Jonah 3:10-4:11 Matthew 20:1-16 “And should I not be concerned about Ninevah, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:11) As of now, I cannot think of a better last line of …
Stuck in the Middle of Lent: Joseph’s Brothers and the Forgiven, Unforgiving Slave
Genesis 50:15-21 Matthew 18:21-35 I walked into the robing room at First Lutheran Church the other day. I had not had much reason to spend time in there over the last six months. We have been taping services earlier in the week and what in person worship we have shared in has been outside. On …
“Putting On The Armor of Light…”
Romans 13:8-14 It is now the moment to wake from sleep. Now. For the day is near. The time of darkness is coming to an end. And it is time to live like this is so. I have always loved both the promise and the inherent urgency of these words. Never mind that Paul’s sense …
Bearing Our Crosses and Bearing Witness to One Another…
Matthew 16:21-28 I’m afraid that I come to this today with more questions than answers. Indeed, it seems I have been grappling with these particular words of Jesus my whole life long — or at least since the first time I sat down with a Greek New Testament and word by word, phrase by phrase, …
“On This Rock…”
Matthew 16:13-20 “You are Peter. And on this rock I will build my church.” And the debate goes on, doesn’t it. What or who was Jesus pointing to when he uttered these words? Was it, in fact, Peter himself as some of our friends from different traditions have long understood or was it the the …
God’s Vision: So Much Larger Than Ours!
Matthew 15:20-28 I find myself looking back now on other times when I have grappled with the very difficult words before us now. You are welcome to do the same. I imagine you will also discover that in many ways my struggle with Jesus in this story has not changed: A Mother’s Cry Holy Surprise: …
Jesus Walking Toward Us In This Storm…
Matthew 14:22-33 If the story of the disciples at sea battered by wind and wave is not a story which speaks to our circumstance today, I surely do not know what is. Indeed, I have said more than once to more than one trusted listener that every decision is hard these days. Every single one. …
This Miracle:Then and Now
Matthew 14:13-21 I have not been able to get away from this all week — my wondering at what this must have been for Jesus. To have received the terrible, terrifying news of John’s gruesome death. To have stepped away from it all by himself, tending his own grief, no doubt, his own fear at …
On Mustard Seeds and a Pastor’s Tears…
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 There is so much richness in Jesus’ teaching today and so many directions one could pursue as we seek to come to a deeper understanding of the Kingdom, the Reign of God. There are mustard seeds and yeast, discovered treasure and a pearl of great value and yes, there are fish of …
Sorting the Wheat from the Weeds: Now or Later?
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 I went out and did some weeding yesterday. Having been away for a couple of weeks, I found that the tomatoes and the peppers, the cucumbers and the butternut squash were getting a bit crowded out by the weeds which threaten to overtake my vegetable gardens every year at about this time. …