Tag Archives: God

09Jun/24

A House Divided

June 9, 2024SermonsDiscernment, Discipleship, Faith, God, Judgment, Miracles, SinMichael

And then, here comes a carpenter from Nazareth. He is performing miracles and casting out demons, and healing people, and sharing the Good News of God to all who will listen. And these leaders look at each other and say, “Well, this can’t be right. We’re the ones who are allowed to speak and act for God, not this guy.”

So what do they do?

They redefine miracles. And realign their beliefs that what they are seeing is not the full story, but that there is something shady going on behind the scenes. They reframe reality with a new theory that allows them to keep believing their own lie about their own importance.

19May/24

Jumping Out of the Nest

May 19, 2024SermonsDisciples, Discipleship, Faith, Faith in Action, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, PentecostMichael

But Pentecost is not only called the Birthday of the Church because so many people were added to the group of believers, but because there was a drastic change in the disciples themselves. And because this change in the disciples changed how the group of believers structured themselves.

12May/24

Sacred People, Sacred Spaces

May 12, 2024SermonsBaptism, Blessings, Church, Church Buildings, Community, Eucharist, God, Identity, Sacred, Spiritual Family, WorshipMichael

If we look at the first reading today, the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, we find that Jesus has told his disciples that he will be leaving them, and thenRead More…

14Apr/24

Children of God

April 14, 2024SermonsBaptism, Beloved Community, Disciples, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Fear, God, Grace, Hate, Identity, Jesus, Love, Loving Neighbor, RacismMichael

Our New Testament reading today begins with the words, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” Through our baptism, we have been made a part of a heavenly family: we have been adopted into the family of God. And, as Children of God, we have now inherited all the benefits that are due to those who look to God as a parent, and Christ as a brother. We are no longer just Americans, or Chinese, Brazilian or Latvian, German or Canadian. We are first, and foremost, citizens of the New Jerusalem, citizens of heaven, the Holy City of God. We are children of a family that transcends time and space, race and ethnicity, boundaries and borders.

31Mar/24

What Are You Looking For?

March 31, 2024SermonsCross, Easter, Faith, Fear, God, Gods Will, Jesus, Love, Miracles, Resurrection, Sin, Son of GodMichael

Imagine the amount of fear and dread that the disciples would be facing when they realized that Jesus’ body was missing.

Imagine the questions that must have come through their minds at first with the most obvious one being: Did we come to the right tomb?

First they question themselves, and then, in anger, they question others.

28Mar/24

While We Were Still Sinners

March 28, 2024SermonsCross, Faith, God, Jesus, Lent, Love, Palm Sunday, Sacrifice, Self-Examination, SinMichael

It’s easy for us to look past our own sinfulness and blame those who were there at the time calling for his death, and to see ourselves as innocent.

It’s easy for us to look past our own sinfulness and focus on the resurrection and see only the benefits that Jesus’ death on the cross brings to us.

It’s easy to look past our own sinfulness and see this week of Jesus’ passion as merely an intellectual exercise in theology and the cycles of the church year.

14Mar/24

For God So Loved

March 14, 2024SermonsCulture, Discipleship, Division, Divisions, Evangelism, Faith in Action, God, Hate, Jesus, Love, Loving Neighbor, Others, Politics, SinMichael

You may see the Rose colored stole this morning. Rather than wearing the typical Lenten purple, this Sunday, called “Laetare” Sunday, we wear a Rose colored stole. This Sunday is supposed to give us a moment when we can step back a bit from our Lenten disciplines and live in the joy of our salvation. The Latin word “Laetare” means “Rejoice!”

The Gospel this morning gives us the reason for our rejoicing. Today we read the much quoted line in scripture that says, “God so loved the world that he sent his only son that people might not perish, but have everlasting life.”

25Feb/24

Get Behind Me

February 25, 2024SermonsChrist, Disciples, Discipleship, God, Gods Plan, Gods Will, Injustice, Justice, Lent, Love, Power, Pride, SacrificeMichael

Several years ago, the editor in chief of Christianity Today recounted several conversations that he had had with pastors in his denomination. The pastors told him that when they preached from the Sermon on the Mount – you know, things like “Blessed are the meek,” “Blessed are the peacemakers,” “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” or especially, “Turn the other cheek.” When they preached from the Sermon on the Mount, people would come up to them afterwards and say, “Where did you get those liberal talking points?” But when the pastors would say, “I was literally just quoting the words of Jesus,” the people would not say, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize that.” Instead, they would say something to the effect of, “Okay, but that won’t work anymore. That’s weak.”

This is essentially what Peter did with Jesus in today’s Gospel. Peter, and most other people of his time hated the Roman oppressors in their land, and they were expecting a messiah that would come in with a mighty fist and power unseen before, and wipe out the enemies of Israel.

14Feb/24

What’s my motivation?

February 14, 2024SermonsAsh Wednesday, Forgiveness, God, Lent, Loving God, Loving Neighbor, SinMichael

And as long as they don’t get caught, then, as the Gospel says, “they have received their reward.” If it is the accolades and praise of people they want, then as long as they are able to keep up the front, they will have received what they were looking for. If what they are trying to do is to “look good,” and if they have managed it, then by all means, let them rejoice in “looking good.”

11Feb/24

Points of View

February 11, 2024SermonsChrist, Epiphany, God, Identity, Jesus, Lent, Miracles, Self-Examination, Transfiguration, TransformationMichael

This is the epiphany, the nature and mission of Christ is revealed to those three disciples in this transfiguration on the mountaintop. And it is revealed to those of us hearing the story after the fact. Jesus is the messiah, the chosen one of Israel, the salvation of all humanity.

But what does the identity of Jesus of Nazareth as the messiah reveal to us about ourselves? We most definitely are not the messiah, so we are unlikely to be joined by Moses and Elijah and be transfigured on the top of a mountain.

As with many of the stories we encounter in the Gospels, Peter’s responses tend to be the example that so many of us can relate to.