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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]