Sermons
Sermons preached in a context, but written for people of all sorts and conditions.
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In Matthew 22:15-22, we get stuck on the words “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s” we forget the whole thing’s a trap. Proper 24A | Matthew 22:15-22 I don’t know if any of you have been outside in…you know…the last few years…but there are people really concerned with the mixing…
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in Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells a weird parable about wedding banquet and a murderous king. How could this possibly reveal God to us? Proper 23A | Matthew 22:1-14 Remind me not to let Jesus be in charge of the guest list for any future weddings. That guy will let anyone in. Or would he? This…
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In the Kingdom of Earth, selfishness rules and violence is justified. How far such things are from what Jesus offers: a kin-dom of heaven. Proper 22A | Matthew 21:33-46 Several years ago, Rose and I took a trip to northwestern Michigan. We stayed in a bed and breakfast near Traverse City and drove up the…
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Jesus’s parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) doesn’t seem fair. But that’s because we don’t want it to be. Proper 20A | Matthew 20:1-16 For those who have not heard this gospel story before, or hardly recognize it, you can probably tell right away it is one of the most hated parables…
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If the debt doesn’t kill you… Proper 19A | Matthew 18:21-35 Remember the stumbling blocks? It’s been Jesus’s main subject in the last several weeks of gospel readings. As they head north, Jesus warns of those things which get in our way, trip us up, and keep us from doing what needs to be done.…