Category: Sermon
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The Things That Make For Peace – A Sermon Luke 19:28-40 For Palm Sunday
Did anything strike you as strange about today’s first gospel reading (Luke 19:28-40)? Did it sound like something was missing? It’s the familiar Palm Sunday story about Jesus sending his disciples into the village to retrieve a colt for him to ride to Jerusalem. As he rides along people are “spreading their cloaks on the… Read more
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Smelling the Fragrance of Beauty – A Sermon On John 12:1-8
I want to think with you today about poverty and that last line from today’s gospel (John 12:1-8) in which Jesus says, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” What do you make of that? Who are the poor Jesus is talking about? Whose faces do you see?… Read more
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Coming Clean With Ourselves – A Sermon On Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Several years ago I was teaching a class about today’s gospel (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32), the Parable of the Prodigal Son. As soon as class was finished a man who had been sitting in the back of the room started coming toward me. I could tell he was upset. He was probably in his mid-seventies and… Read more
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Reimagining Our Lives – A Sermon On Luke 13:1-9 and Exodus 3:1-15
As I reflected on today’s gospel (Luke 13:1-9) and prepared this sermon I thought about the Russian war on Ukraine, the six million covid deaths worldwide, the collision between a pick up truck and a van that killed nine last Tuesday, the death of my son and other tragedies in my life. Not much has… Read more
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Gaining Some Clarity – A Sermon On Luke 13:31-35
The thing that strikes me about Jesus in today’s gospel (Luke 13:31-35) is his clarity. Jesus is absolutely clear about who he is and the task before him. He is absolutely clear in the choices he is making. And he is absolutely clear that Herod will not stand in his way. As I said last… Read more
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Facing Our Greatest Temptation – A Sermon On Luke 4:1-13
What comes to mind when you think about temptation? What tempts you? What is your greatest temptation today? I ask those questions because I think what we often call a temptation isn’t really a temptation. We often think about temptations as a struggle between ourselves and some other thing or person. We’re tempted to… Read more
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Pulling Back The Husks On My Life – An Ash Wednesday Sermon On Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Most weeks as I am preparing my sermon at some point I call a retired priest who, for almost thirty years, has been my spiritual director, mentor, and one of my two best friends. We talk about our lives, the scriptures, my sermon ideas, and how what I am reading and studying are connecting with… Read more
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Bursts Of Light – A Sermon On Luke 9:28-43
Today’s gospel (Luke 9:28-43), the transfiguration, is one of those big stories from scripture, a mountaintop experience. I wonder where that story fits in your life. Or does it even have a place? How do you make sense of it? What does it mean for your life today? It’s such a big story that it… Read more
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Living Large – A Sermon On Luke 6:27-38
If you heard a political candidate espousing today’s gospel (Luke 6:27-38) as her or his agenda would you vote for her or him? Is today’s gospel the platform on which your political party stands and governs our nation? If we really are a Christian nation, shouldn’t it be? Are you teaching your kids the values… Read more
Interrupting the Silence 