sunday after Trinity, 23 July 2017Christ does not envision his church as a place where people come to be fired up against their neighbors. Christ does not envision the Holy life of his Holy people as life marked by anger and accusations. Rather, … Continue reading First, Be Reconciled
We Will Fish Anyway, Lord…
Jesus asks the boat guys to lend a boat, move it out little. Jesus asks these tired fishermen to fish. Those nets they were mending, Jesus asks them to cast them out. These weren’t difficult, strange, or unfamiliar thing Christ bid them to do--until the Lord blessed it in spite of their failure and half-hearted … Continue reading We Will Fish Anyway, Lord…
My Enemy is Unmade
Jesus keeps taking my enemies away! He scratches their names off my list faster than I can write them down! "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Really, Jesus? Bless the hostile? The haters? The sinners who sin against me?! Hear the full audio of "My Enemy is Unmade" A sermon on … Continue reading My Enemy is Unmade
“Overjoyed with Just One–and All”
Pharisees and sinners want each other to "Get lost!" But Jesus seeks and finds stubborn strays and brings them back. He's doing this on purpose! "Rejoice with me, with them, with angels..." He says! "I found you! I found them! You belong here. Stick around." This is a good thing He calls "repentance." Hear the … Continue reading “Overjoyed with Just One–and All”
Excuses…Excuses…and the Lord’s Invitation
God loves to give good gifts and do good things for people. Some go to great lengths making excuses, always rationalizing why it's OK to refuse those gifts and reject this gracious Giver. Christ invited you to gather with the rest of us poor, crippled, blind and lame people as we receive His good gifts … Continue reading Excuses…Excuses…and the Lord’s Invitation
He Believed The Lord
Abram was not the perfect man with the perfect marriage, perfect home or perfect family life. But he trusts the Lord to keep His promise, which faith alone is reckoned to him as perfect righteousness. Hear the full audio of "He Believed The Lord" A sermon on Genesis 15:1-6 First Sunday after Trinity, 18 June … Continue reading He Believed The Lord
Let’s Meet at the Corner of Heaven and Earth
Dealing with the Athanasian Creed can seem a little like Abbott and Costello's famous "Who's on First?" routine. Here God's people confess the Biblical truth about Jesus: His divinity and humanity and the clear revelation of the Trinity in action in our midst. God meets us "Just As I Am" -- and here we meet … Continue reading Let’s Meet at the Corner of Heaven and Earth
Babble on, Babylon!
The Babylonians were pioneers of mathematics and science, mixed with religious zeal and fervor. Their postulates and theorems are still taught today. Has our culture really abandoned religion, or merely embraced as new a very ancient and self-aggrandizing worship of Science? God reveals himself this Pentecost day as one well able to make himself … Continue reading Babble on, Babylon!
The Father Himself Loves You
"Jesus is not simply our go-between or our middle-man, though he is that! He is our access. He does more than just relay our messages. Jesus brings us with him into his Father's house. He sets for each of us a place at our Father's family table. Or to put it another way, with Jesus, … Continue reading The Father Himself Loves You
Love The Brotherhood
Sojourners and exiles, out of place and far from home. Ready or not, God moves us on to unfamiliar people and places in life. It's easy to get lost, lose oneself. God constantly calls and gathers us as his own children. He declares us his rightful and righteous heirs. Even when we're feeling most out … Continue reading Love The Brotherhood
Isaiah 50:4 Blues 