by Shelly | Nov 29, 2024 | Sermons
Be alert and prepare Advent is about the “coming days.” God’s people have always lived in great expectation, but that expectation finds specific, repeated enunciation in the texts appointed for these four weeks. The ancients anticipated a “righteous Branch to spring...
by Shelly | Nov 20, 2024 | Sermons
A king showing sacrificial love Even after Israel had experienced the vagaries of kings, the people still longed for a true king to set things right. He would have the king’s title of Anointed One (Messiah); he would be the “one like a human being” (Son of Man) given...
by Shelly | Nov 14, 2024 | Sermons
Provoke each other to love November begins with All Saints Day and ends in or near Advent, when we anticipate Christ’s coming again. It is fitting, then, that the readings today tell of the final resurrection and the end time. In the turmoil of hope, fear, and...
by Shelly | Nov 5, 2024 | Sermons
Giving with trust Widows are visible everywhere in today’s readings. Jesus denounces those scribes who pray impressive prayers but devour widows’ houses. He commends the poor widow who in his view gave far more than the major donors. Jesus doesn’t see her simply as an...
by Shelly | Oct 29, 2024 | Sermons
God makes all things new Of all three years of the lectionary cycle, this year’s All Saints readings have the most tears. Isaiah and Revelation look forward to the day when God will wipe away all tears; in John’s gospel, Jesus weeps along with Mary and all the...
by Shelly | Oct 25, 2024 | Sermons
Walking in Grace by faith A gift from the Reformation Rooted in the past and growing into the future, the church must always be reformed in order to live out the love of Christ in an ever-changing world. We celebrate the good news of God’s grace, that Jesus Christ...
