SERMONS
A Brush with Fame
You wouldn’t expect to see the Queen of England hiking on the same foothills as other travelers. It’s highly unlikely that anyone would come that close to royalty without being vetted and invited to stand in her presence. No wonder they didn’t recognize her.
Beyond Belief
Certainly, God treasures and loves us. Christ is risen, indeed. This is the good news that even in doubt and despair, new life springs forth. This is the faith into which we are baptized. This is the hope gives meaning and purpose to our days.
Chatbot Easter
Mary leaves the garden and proclaims, “I have seen the Lord!” and through her witness we too are empowered to look death in the eye, to peer into the open tomb, to gather at scenes of tragedy and loss, and give witness to the promise of the resurrection. Resurrection of Jesus and new life for us.
Where are you from?
Holy God, holy and beautiful,
you are despised, rejected,
scorned, you hold us fast,
and we behold your beauty.
Holy God, holy and living one,
you show your love by dying for your friends,
and we behold you living.
Take Off Your Shoes
And then: have your shoes on, ready to walk to liberation, as the Israelites were told to do as they awaited their deliverance from slavery. For freedom is coming. New life is coming. Easter is coming!
Why Have You Abandoned Me?
On this Sunday of the Passion, we behold a crucified God.
Hanging on the gallows.
Sharing our suffering.
Bearing our wounds.
God-with-us in our godforsaken moments.
God-with-us when there are no words.
God-with-us when there are no answers.
God-with-us when we wonder if we can make it through the night.
God-with-us when we question whether life is worth living or has any meaning.
God-with-us when we doubt the very existence of God.
The Colors of a Resurrected Life
We serve a God who calls us to live an abundant, unbound life. Our journey is not to the grave, but through it. The Lord who weeps is also the One who resurrects. So we grieve in hope; opening ourselves to all the colors of a resurrected life.
You Can't Depend On Your Eyes
You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. As we will sing in a few moments, “Let the inner eye discern / how much more there is to learn.”
Are You Wooed?
Jesus woos her. But more than that: Jesus woos Samaritans. The gift of God is now for everyone. In that time: women, Samaritans, Gentiles, outcasts. Today? Minorities. People of other faiths or no faith. Those on the margins. Those with strange, questionable backgrounds.
In the Middle of the Night
The light that will not fall under the shadow of our biggest doubts and fears, or be blown out by despair, but will shine even when we least expect it.
GPS For Lent
We, of course, went in a big circle. And our procession, more or less, ended up where we started. Reminds me of words by T.S. Eliot: “We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring. Will be to arrive where we started. And know the place for the first time.
Journeys Begun and Ended
We continue our baptismal journey, led on by the saints before us, led on by the life and witness of Mark Bangert.
Narrative Eucharist
Holy Trinity proclaims that all are welcome here: whoever you are, whoever you love and marry, whatever the color of your skin, however you feel about church and all these bodily gestures we’ve been practicing. But as we leave we pray we will assume a posture of hospitality toward all we meet.
A Bit of Saltiness
Salt that does not flavor and light that is hidden are worthless. So pass the salt. Light your lamp. Be who you are created to be for the world. For Christ has made us his own, a holy people, a light for the world to see.
Time for Mending
Whether we are the ones who are broken or we are joining in God’s work of mending the universe, at the center of it all is the cross. A sign of contradiction, as St. Paul writes in our second reading. What the world calls weakness is strength.
Your Ordinary Life
You, in your ordinary life, in your 2023 life are called to be shaped this way, your life matters in that it is woven into this story of what God is doing in the world, what is unfolding around us, even if it feels yet unclear.
Good Question
Jesus asks a really good question in today’s gospel. What are you looking for? It’s the existential question of the ages.
