Category: Preaching

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Sermon: Tell and Show

This sermon considers the feeding of the five thousand as an instance of God’s characteristic pattern of “telling and showing.” Jesus has already described the hidden, abundant economy of the kingdom through parables; now, in a deserted place among a hungry crowd, he makes that kingdom visible through compassion, healing, bread, and the gathered fragments. Read alongside Isaiah 55 and Psalm 145, the miracle reveals God’s provision as the tangible expression of his steadfast love and the fulfillment of his covenant promises. The Eucharistic pattern of taking, blessing, breaking, and giving then becomes not only a sign of Christ’s self-offering but also a pattern for Christian witness: having heard and seen the goodness of God in Christ, the Church is sent to tell that good news and embody it before a hungry world. Continue reading Sermon: Tell and Show

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Sermon: It-is-Well Hallelujah

In Jesus Christ you are not a lost cause! You are not damaged beyond Jesus’ ability to repair! Yes, through our sins and wickedness, we are broken beyond our own repair, but Jesus is the one who makes all things news, reconciling us to himself, restoring us to the Father. The Good News is that Jesus “wastes his time on you” because you are beloved by God. Continue reading Sermon: It-is-Well Hallelujah

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Sermon: A Parable Girl Summer

In the midst of a world seeking answers in all the wrong things and all the wrong places, Christ calls us to trust in him by watching for him, waiting on him, and working with him. In a world of god-delusions and god-confusions, Christ beckons us to live with gospel-vision in light of God’s provision. Continue reading Sermon: A Parable Girl Summer

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Sermon: The Falcon and the Falconer

Jesus describes what it looks like when the Messiah comes to town…because the Messiah has come to town! The Spirit has already descended upon him, he has received the Father’s anointing, and he will move forward from this sermon on his search-and-rescue mission. The promises of God are being fulfilled and will be fulfilled through Jesus: it is a veritable Jubilee. Continue reading Sermon: The Falcon and the Falconer

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Sermon: Who God Says You Are

The Bible tells a different story where God is the main actor;
Where God does the work of salvation;
Where God transforms us through his grace and mercy.
It’s a story of the God who always loved you.

We are not saved by what we have done.
We are saved by what God has done for us.
We are saved by who God says we are. Continue reading Sermon: Who God Says You Are

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Sermon: Another Story Must Begin

The Gospel tells the story of transformation and redemption. And when that transformation happens, the story doesn’t end there. The Gospel was never only about personal salvation. It was always about being Christ’s witnesses as agents of reconciliation and ambassadors of the good news in a world desperately in need of hope, of a future, of God. Continue reading Sermon: Another Story Must Begin

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Little House and Living Water

Jesus said that we will be filled with the living water, that eternal life will gush forth in us. This water will leave us fully satisfied, satiated, and quenched. But we are creatures who get parched very easily and we need a steady diet of living water. From what pools are you drinking? Too many of us drink from the pools of popularity, the pursuit of wealth and happiness, alcohol, sex, grumbling, or narcissism. To all who are thirsty: Jesus offers himself, he invites us to be satisfied in him. He will not run dry. Continue reading Little House and Living Water

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Old Friends and Bookends: A Trinity Sunday Sermon

Three persons are present in creation: God the Father is obvious. The Spirit is there, too, brooding and hovering over the deep like a mother bird over her young. But did you notice the second person? When God said let there be light and it was so, this was the presence of the divine Logos. The Word who would later be the Word made flesh flowing forth from the metaphorical mouth of God as an active agent in creation. Before we ever hear about stars and skies, slithering snakes, and slow-slinking sloths, we see Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a co-eternal relationship overflowing with love into creation. Continue reading Old Friends and Bookends: A Trinity Sunday Sermon

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Is the LORD’s Power Limited?

Pentecost is the fulfillment of ancient promises! John even told us in our passage that the Spirit had not yet been sent because Christ had not yet been glorified. In Acts 2, however, with the God being glorified in Christ crucified, raised, and ascended, the prophesied and promised Spirit is shared among Jesus’ followers, filling them to overflowing. Continue reading Is the LORD’s Power Limited?

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For What and Now What?

The ascension means that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, reigning and ruling over all of creation, filling all things, interceding and mediating on our behalf, inviting us to boldly approach the throne of grace, until he comes again in the fullness of time to consummate the kingdom he has already inaugurated. Continue reading For What and Now What?