Sermons on Matthew

Lent 2 – Discipleship is vacating God’s throne and submitting to the law of love

Lent 2 – Discipleship is vacating God’s throne and submitting to the law of love; Matthew 7:15-20 Throughout the Season of Lent, I will preach on saints who might not be known as such. Today, we will learn about Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. What made a scientist work on such a dangerous, destructive weapon? The threats that the world faced through Nazi Germany were real and immediate. He thought he was saving civilization by developing the…

Who are we?

Who are we? – Matthew 4:1-11 One of the major questions that Jesus asks his disciples is; who do you think that I am? We ask ourselves the same question. Who are we? Who do we want to be? How do we define who we are? This is a quest to discover the core of our humanity. When we can name it, we can access it, and we can embody it. Who you think you are, has consequences in how…

Ash Wednesday

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return!” Rev. Baumann, sermon, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Port Angeles WA. Check out our video ministry 1517 Grace Guerrilla https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv2aB-i9zHPqgh3NjUJ5-lg

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? – Matthew 16:13-17:13 Many things have happened between Jesus’ baptism by John, the Baptist and the scene we read about today; Jesus’ transfiguration. Transfiguration means a change in appearance, which is prone to be exalting, glorifying, or spiritual. In the church year, the Feast Day of Jesus’ Transfiguration stands at the end of the Season of Epiphany, Jesus’ baptism at the beginning. Both events feature God’s voice, proclaiming; This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I…

This is the Law! (The Rest is Culture.)

This is the Law! (The Rest is Culture.) – 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 and Matthew 5:21-37 Judaism, Christianity and Islam believe in the same God. – In the God of Abraham, hence Judaism, Christianity and Islam are called the Abrahamic faiths. Judaism is not only a religion, but the Jews are also a people. Christianity is closely related to the religious traditions of Judaism, but obviously, Christians are not a people. On the contrary, Christianity speaks to all ethnicities and, at…

Happy are those who follow Jesus!

Happy are those who follow Jesus! – Matthew, chapters 5-7 What we call Sermon on the Mount is a summary or collection of important teachings by Jesus. This preaching/teaching is the first act in Jesus public ministry according to Matthew. That Matthew places Jesus high up on a mountain when Jesus says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish, but to fulfill’, that is significant. It grounds…

Wolf Larson’s Floating Hell

Wolf Larson’s Floating Hell – Matthew 5:1-12 The beatitudes we read in the gospel today are probably the most memorable words in the New Testament. They are powerful because they defy reality. They bestow God’s blessings on individuals who are by common human perception definitively not among those who are blessed. But God and humans see things differently and that is why God could never create a hell that is so devastating than the hell that humans create for themselves.…

Turning Around to Follow Jesus

Turning Around to Follow Jesus – Matthew 4:12-23 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. John proclaimed these exact words when he began his baptismal ministry at the river Jordan (Matthew 3:2). And now, that John has been arrested, Jesus starts proclaiming these same words (4:17). The moment when Jesus’ ministry begins is when John’s ministry ends. Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God as soon as he hears that John cannot preach and prophesy anymore because he has…

Images of God

Images of God – Matthew 3:13-17 Today’s gospel reading, the Baptism of our Lord, leaves us with the image of our Trinitarian God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit united as one. The Holy Trinity is also depicted in the icon by Andrei Rublev above. The baptismal scene is an epiphany, a sudden realization, of the Trinity, Three-in-One: Jesus emerging from the waters of baptism, the spirit of God descending like a dove, and God’s voice speaking from heaven. There…

Herod, too, is the Reason for the Season*

Herod, too, is the Reason for the Season* – Matt 2:13-23 After Jesus was born, the Holy Family is forced to flee from King Herod’s wrath. They find refuge in Egypt. Herod’s cruel and murderous rule reminds us of our responsibility as citizens to actively participate in the political process. Some of us are called to stand for office. All of us are called to be well informed, to vote, and to communicate with our elected officials. Guided by Jesus’…

God’s Promises

God’s Promises – Matthew 11:2-11 This Sunday, we will talk about one of the persistent messages of biblical storytelling: God made promises and now we have to wait for them to become true! But in a mysterious way, they are true already – Something has already happened. We can feel it is here already, but it will be complete in the future. God reaches out to us from the future, but in the time in between, what we feel to…