Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Micah 6:1-8 Psalm 15 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Matthew 5:1-12 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from the one who richly blesses us. Amen   God begins with blessings.   This is the truth that Jesus points to  as he begins teaching the disciples and the crowds that have gathered around him  in our gospel for today.   It is a truth that may not be so apparent in their lives.   Matthew tells us that after he calls

Third Sunday After Epiphany Isaiah 9:1-4 Psalm 27:1, 4-9 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you  from the one who proclaims the kingdom of heaven  and calls us into relationship. Amen   How do we know when it’s the right time?    The right time for something new,  the right time to take a stand for or against something, the right time to repent, the right time to change?   Is it, as some have suggested

2nd Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 40:1-11 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 John 1:29-42 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  grace and peace to you from the one who is faithful Amen.   “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done;  there is nothing new under the sun.”  proclaims the Teacher in Ecclesiastes (1:9),  often quoted in times of turmoil,   sometimes as an expression of despair-  there is nothing new under the sun, why d

Baptism of Our Lord Isaiah 42:1-9 Psalm 29 Acts 10:34-43 Matthew 3:13-17 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  grace and peace to you  from the one who comes alongside us to fulfill all righteousness, Amen.   “What then are we to say about these things?”   This question from Paul in Romans chapter 8(v31-39)  echoed in my heart this week, not only was I spending time with the passage  in preparation for Denny’s funeral  but also I was,  to paraphrase Karl Barth

2nd Sunday of Christmas Jeremiah 31:7-14 Psalm 147:12-20 Ephesians 1:3-14 John 1:1-18 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from the one who is both vast and intimate Amen   Merry Christmas! I know, it may not feel like Christmas anymore, Especially since the hope for peace on earth Has been shattered once again. As we struggle to understand And Wonder what to say And Pray for those in Venezuela  Christmas feels like it is over.   And yet

Christmas Eve Isaiah 9:2-7 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-20 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  grace and peace to you from love born among us. Amen   Merry Christmas! People love Christmas for many reasons  but I suspect that underlying all of them  is the comfort of familiarity.   The essentials of Christmas rarely change all that much,  with Christmas you know what to expect each year,  no surprises other than what is under the tree    and for us who worship eac

4th Sunday in Advent Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7,17-19 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  grace and peace to you  from love who says we are necessary. Amen   Have you ever wondered if Joseph  is really all that necessary for the Christmas story?    He doesn’t say anything, he really just seems to be there for his family connections, which I’m sure God could find another way to make,  and let’s be honest, God and Mary are really

3rd Sunday in Advent Isaiah 35:1-10 Psalm 146:5-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from the one who is to come. Amen   Are we there yet?   Growing up we took several long family road trips and my parents always packed a large bag of mixed candy - something only seen around our house in such quantities at Halloween,  and when we were on the road as the day stretched on  and my brother and I were done bein

2nd Sunday in Advent Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from our coming peacemaker. Amen   Today we lit the second candle on the Advent wreath,  the candle of peace, and in our scriptures we have a vision of the peace  that the messiah will bring from the prophet Isaiah,    most vividly imaged in the pairs of animals  that are naturally at odds with one another, or rather one usuall

First Sunday in Advent Isaiah 2:1-5 Psalm 122 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from the one who is on the way! Amen   Happy New Year! Yes, once again we are at the beginning of the church calendar,  the annual cycle we use to mark time  that guides us first through Jesus’ life and then through considering how to live as disciples of Jesus,   and as always we begin with a call to Wake Up!  God is comin

23rd Sunday after Pentecost Malachi 4:1-2a Psalm 98 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from the one who is making all things new. Amen   What do we do when the good news doesn’t sound so good?    This is the predicament the disciples find themselves in this morning.  Jesus has been proclaiming the good news  that the kingdom of God has come near, that even now it is coming  and that in the kingdom of

22nd Sunday after Pentecost Job 19:23-27a Psalm 17:1-9 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 Luke 20:27-38 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  grace and peace to you from the one who makes sure that death is not the end. Amen   What would change if there were no death?   Everything   Everything would change if we were to live without the reality of death.   This is the point  Jesus is making to the Sadducees who are questioning him, trying to trap him today, and it’s

All Saints Sunday Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Psalm 149 Ephesians 1:11-23 Luke 6:20-31 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace and peace to you from Christ  the source of our hope, amen.   Spending time with our scriptures this week, one line kept sticking out to me,  part of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians,   he prays that God might give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation  “so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to

Reformation Sunday Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 46 Romans 3:19-28 John 8:31-36   Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ grace and peace to you from the one who is our refuge and strength. Amen   Two questions   Two questions always seem to arise in the midst of tumult   Where is God? And What do I do?   When the earth moves beneath our feet whether literally or metaphorically, especially when things as seemingly solid as mountains tremble, we cannot help but respond  

18th Sunday after Pentecost 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c Psalm 111 2 Timothy 2:8-15 Luke 17:11-19 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  grace and peace to you  from the one who stitches us together in love. Amen   “Did none of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Jesus proclaims over the head of the healed Samaritan still prostrated at his feet.    Who is he speaking to? His disciples? The crowds? Anyone who has ever designated someone else a forei

17th Sunday after Pentecost Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 Psalm 37:1-9 2 Timothy 1:1-14 Luke 17:5-10 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus...

16th Sunday after Pentecost Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Psalm 146 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,...

15th Sunday after Pentecost Amos 8:4-7 Psalm 113 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  grace...

14th Sunday After Pentecost Exodus 32:7-14 Psalm 51:1-10 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus...

13th Sunday after Pentecost Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 1 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33 Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,...