We gather to celebrate another Christmas, to proclaim the wondrous gift, to acknowledge the hopes and also the fears that are met in this birth. In the silent darkness of this night, let us consider the hopes and fears of this world. In the stillness of this night, let us imagine that we are in […]
We have come once more to hear the story of Jesus’ birth. We have come to remember the turning point, when God came to rule his world, to make right what has gone wrong. We gather in darkness, listening for promise, the slightest whisper of hope. The story begins with Mary’s Song, “God scatters the […]
All Advent, we have been praying, “Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Stir up your power, O God, and come.” Now on Christmas Eve, we hear God’s reply, “Okay. Here I come.” We jump back. We are afraid. Will we be able to control God if he really does stir up his power? […]
Matthew 10: 26-31 Have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body […]
The temptation is to give a polished sermon that glosses over the meaning of all these basic but difficult texts. I am going to offer instead a rough Bible study that I hope will allow Jesus’ challenge to shine through. First the Gospel. Turn the other cheek and love your enemy. Luke shows this is […]
For several years I have been trying to lead one of my favorite people into the ministry. I have been extremely sensitive to his needs, letting him work as slowly as he needs through all the obstacles and questions. I have been subtle in my prodding, very gentle. Recently, he came to tell me he […]
Ruth 1: 16-17 Ruth said, ‘Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried. May the Lord […]
I preached this sermon last January during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with people from Good Shepherd Lutheran in Gaithersburg, Maryland. We were on the spot at the the Sea of Galilee where many believe Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount. We had just been to Caesurea Philippi where Peter confessed Jesus to […]
Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, “The Sower and the Setting Sun” played a very special role in my ministry. The artist wrote frequently that it was his first effort to use extravagant, bold, contrasting color to express emotion. You can almost feel the heat of the sun beating out from the canvas. You experience the exhaustion […]
This is a very special day for me. In November 1999, I began to feel ill in the middle of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. In four days, I had heart bypass surgery. For the first time in my life, I faced the reality of my own death. After two months recovery I returned to work on […]
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