Sermons
Sermons preached in a context, but written for people of all sorts and conditions.
-
Preparing with Hope
•
6 min read
a homily for Advent 1A Text: Matthew 24:36-44 Waking up early I woke up early on Thursday morning. Not to my alarm, but to my son saying “Daddy!” He was wide awake and ready to get up—a full hour ahead of my schedule. He and I walked out into the dark living room and…
-
Asking/Responding
•
6 min read
a homily for Proper 29C Text: Luke 23:33-43 This is a potent ending to the church year. Jesus on the cross, mocked, brought low beside two criminals. A passage full of questions—like the questions we all bring with us to church. Questions about… Jesus—Who is He, what is He? What does He want? GOD—What is…
-
Building for Mission
•
8 min read
a homily for Proper 28C Text: Luke 21:5-19 Encountering Jesus’s Mission Jesus ends the teaching at the Temple and begins to leave with his closest followers by saying some pretty tough words. Listen: In the hearing of all the people he said to the disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in…
-
Are we even alive?
•
6 min read
a homily for Proper 27C Text: Luke 20:27-38 What are they talking about? This gospel isn’t what we take it for. The people that put together the Revised Common Lectionary have us jumping into Holy Week here. Last week’s story about Zacchaeus, the wee little man who climbed a sycamore tree is the first half of…
-
Of Faith and Justice
•
6 min read
a homily for Proper 24C Text: Luke 18:1-8 This parable contains two characters: a widow and a judge. We aren’t given the circumstances that bring this woman before a judge, but we are given enough clues. Or really, the only two clues that are necessary: that she is a widow and that she is seeking…
-
Climbing Higher
•
5 min read
a homily for Proper 26C Text: Luke 19:1-10 It so often feels that gospels about money are tricky during Stewardship Season like this. We already hate to talk about money. Bringing up economics in a homily is a tricky enough proposition during the rest of the year. It sometimes feels as if the preacher is…