June 6, 2021 1 Samuel 8:4-20 Mark 3:31-35   I’ve mentioned before that there are plenty of disagreements in scripture: contradictions and signs that the various biblical authors didn’t see things the same way.  One of those areas of disagreement is the matter of Israel’s king and whether or not they should even have one.  […]

May 30, 2021 Isaiah 6:1-8 John 3:1-17   If today’s gospel passage sounds vaguely familiar to you, like we read it just a couple of months ago during worship, that’s probably because we did.  Actually, we read overlapping verses, so it wasn’t quite the same, but I chose to spend a good deal of time […]

May 16, 2021 Ascension Sunday Acts 1:1-11 Luke 24:44-53   It was about 6 years ago that I agreed to serve as a guinea pig for another church’s search committee.  They wanted to practice their interview questions with someone before seeing real candidates whom they might actually call to become their new pastor. We got […]

May 9, 2021 Acts 10:44-48 John 15:9-17   I wonder how many of you remember the contents of the message preached at your wedding service.  If I had to guess I would say, not many.  I don’t blame brides and grooms for that.  There’s often too much mental and emotional energy being directed elsewhere for […]

May 2, 2021 Acts 8:26-40   One of my friends and clergy colleagues, now retired, tells the story of baptizing the infant child of a somewhat troubled couple.  I don’t remember the specifics of their difficulties, but it was a small town and a small church and everybody knew everybody’s business.  So, whatever the issues […]

April 25, 2021 Acts 4:5-12 Psalm 23 John 10:11-18   During the season of Eastertide – that is, the 6 Sundays after Easter – the lectionary replaces the Old Testament lessons with readings from the Book of Acts.  In other words, rather than drawing our attention to the ancient witness of the scriptures that Jesus […]

April 18, 2021 Luke 24:36b-48 Acts 3:12-19   Make no mistake: if he rose at all It was as His body; If the cell’s dissolution did not reverse, the molecule reknit, The amino acids rekindle, The Church will fall.   It was not as the flowers, Each soft spring recurrent; It was not as His […]

March 28, 2021 Mark 11:1-11 Philippians 2:5-11 Palm/Passion Sunday   “Why did the dude have to die?”  My colleague at lectionary group shared this question the other day.  I should have listened more carefully because I don’t remember if the child who asked it was a relative of his or not, or how he knew […]

March 14, 2021 John 3:14-21   Here we are this morning with John 3:16, that passage that everybody knows.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”  It seems wrong to read this passage in church […]

March 7, 2021 Exodus 20:1-17 John 2:13-22   Professor Joy J. Moore, for Luther Seminary’s team of “Sermon Brainwave” podcasters, turned commentary about the 10 Commandments into preaching the other day, and I have to say it was awesome.  I won’t do it justice, but I’ll try.  She reminded us that these set of rules […]