Matthew 4:12-23 “Immediately they left their nets and followed him…” (Matthew 4:20) I got the call to do a funeral last week. I said, ‘Yes,’ for I always try to do what I can for such as this when possible. It turns out, the one who had suddenly died was 47 years old. He was …
Called to Follow…
John 1:29-42 I find myself wondering about the disciples who first followed John and then caught up with Jesus in this week’s Gospel. Of course, we have no way of actually knowing for sure, but I am wondering about the world that shaped them and the influences which prodded them, filling them with such a …
On Bruised Reeds and Dimly Burning Wicks and Watching for the Promise
Isaiah 42:1-9 I find myself living in the promises of the prophet Isaiah these days. Especially now I am buoyed up by the certainty that our bruised reeds will not be broken and that our dimly burning wicks will keep on burning. And oh, even as I say this I am looking around for signs …
Listening for the Rustle of Angels’ Wings…
Dear Friends, Following is my ‘first run’ at a Christmas sermon. May you also hear the ‘rustle of angels’ wings’ this year. And may you never be the same. Blessed Christmas to you and those you love and those you serve, Janet Luke 2:1-20 Have you heard the rustle of angels’ wings this night? …
“There Was No Place For Them…”
Luke 2:1-20 I heard it differently this year, this string of words which tell the whole story of the what and why and how of Jesus’ coming. We were with our confirmation youth. We have been teaching worship this year and part of the experience has included having them actually lead worship with and for …
On John and Jesus and Legacies and All of Us…
Matthew 11:2-11 I have been thinking some about ‘legacy’ these days. The sort that is left to us and the sort we leave behind as well. Maybe this is because of the ubiquitous presence of Christmas Classics… from A Christmas Carol with all of its countless remakes and the at least once annual viewing of …
A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse…
Isaiah 11:1-10 I saw a ‘shoot from the stump of Jesse’ all summer long unexpectedly blooming from a crack in my driveway. A purple petunia, a remnant seed, no doubt, from a previous summer’s planting against all odds found root and nourishment and the wherewithal to bloom in this unlikely place. I did not plant …
Telling Time… Revisited
I’m recycling an old reflection now as I just returned from vacation. I hope these thoughts from a few years back are in some way still blessing to you… Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44 Quite a few years ago now I accompanied a group of soon to be high school freshmen to Confirmation Camp at Augustana …
Christ Meets Us in the Darkness…
Colossians 1:11-20 Luke 23:33-43 I experienced it just this week, you see. I saw with my own eyes what it looks like when God’s Own step into the darkness of their own hard earned struggle and pain and fear and meet Jesus there. I saw grace over a funeral lunch where individuals who once considered …
New Heavens, New Earth…
Isaiah 65:17-25 I confess now to flipping through all the possible lessons assigned for this week before settling on this one. For now, at least, I need to hear such words of resounding hope. Words which speak of a different world than the one I have found myself inhabiting in these last days. A world …