Sermons from March 2022
Lent 1 – What does it take to challenge the Status Quo?
What does it take to challenge the Status Quo? In the season of Lent and on Easter, we look at Saints who paid for their discipleship hoping their example will inspire us and give us directions as to where our path of discipleship will lead us. The example for today is Emily Davison. Emily was a college graduate, militant suffragette and Christian feminist, born in 1872 in London. Christian feminism believes that the principle of egalitarianism was present in the…
Ash Wednesday – John Newton and the courage to repent.
John Newton and the courage to repent. In the season of Lent and on Easter, we look at Saints who paid for their discipleship hoping their example will inspire us and give us directions as to where our path of discipleship will lead us. Our example of the courage it takes to repent is John Newton, the writer of the Hymn Amazing Grace. He was a slave ship captain, taking black people into bondage, taking them on the grueling middle…
Transfiguration and Gethsemane – Luke 9:28-36 and 22:39-46
Transfiguration and Gethsemane – Luke 9:28-36 and 22:39-46 Jesus’ prayer on the mountain and Jesus’ prayer in the garden show me the two natures of his being: Jesus’ Godly nature sparkles and shines in joyous insight when Jesus converses with the prophets; and Jesus’ human nature glows in honesty and courage as Jesus prepares for the time of suffering. Joy and suffering are both part of our lives. As we prepare to face the challenges life presents to us, we…
Love your Enemies – Luke 6:27-38
Love your Enemies – Luke 6:27-38 When you are on one side of a conflict, it is difficult to question the side you are on. Your side, is where you have meaningful relationships. The other side is rather abstract. Normally you don’t know the people on the other side. You know some facts and rumors about them. Sometimes you try to figure out what drives them, but most of the time you don’t even bother to find out their motivations.…
We have seen strange things today – Luke 5:17-26
We have seen strange things today – Luke 5:17-26 Sometimes strange things happen, and we need to do the work of discerning: Is this strange thing a message from God or rather from the devil? Or just some random coincidence? The people in the house with the hole in the roof, through which the sick man was brought to Jesus, they knew in the moment of healing and forgiving that this was a Godly thing occurring. Not because it gave…
Fishing for People – Luke 5:1-11
Fishing for People – Luke 5:1-11 Let’s look at Peter in the Gospel story. The divine touches down in his boat and makes him throw out his fishing nets. And under Jesus’ guidance, the bounty of the lake is bestowed upon them. God’s plan for God’s people is that they have life in abundance. It is God’s will that they do not suffer hunger and want. But as soon as God shows them love, Peter falls on his knees and…
We don’t talk about Bruno – Luke 4:21-30
We don’t talk about Bruno – Luke 4:21-30 What is it about prophets, that people don’t wan’t to listen to them? In the Disney Movie Encanto, Bruno, the uncle with prophetic gifts, needs to hide away behind the walls of the house of his family. Everybody is afraid of his prophecies. Nobody wants to listen to him. In the Gospel text, the people of Jesus’ hometown turn against him after he discloses his prophetic calling. They even threaten to kill…