Author: Aaron

Lectionary 23 (B) — James 2:1–17 and, in a way, The Formula of Concord, Article IV

When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, he wanted to skip the book of James (though he couldn’t bring himself to do it, since it IS scripture, after all). He wrote that it could not have been written by a real apostle, since it contradicts the writings of Paul and the rest of scripture. He calls it a Gospel made of straw, ready to be blown over by the slightest wind. So, whenever it comes up in the lectionary, I like to preach on it, just on principle, because I… am a little snot.

Sermon Series, Readings from the Minor Prophets — Habakkuk 3:2–4, 17–19; Revelation 21:1–6

Today is the last of our series on the minor prophets. There are seven more of them, these little books at the end of our Old Testament, and I’d encourage you to explore them if you’ve never had the chance. But today, we have a reading from Habakkuk.

Habakkuk is a frustrated prophet. Like much of the Bible writers, he believes that the destruction of Jerusalem by foreign armies is well-deserved punishment for the people of Israel. They have turned away from God, and so God has turned away from them. Fair is fair. (He’s not the best Lutheran.)

Sermon Series, Readings from the Minor Prophets — Nahum 1:1–8, 15; Mark 7:14–15, 21–30

Sacramento, California is in the middle of a crisis. Like many places in the state, unemployment and homelessness are at a shockingly high rate, but that’s not the biggest problem. The city is surrounded by wildfires running out of control. But that, too, isn’t the most pressing issue. The real challenge this week is the huge influx of people. In about three days, the city has welcomed the number of new citizens they would usually receive in nine months. With a large Afghan population already, it’s one of the places that our government and agencies are sending the masses of people fleeing Afghanistan.

Sermon Series, Readings from the Minor Prophets — Haggai 1:16b–2:9

The Israelites had been trapped in a foreign land for seventy years. Generations came and went. Their elders told stories of the beautiful land, flowing with milk and honey, they came from. Now their captors had been defeated by a new army from the southeast, and the emperor had decreed that the captives could go home. Their joy was great.

Until they got there. Jerusalem, the great city of David and the home of their God, was a ruin. What wasn’t destroyed decades ago had collapsed over the years. So had the fields. With only the poorest people left behind to tend to them, crops had rotted and decayed. There was no milk and honey here.

Sermon Series, Readings from the Minor Prophets — Hosea 2:2–7, 16–20; 11:1–9; Revelation 19:1–9a

I have this recurring dream. It takes place now, in 2021. But I’m back in college, in Alma, Michigan, where I had my first try at school. I took a long time to grow up and become the brilliant, successful, charming and entirely too humble person you know and love today. I failed out of Alma College. I spent a semester in the workforce, and then decided to go back and finish my music degree. Then I failed out a second time.

Sermon Series, Readings from the Minor Prophets: Joel 1:11–14, 1:19–2:2, 2:18–24

There’s one thing about Lutherans everywhere: We’re love food. So when we had a week-long summer program for teenagers in Massachusetts, food was an easy topic.

One day, we went to a produce stand for lunch. The fruits and vegetables for sale were grown locally. Everything looked beautiful, perfect. Juicy cherries and shining apples and strange lettuces and watermelon quarters that you wanted to eat right in the store. We left with armfuls of them, and after stopping at the deli next door, lunch was served.

Sermon Series, Readings from the Prophets — Lectionary 18 (B) — 2 Kings 4:42–44

In the weeks ahead, we’re going to hear from the lesser-known prophets of the Bible. As they speak to their time, and hope for Israel’s future, we’ll journey with them and look for hope for our future as well. If you would like to know more about these prophets, you’re welcome to join our weekly Bible study at 4:00 on Wednesdays. We have a good group of people gathering on the computer, and all are welcome to participate—or just to sit in and listen!

Today, we have the prophet Elisha. His name is easy to confuse with his teacher, Elijah. Elijah was the greatest prophet, a miracle worker who battled against the priests of the foreign god Ba’al, and one of the few people who never died, but was taken into heaven in a chariot with horses of flame. He passes his mantle, the sign of prophetic authority, to Elisha at the end of his earthly life.

Lectionary 16 (B) — Jeremiah 23:1–6

One way to work with a Bible story is to ask yourself which character fits you best. In today’s Old Testament readings, we are the sheep, obviously. Right?

Jeremiah’s prophecy begins with woe. The shepherds who shepherd my people make me miserable, God says. Jeremiah writes during a national disaster. Some of the prophets promise that destruction is coming, and others afterward to bring hope, but Jeremiah is right in the middle of it. The armies of Babylon have torn down the gate, the city is burning, and people are being torn away from their lives. Whole communities fled to foreign lands, hoping to escape the terror that’s now at the door.

Lectionary 15 (B) — Mark 6:14–29

In today’s Gospel reading, we have the story of a person who dedicated his life to proclaiming God’s word. It got him into a lot of trouble. The things he had to say didn’t please the powers of his time, and he ended up arrested, in prison, waiting for judgment. The powerful, political leader kept him in custody for a while, because there was no real, legitimate reason to condemn him. But there never was a real trial. The political pressure became too great, and so his disciples laid him in a tomb, after he was condemned to a grisly, painful, senseless death.

Lectionary 13 (B) — Lamentations 3:22–33, Mark 5:21–43

It’s exciting to finally start your career, move into your own home, start your “adult” life. A month before I began my new church in New England, a real estate agent gave me a whirlwind tour of nearby apartments. I found the perfect one, and my application went through. I came back to Berks County, packed my things, and off I went. Everything was perfect, prepared, organized. I was a real adult.