Tag: Future

Sermon

Let Us Dare To Pray (And Not Just For What We Want) – A Sermon On Luke 11:1-13

Proper 12 C – Luke 11:1-13 “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” It would sure be a lot easier to hear and preach today’s gospel (Luke 11:1-13) if it weren’t for all the unanswered prayers in our lives. I’m not suggesting that our prayers never get answered the way we … Continue reading Let Us Dare To Pray (And Not Just For What We Want) – A Sermon On Luke 11:1-13

Michael K. Marsh9 Comments
Sermon, Easter, Death, Life, Resurrection, Hope, Future, Impossible, Easter, Easter Sunday, Luke 24:1-12
Easter, Sermon

A Promise, A Hope, And A Call – A Sermon On Luke 24:1-12 For Easter Sunday

This is your resurrection. This is your Easter. This is your feast day. And that is true for every one of us here. Regardless of who you are, what you’ve done or not done, what has or has not happened in your life, what you believe or don’t believe, the promise remains, hope abides, and the call persists. Continue reading A Promise, A Hope, And A Call – A Sermon On Luke 24:1-12 For Easter Sunday

Michael K. Marsh1 Comment
Sermon, Holy Saturday, Matthew 27:57-66, Death, Future, Impossible
Holy Week, Sermon

Sitting In Opposition – A Sermon On Matthew 27:57-66 For Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday – Matthew 27:57-66 I am always struck by the contrast between this day, Holy Saturday, and the rest of Holy Week. The crowds, shouting, and turmoil of Good Friday have given way to silence and stillness. There is no meal or intimacy like on Maundy Thursday. The excitement and hope of Palm Sunday’s triumphal entry have ended with two women and a sealed … Continue reading Sitting In Opposition – A Sermon On Matthew 27:57-66 For Holy Saturday

Michael K. Marsh6 Comments
Lent 3C, Sermon, Burning Bush, Exodus 3:1-15, Luke 13:1-9, Moses, John Caputo, Future
Sermon

The Burning Bush: What If? – A Sermon On Exodus 3:1-15

The burning bush story is one of call and response. Something is being called for in the name of God. And I can’t help but believe that call and response is also the story of our lives. Something is being asked of us in the name of God. 

The burning bush experience does not happen apart from or in spite of every day life but in the midst of life, in the keeping of our flocks. That’s what Moses was doing when this happened. He was keeping the flock of his father in law. He was doing the ordinary routine things of his life, the same things he did the day before, the week before, and the month before. Burning bushes show up as we keep our flocks of routine and every day life; marriage, parenting, work, friendships, errands, church, reading the news, household tasks.  Continue reading The Burning Bush: What If? – A Sermon On Exodus 3:1-15

Michael K. Marsh4 Comments
Sermon, Lent 2C, Luke 13:31-35, Future, Death, Life, Jesus Laments Over Jerusalem
Sermon

Opening To Life – A Sermon On Luke 13:31-35

The Second Sunday in Lent – Luke 13:31-35 When was the last time you went to bed thankful and amazed by what the day had given you, something you had not planned or foreseen? Maybe it was a conversation, a chance meeting with someone else, a moment of hope or beauty, a truth or insight that changed you, an experience when you felt really alive. … Continue reading Opening To Life – A Sermon On Luke 13:31-35

Michael K. Marsh1 Comment
Sermon, Lent, Lent 1C, Temptation, Choices, Wilderness, Luke 4:1-13, Luke 3:21-22, Baptism of Jesus,
Lent, Sermon

Life Is Promise And Risk – A Sermon On Luke 4:1-13

The promise and risk of life come to us asking for a response. Jesus had decisions to make. And so do we. We make decisions everyday of our life; decisions and choices about what to do, who we want to be, how we want to live. We sometimes call them temptations. We feel torn and pulled between the promise and the risk. Temptations hold before us the illusion of promise without risk. But that’s not the way the wilderness works, and Jesus knows that. 

With each decision we’re betting that the future will be better, not because it necessarily is, but because it might be. And that “might,” the possibility of a better future, of more life, is what gives us the strength, the faith, the hope, to risk a decision and remain open to the future, even when we don’t know how it will turn out. Continue reading Life Is Promise And Risk – A Sermon On Luke 4:1-13

Michael K. Marsh4 Comments
Sermon, Epiphany 2C, John 2:1-11, Faith, Hope, Miracle, Transformation, Wedding at Cana
Sermon

Water Does Not Turn Into Wine – A Sermon On John 2:1-11

I don’t know if Jesus literally and physically turned water into wine. But then I don’t think that’s the point of today’s gospel. I don’t think this gospel is ultimately about turning water into wine. It’s about calling forth life where there is none. It’s about transformation. It’s about living a new life. Continue reading Water Does Not Turn Into Wine – A Sermon On John 2:1-11

Michael K. Marsh9 Comments
Advent, Advent 2C, Sermon, Repentance, Luke 3:1-6, Future
Advent, Sermon

What Has Laid Claim To Your Life? – An Advent Sermon On Luke 3:1-6

What do you see when you look at your past?

What are the feelings and thoughts?Regardless of how we view our past, regardless of what did or not happen back then, to the degree we are enmeshed, entangled, or enslaved to our past, “we can expect the future to look like the past” (Caputo, The Weakness of God, 169). We repeat the same patterns, tell ourselves the same old stories, and listen to same old voices. And not much changes. Life becomes static and we are stuck in the past trying to live a life that is no longer. 

John’s call for repentance is the call for us to face and deal with our past. Continue reading What Has Laid Claim To Your Life? – An Advent Sermon On Luke 3:1-6

Michael K. Marsh5 Comments
Sermon, Advent, Advent 1C, Future, Impossible, Luke 21:25-36, John Caputo
Advent, Sermon

The Unforeseeable Future – An Advent Sermon On Luke 21:25-36

In today’s gospel Jesus speaks of the “‘Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.” I think that’s a metaphor for the future. I’ve recently begun to think of Advent as the coming of our future, and a time when we prepare, as best we can, if we can, for that future. 

What comes up for you when you look toward or think about your future? How do you live with a future that is unforeseeable? Continue reading The Unforeseeable Future – An Advent Sermon On Luke 21:25-36

Michael K. Marsh4 Comments