(Sermon preached May 21, 2023) Matthew 18:21-22 can be a dangerous passage when used to send people back to their abusers. So what are we to make of it? What is and isn’t forgiveness? Why is it important? How do we do it?
I’ll Be There
(Sermon preached May 16, 2023) Jesus tells his disciples that he is about to leave them. In John 14:15-21, he tells them he will not leave them orphaned, he will be with them. What we discover, with a little help from Tom Joad is that Jesus is with us “on the way.” As we carry on the work Jesus began, the work of love, compassion, forgiveness, healing, and justice, Jesus assures us, “I’ll be there.”
One Anothering
(Sermon preached May 7, 2023) In John 14:1-14, Jesus tells his disciples to not let their heart be troubled. What sounds like bad grammar may actually be speaking to the collective heart of the disciples.
Jesus the Gate
(Sermon preached April 30, 2023). John 10:1-10 is a jumble of mixed metaphors related to shepherding that Jesus’ audience doesn’t understand. Midway through the passage, he says, “I am the gate,” which is a challenging metaphor to unpack. Is Jesus the only way into an exclusive community of the saved or are the teaching of Jesus and his example the way of abundant life for all people?
Creation Care = Neighbor Love
(Sermon preached April 23, 2023) Galatians 5:13-15 may not be the most obvious text for an Earth Day Sermon, and yet, when we consider the impact of our practices of consumption and production we learn that it is the most vulnerable people that suffer the consequences. Every act, large or small, that we do in care of creation, is an act of neighbor love.