Words of Welcome

  Mark 8:27-38 Jesus asked his disciples an important question: “Who do you say that I am?” It’s a question he asks us as well.  This is a perennial question partly because we know so little about the historical Jesus. Mark wrote the earliest gospel. It appeared sometime around the year 70, which is pretty close to Jesus’ own lifetime, but it left many questions unanswered. So, down through history people have gone on quests for the historical Jesus and written creeds to define the identity of Jesus. Is Jesus human, divine, or both? Mark doesn’t answer all of these questions, but he does invite us to join him on a journey of faith.  This morning’s reading from Mark 8 takes us to the region of Caesarea Philippi. This is another predominantly Gentile region well known for its pagan temples, including temples erected by Herod and his sons to honor the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius.  While they were traveling north, after Jesus asked his disciples who the ...

John 6:51-58 Welcome to the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. This morning we jump right into the middle of a long and complicated story that began with Jesus feeding the 5000 but has taken some interesting twists and turns. So, this morning we’re doing something similar to jumping into the middle of a TV series that’s been on for several weeks and we don’t have a clue as to what is happening. Therefore, I need to catch you up with the story. According to John, after Jesus fed the 5000 the crowd tried to make him their king, but he slipped away to a quiet place where he could pray. Then, when evening came, he took a stroll across the lake toward his home base in Capernaum. But, first, he caught up with the boat carrying his disciples across the lake. The next day the crowd gathered once more in Capernaum hoping Jesus would give them more bread. That leads to a conversation about bread from heaven. You know, like the manna Moses provided, or, rather, God provided in the wildernes...

1 Corinthians 15:12-20 The spirit of Easter has arrived early in three sets of lectionary readings from 1 Corinthians 15. Paul already revealed to us the core Christian message contained in the church’s confession “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” ( 1 Cor. 15:3 ). That’s Paul’s message, but if this is true, why are some members of the Corinthian church questioning the truth of this message? Why cast doubt on Paul’s message about the resurrection? Paul’s question is as relevant today as it was in the first century. People are still asking questions about the resurrection. Some people have trouble imagining the idea of bodily resurrection, especially since scientific proof is difficult to come by. Paul did offer up witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, but even that doesn’t suffice for many. It’s possible this was nothing more than a mass hallucination...

Luke 16:19-31 There are two parables in  Luke 16,  and in both of them Jesus speaks to the proper valuing of money and material resources. He puts things into proper perspective, and that makes them good texts for stewardship sermons. Stewardship is about more than paying bills. Stewardship is a reflection of our covenant relationship with God and with one another. The picture painted in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man is a bit clearer than the parable of the dishonest steward, but together they remind us about what it means to be a faithful disciple and about our responsibilities to each other.   There are  several verses separating the two parables  that the creators of the lectionary chose to omit. That is probably because passages like this can lead to anti-Jewish ideas. In this case Jesus chastises the Pharisees for being lovers of money. If we can steer clear of caricaturing the Pharisees as self-righteous money grubbers, perhaps we can...

Luke 7:36-8:3 This morning we’re taking a short break from our summer trek through the Psalms to focus our attention on the call to stewardship. The Stewardship committee has already decided to accept the stewardship theme offered by the Disciples’  Center on Faith and Giving.  That theme is  “Go and Do the Same.” The Center also encouraged churches to expand the stewardship conversation beyond the usual stewardship campaign, which we conduct in the fall. That campaign is centered on putting together a budget for the coming year, and convincing you to support it by making a pledge. We took up the suggestion to use some time this summer to think about stewardship as a spiritual discipline and not simply as a means of fund-raising. This is the first of three sermons, one each month, that will draw from the Gospel of Luke and touch upon stewardship. 

Psalm 146 We’ve come to the third stop on our summer journey through the Psalms. So far the Psalmist has reminded us that God is our creator and our judge. In Psalm 146, the Psalmist declares that Yahweh is the ruler of all creation. Indeed, the Psalmist invites us to “sing praises to [our] God for as long as we live,” because God will reign forever.  We come to this place to give praise and thanksgiving to the one who “made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them.” It is God, who “executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.” 

Psalm 8 Homiletical theory suggests that the genre of a text should determine how it is preached. When it comes to the Psalms that bit of advice poses a problem for me.  Since I’m not a poet, trying to write a poetic sermon might not work all that well. But, even if you’re not a poet, it is good to regularly visit the Psalms. That’s because they speak powerfully about God and God’s creation. So, in the coming weeks most of my sermons will draw from the Psalms. However, I do want to put your minds at ease. I won’t be writing any bad poetry to share with you!   The Sunday after Pentecost is known as Trinity Sunday. It’s on this day in the church year that we focus our attention on the nature of God. From a theological point of view, the doctrine of the Trinity is a good reminder that God transcends our attempts to define God’s nature. When we look to the Psalms for guidance on such matters there is a Latin phrase that captures the essence of this:  Lex orandi, lex ...

Mark 9:38-50 It seems as if scandals are breaking out all around us. It’s true that scandal sells, so the media will share the news. You can’t blame them. If inquiring minds want to know, then they will give them what they want.   Speaking of scandals, here in Michigan we got a front row seat as one of the more seedy political scandals unfolded right before our eyes. It’s rare that a legislature gets so embarrassed that it decides to kick out two of its own, but when these two state representatives not only had an affair while in office, but tried to cover it up using tax payer money, you can understand why action had to be taken. What made this scandal even more noteworthy is that these two legislators ran on a “family values” platform. So, the real scandal was their hypocrisy. But, if the news hour doesn’t provide you with enough scandalous news, there are other options, including a highly regarded TV show simply titled Scandal.  I’ve not watched it, but I ...

1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20 The Elders of Israel went to Samuel the prophet and judge, and told him it was time for a change in leadership. Yes, it was time to retire, and since his sons weren’t up to the job of leading them, they wanted a king, so they could be like all the other nations.  Apparently Samuel wasn’t thrilled with their request and so he complained to Yahweh. Yahweh told Samuel that the Elders weren’t rejecting Samuel’s leadership; they were rejecting Yahweh’s kingship.  While Samuel might have hoped for more backing from God, Yahweh told him to give the people what they wanted.  But, Yahweh told Samuel to warn the people about the downside of having a king.     If they had a king, the king would want to control their lives. A king would draft their sons to serve in the military, take their crops and flocks, and essentially make them slaves.  Yes, as Louis XVI put it in Mel Brooks’s History of the World, Part 1: “It’s good to be ...

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 1 Lord, you were favorable to your land;     you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;     you pardoned all their sin. Selah 8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,     for he will speak peace to his people,     to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. 9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,     that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;     righteousness and peace will kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,     and righteousness will look down from the sky. 12 The Lord will give what is good,     and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness will go before him,     and will make a path for his steps. We have been blessed this morning with offerings of music.  These gifts stir the soul and point us onward to the com...

Romans 8:14-17 “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.”   With this simple song, our children invited us to celebrate Pentecost Sunday by letting the light of God’s Spirit shine through us.  When the Spirit of God descended on the people of God, like a mighty wind, that Pentecost Sunday, flames danced above each head.  This flame symbolizes the light of God that shines through us, lighting our pathways as we journey with God into the world.  Bearing this light, we fulfill our calling to be a blessing to our neighbors – whether close by or far away.   Not only does the song remind us that God has filled us with the light of the Spirit, but it also reminds us, that even if we’re adults, we’re still children of the living God.  As Paul puts it: “All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters” (Rom. 8:14 CEB).   Of course, none of us are God’s natural born children.  No, we’ve been adopted into God’s ...

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 What if you could live your life over again?   Wouldn’t it be great to fix all your mistakes and repair the broken relationships?   Of course time travel is nothing more than a science fiction dream, so this doesn’t seem possible.  And yet, St. Paul writes that in Christ all things can become new.   Or, as Brian Wren’s hymn puts it:    “This is a Day of New Beginnings; time to remember and move one, time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that’s gone.” Many of us have a favorite passage of scripture, and this is one of mine.  I’ve turned to it time and again for guidance and assurance. I’ve preached from this passage several times before, because it’s a wonderful summary of the gospel message.  It also defines our role in the work of God.       Another reason why I find this passage to be so powerful is that it speaks of new beginnings, of second chances, of new ...

Note:  We celebrated the life of one of our church members in worship this morning.  I've decided to share the bulk of the sermon, but I've removed the section where I recount the life of our beloved church member.    Jeremiah 1:4-10 There are few callings in life as risky and dangerous as that of a prophet.  Remember how  Jesus told the folks in Nazareth that prophets aren’t always welcome in their hometowns (Lk 4:24).  Moses found out the hard way that even if God sends you to deliver people from slavery, they may resist your efforts.  So, Jeremiah may have had good reasons to question his calling to be a prophet to the nations.  It didn’t even matter that God had made the choice in the womb, which is why Jeremiah told God –  “I don’t know how to speak because I’m only a child.”  No one is going to listen to me.  I’m too young and inexperienced. What does God say in response to Jeremiah’s questions – he simpl...

2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Do you remember the story of Androcles and the Lion?  It’s one of Aesop’s Fables that often appears in children’s books.  Remember how Androcles escaped slavery only to face a lion in the forest?  It’s as if he was jumping from the frying pan into the fire.  Thinking the lion would kill him, he begins to run away.  But as he does this he hears the lion moaning in pain.  So, he turns around and discovers that the lion has a thorn embedded in its paw.  What to do?  Does he remove the thorn and risk death, or does he turn his back on the suffering lion?  In spite of his fears, Androcles pulls the thorn out of the lion’s paw.  As for the lion, he joyfully licks the face of his savior, and from that moment on they become good friends.  Now, their friendship will get another test when both get captured and face each other in the arena.  When the lion refuses to kill Androcles, the emperor is so amazed th...