If you were good enough, there would be no need of confessing Christ at all. It is just because you are not good enough, that Christ says to you, “Follow me.” He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. It is not the perfect people whom He wants in His church, but those who have a deep sense of their own imperfection, and who believe that His strength is made perfect in weakness.
Washington Gladden
August 23, 2020
Exodus 1:8-2:10 Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 16:13-20 “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” I am struck by two things, the first of which is the image of Peter being the rock on which the church of Jesus is built. The second is that Jesus invokes the notion of Hades or Hell in this passage. Not even Hades will be able to…
August 16, 2020
August 16, 2020 “Do the Right Thing” Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 Matthew 15:10-20 In our Old Testament passage for today, God instructs the people, through the prophet Isaiah, to “maintain justice” and “do what is right.” When I read those words my mind immediately went to a movie my children and I recently watched. Over the course of these past months of sheltering in place I have been very grateful to have my children with me. And…
August 8, 2020
August 9, 2020 “The Deep Surrounded Me” Jonah 2:1-9 Matthew 14:22-33 A couple years ago we took a group of 10 youth to Germany. The easy part was flying from Columbus to Germany. The easy part was climbing the tower stairs of the 13th century church. The easy part was learning how to negotiate the wonderful train system of the country. But the devil was in the details. The hard part came when you did not understand the electrical outlets.…
August 2, 2020
August 2, 2020 Matthew 14 In one of my first ministry callings, I was in the mountains of NE Washington State. Isolation. Mountains. Streams. Great distances from one town to another. My nearest UCC colleagues were 60 miles south in New Port and 60 miles to the West in Colville. It was isolated. For a number of years some seminary colleagues who had ministries in the big cities of Washington and California would hold a week long retreat for study,…
July 26, 2020
July 26, 2020 “A Wise and Discerning Mind” 1 Kings 3:5-12 Romans 8:26-39 Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 I love the Old Testament passage for today from 1 Kings. When given the chance to ask God for absolutely anything, King Solomon asks God for wisdom. So, here’s the thing about Solomon asking God for wisdom. It takes a certain degree of wisdom in the first place in order to understand the need for gaining more wisdom. Does that make sense? Just as…
July 19, 2020
July 19, 2020 “The Wheat and the Weeds” Isaiah 44:6-8 Matthew 13:24-30 In todays passage from Matthew 13:10 we have the disciples coming to Jesus and asking him :”Why do you speak to (the people) in parables?” Basically what Jesus says in answer to that is: you must listen AND understand; look AND perceive and then understand with your heart. So then, today’s reading in Matthew offers us a parable and also the reading for today is about the reason…
July 12, 2020
July 12, 2020 “What Do We Sow?” Isaiah 55:10-13 Romans 8:1-11 Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 I am guessing that most of us grew up knowing this childhood rhyme: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. I looked up this expression, and there are varying accounts as to where it originated, as well as its intended purpose and meaning. But I think even as a child I understood it had a much deeper meaning than…
July 5, 2020
June 28, 2020 – Confirmation Sunday These verses were selected for each confirmand. Brandon… Psalm 139:2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from far away. Actually, Brandon, your thoughts are not from far away…but you keep them close to the vest, so to speak. You are not the first to hold up a hand, but you are the deepest thinker of the class. We found that you always had a different…
June 28, 2020
“Welcome” Genesis 22:1-14 Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42 Todays passage from the Gospel of Matthew reminds us that whoever welcomes you welcomes Jesus and whoever welcomes Jesus welcomes the one who sent him…meaning the creator God. Welcome a friend, welcome a stranger and you are welcoming Jesus. It’s much like the benediction: may you see the face of Christ in everyone you meet and may everyone you meet see the face of Christ in you. That is exactly what…
June 21, 2020
June 21, 2020 “The Cost of Discipleship” Quarantine Sermon #7 Jeremiah 20:7-13 Romans 6:1b-11 Matthew 10:24-39 So, we just heard some pretty disturbing words in our Gospel passage for today – words that do not sound like the kind and gentle Jesus we know and love. What does Jesus mean when he says he has not come to bring peace but a sword? And why does he say that he has come to set a man against his father and…
June 14, 2020
Just think about this for a moment. The Gospel reading for this morning gives us an idea of what Jesus’ life is like…when he was in full stride with his life’s ministry. We see Jesus…traveling about, teaching, proclaiming good news, curing disease and sickness. And…he had compassion for the people to whom he was ministering. After all…the Gospel of Matthew says, “He has compassion for them because the were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.” Raise your hand…
June 7th, 2020
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