Sermons
Found by the Risen Christ
John 20:1-18
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
A Slow Trial
All Christians are understandably eager to celebrate Easter. Observing Lent for forty days and contemplating the sorrows of Jesus is less popular. Salvation, however, takes its own time, and it comes at a high price. The road to the empty tomb passes through Gethsemane, and Pilate’s headquarters, and Golgotha. There are no shortcuts.
Christ's Desired Meal
Jesus earnestly desired to eat the Passover with his followers on the eve of his crucifixion. Has he changed? Have we? He still is the God of the Exodus and Easter. We still are distracted sinners and double-minded disciples. But Jesus is glad to meet us here. This is why he instituted this Holy Sacrament.
“Palm Sunday”
Matthew 21:1-11
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
“Praying for the Dead to Rise”
John 11:18-44
Christianity is founded on the premise that the dead do in fact rise back to life. A corpse is not beyond Christ's reach. A non-responsive sinner can become God's welcoming home. Through intercessory prayer, we participate in God's resurrection ministry by praying for his life-giving will for the unrepentant to be fulfilled.
“The Man Born Blind”
John 9:1-13, 28-41
Jesus said to his disciples, “We must work the works of him who sent me.”
Having said this, “he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.”
“The Woman at the Well”
John 4:5-26, 39-42
“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
“Returning to the Hands of God”
Ps 51:1-12
This is where our Lenten journey begins. Creation, matter, dirt from the earth, our humble origins. The Spirit of God, breathing, animating, filling with life. The Word of God, speaking, ordering, bringing harmony into chaos. Us being made in the image and likeness of God, from the dust, by God’s Son and Spirit. These are the two hands of God, as St. Irenaeus of Lyons put it—the Word and the Spirit, the living means of both our earthly and our eternal life. Today we will consider sin as our rejection of God’s hands and repentance as our return to God’s hands.
Ordination Sermon: “Called by God”
Gal 1:11-24
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.
“A Light For the Nations”
Isaiah 49:6
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
“Justice, Kindness, and Humility
Micah 6:1-8
“With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
“The Confession of Peter”
Matt 16:13-19
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
“The Baptism of Our Lord”
Matt 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
“The Miracle of Christmas”
Luke 2:1-14
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
“Immanuel”
Isa 7:10-17
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”
“The Stump of Jesse”
Isa 11:1-9
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
“Ascending Mount Advent”
Isa 2:1-5 • Ps 122 • Matt 24:29-44
The scriptural image of the mountain conveys the nature of Advent as an upward pilgrimage. We are called to come to the God who comes to us. This is a joyous and toilsome journey by which we prepare ourselves for Christ's coming.
“Christ the King!”
Col 1:15-20
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
“The Patient Endurance of the Saints”
Luke 21:5-19
Three things are connected in the “eschatology vision” of Jesus: Human longing (for another world), God’s judgment (making all things right), and the patient endurance of the saints. The wellspring of life that gives us unspeakable joy is the same life that sustains us in all kinds of suffering; and it's the same self-sacrificing love of Christ. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7). For “the joy that was set before him [Jesus] endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2). We are also called to patient endurance that God would reveal himself to a wanting world.
“The Faith of Zacchaeus”
Luke 19:1-10
Jesus tells Zaccheaus, “I must stay at your house today.” This a sign of salvation. It reminds us of Revelation 3:20, where Jesus says, “If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in … to eat with you, and you with me" (Rev 3:20). Jesus lodges and dines with the poor and the wealthy, all those with sincere faith. There is fellowship and communion. This, no doubt, would have been a deeply affecting moment for Zacchaeus, who was a wealthy, lonely, and despised person. He longs for the same connection with God as the contrasting Rich Young Ruler—but he is the one who opens the door of faith and his heart overflows with generosity.