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.
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 15 (20) 20 August 2023
Sermon title: “Unity as Witness.”
Scriptures: Psalm 133 and Romans 11:29-32
Synopsis: Psalm 133 says, “how good and pleasant it is when siblings dwell together in unity.” In Romans, Paul says God wants to have mercy on all who disobedient, which is everyone. We are united in disobedience and the mercy of God, if nothing else!
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.
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 13 (18) 6 August 2023
Sermon: “Generosity as Witness.”
Scripture: Matthew 14:13-21
Synopsis: When the crowd of people gets hungry and the disciples suggest Jesus send them away, Jesus sees it as an opportunity for the disciples. “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat,” he says. Everyone (maybe especially the disciples!) receives God’s generosity in this story, and perhaps the generosity of one another as well, as the initial sharing of loaves and fishes may have inspired others to share what they had as well.
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.
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Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 11 (16) 23 July 2023
Sermon: Weeds & Wheat, Faith & Flaws
Scriptures: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (parable of the weeds and explanation) and Genesis 28:10-19a (Jacob’s ladder dream)
Theme: Nearly all of us have both faith and flaws in our lives and witness
Synopsis: Nearly all of us have both faith and flaws in our lives and witness. Jacob certainly did. That God continued to work in and through him, and he is even a patriarch of the Abrahamic faith traditions, can be encouraging for us, who are aware of both our faith and our flaws. The parable indicates that God allows both our faith and our flaws to exist side-by-side, and God will root out our flaws at the end.
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!”
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 9 (14) 9 July 2023
Scripture: Matthew 11:25-30
Theme: His yoke is easy.
Synopsis: The image of a yoke brings to my mind a team of oxen, and a yoke does require relationship and cooperation, even if there’s just one ox and the farmer. We are first yoked to Jesus, who is gentle and good, and also yoked to one another. Houghton and Vail bring a richer experience to each other.
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 8 (13) – 2 July 2023
Scripture: Luke 5:1-11
Synopsis: Here we are on our lake shore. Like Simon, Jesus calls us as we are, and also calls us to something new. Let’s get in the boat together, and head out to deep water with Jesus, sometimes away from our comfort zones, and see what Jesus will do!
Scripture: – Matthew 14: 22-31a (The Message)
…the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared to death. “A ghost!” they said, crying out in terror. But Jesus was quick to comfort them. “Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.” Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come ahead.” Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!” Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand.
Synopsis: It takes courage to change, to break out of whatever narrow paths we might find ourselves in. Just like Peter, if we are going to change, we have to take the first uncertain steps out of the boat onto the water and into the unknown. Luckily, we too have Jesus’ redeeming help and support, his hand reaching out to us, if we start to sink or lose our way.
Step Four for Change: Courage to take the first step
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