Love

The Journey Continues

Jan 11, 2026MichaelSermonsBaptism, Faith in Action, God, Jesus, Journey, Love, Scripture, Sin, Spirituality, Water of Life

When I did my first baptism as a priest, we had a minor crisis. As I poured water on the baby girl’s head, she began to cry. That’s when I realized that the water was cold. She did not stop crying until we were able to get a blanket over her head again and warm her up. At my second baptism, I tried to avoid the same mistake, and, because we were renting a community hall at the time, I heated up some water on the stove in the kitchen, and hoped that it wouldn’t cool off too much before the service. Just before the baptism, I checked the water, and it was a beautifully nice temperature. When I began pouring the water over the baby girl’s head, guess what? She began to cry. I decided that there were probably two explanations for this: 1) baby girls don’t like me, or 2) baby girls don’t like having water poured on their heads when they are comfortably resting in their mothers arms, half asleep. I prefer the second explanation.

Bend the Knee

Jan 1, 2026MichaelSermonsHoly Name, Jesus, Love, Loving God, Loving Neighbor, Self-Acceptance, Self-Examination, Sin, Submission

Lectionary Readings: Feast of the Holy Name Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. As was custom in the Jewish culture, all male children were circumcised on the 8th day, and were also given a name. Now, we know that an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream before Mary gave…

The Gift of God, for the People of God

Dec 24, 2025MichaelSermonsChristmas, Christmas Eve, Eucharist, Gift, Holy Communion, Immanuel, Jesus, Love, Redemption, Son of God, Unconditional Love

Lectionary Readings: Year A, Christmas III Every time we have a Eucharist – a communion service – the Deacon and I hold up the elements, and I say, “The Gifts of God, for the people of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts, by faith,…

Fully Alive

Nov 9, 2025MichaelSermonsEnd Times, Faith in Action, Fear, God, Grace, Gratitude, Love

“God is the God of the living, and not of the dead.”

St. Iranaeus said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and the life of humanity consists in beholding God.”

Alignment

Sep 29, 2024MichaelSermonsCommunity, Elders, God, Humility, Jesus, Love, Miracles, Prayer, Pride, Self-Examination, Sin

Just the other day, I went shopping at IKEA, and in the self-serve area, I managed to grab a shopping cart that had one of those wheels that seemed to have a mind of its own. Every time I hit a little seam in the concrete, the cart would dramatically swerve off in the direction of the rut. It ended up being more of a workout than a shopping experience.

Now, I suppose that I could have kicked that wheel repeatedly until it fell off, since it was causing my cart to stumble, but in the end, I just kept pulling the cart back into alignment. It was more work, but I was able to keep the cart in one piece that way.

That Your Joy May Be Complete

May 5, 2024MichaelSermonsDisciples, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Fear, Gods Plan, Gods Will, Jesus, Judgment, Love, Loving God, Loving Neighbor

So, what God is saying is that our Joy will attain the purpose that God has intended for us, if – and when – we love one another. It’s a very simple commandment, but it is not always easy to implement.

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus had even told his disciples to “Love their enemies,” and to “Pray for those that persecute you.” Very simple commandments, but once again, not at all easy to implement. Love God, Love your neighbor, Love one another, Love even your enemies. Jesus would not have told us – his disciples – to love our enemies unless he knew that the command to love those who didn’t love us would bring us joy.

Children of God

Apr 14, 2024MichaelSermonsBaptism, Beloved Community, Disciples, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Fear, God, Grace, Hate, Identity, Jesus, Love, Loving Neighbor, Racism

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.

What Are You Looking For?

Mar 31, 2024Michael1 CommentSermonsCross, Easter, Faith, Fear, God, Gods Will, Jesus, Love, Miracles, Resurrection, Sin, Son of God

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.

While We Were Still Sinners

Mar 28, 2024MichaelSermonsCross, Faith, God, Jesus, Lent, Love, Palm Sunday, Sacrifice, Self-Examination, Sin

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.

For God So Loved

Mar 14, 2024MichaelSermonsCulture, Discipleship, Division, Divisions, Evangelism, Faith in Action, God, Hate, Jesus, Love, Loving Neighbor, Others, Politics, Sin

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.”