Archive for category: Sermons

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost  Proper 16 (21)       27 August 2023

Sermon title: “Word and Deed as Witness.” 

Scriptures:  Matthew 16:13-20 and Romans 12:1-8

Synopsis:  In Matthew Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is. We are invited to tell people who we experience and know Jesus to be. Romans tells us to sacrifice our bodies and to do what we are gifted to do.

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost  Proper 14 (19)  13 August 2023

Sermon:  “Fear and Faith as Witness”

Scriptures: Matthew 14:22-33 and Romans 10:5-15

Synopsis: In Matthew, Peter gets out of the boat, gets afraid, begins to sink and Jesus saves him; others proclaim faith after seeing this. Peter’s fear leads to a cry of faith (Lord, save me!), and the salvation Peter receives acts as witness to the others.  The passage from Romans teaches how the word of faith is in your mouth and in your heart, and that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost  Proper 12 (17)      30 July 2023

Sermon: Hidden and Mixed In

Scriptures: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 (the kingdom of heaven is like…) and Genesis 29:15-28 (Jacob marries Leah instead of Rachel)

Theme: God’s work in the world is often hidden and mixed in

Synopsis: It can be difficult to see and discern God’s work in the world. But once we glimpse that pearl or treasure, it is worth putting all we are into it. Even in the midst of disappointment, underhanded dealings, or even injustice, like in the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel, God can still work. (This is NOT to say that we accept injustice because God can work in spite of it.) Let’s be people who look for God’s work in the world, celebrate it and invest in it, and become that regular field where a pearl is hidden beneath the surface.

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost  Proper 10 (15)      16 July 2023

Sermon:  Seeds, Sowers, and Success  

Scripture:   Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Theme:     We are the seed sowers!  

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 If you have ears,[a] hear!”

“Hear, then, the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.[a] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this[b] age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Synopsis: 

This parable is all about potential. We are the seed sowers!  It’s time to re-imagine fruitfulness and then to work for that in the whole ministry of the church.   We look for seeds— and we also sow seeds of invitation,–not just at the dirt. We look for potential and not just for limitations or barriers. We move from “if only” to “see what God is doing in our midst!”