Tag Archives: faith

closeup of a crabapple branch in bloom

Saturday Prayer 09.02.2023

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Lord, remember the time I was picking crabapples for jelly, and there was this squirrel right above me in the tree? The branch had bent under the squirrel’s weight, and the squirrel was hanging upside down to reach the crabapples at the tip of the branch. I heard you say, “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb – that’s where the fruit is.”

And Lord, remember how, when I was struggling to discern your will, not sure which way to go, you sent a friend to tell me, “Put your hand on the knob. If it’s a door God wants you to go through, it will open. But you have to put your hand on the knob first.”

Holy One, give me courage to go out on a limb for you. Give me strength to put my hand on the doorknob, knowing you are the One who opens doors. Give me grace to move forward into your will, as your own beloved child. Amen.

picture of two loons floating on a lake

Saturday Prayer 8.12.2023

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Lord,
Sometimes, when the waves are pushing against the boat,
I get distracted by the wind,
and am surprised by the loon calling out.

“Look up!” the loon cries,
as the eagle swoops down, skims the water,
and flies up again, something caught in its talons.

The waves push against the boat,
and my doubt pushes against my faith.
Look up!
“If it’s you, Lord, command me to come to you.”
If?
“Come”, you say. “You have faith enough. It only takes a mustard seed’s worth to move a mountain, after all.”

Lord, save me. Amen.

The First Sign – Sermon for Epiphany 2C on John 2:1-11

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January 16, 2022
Video

We are in the season after the Epiphany, when Jesus is revealed to the world as God’s Son. The themes that weave through this season include revelation, glory, baptism, and Christ as the Light of the World. There is a sense of celebration in this season, a sense of joy being released into the world as we recognize who Jesus is.

I don’t know about you, but these days I could use some joy. We wear ourselves out struggling with issues of greed and poverty, power and powerlessness, fear and anger, and an overwhelming sense of futility and weariness. People 2000 years ago had to deal with these same things. And yet, in the midst of it all, there was room for celebration. There was room for joy. And Jesus was right in the middle of it.

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But Some Doubted – sermon for Trinity Sunday on Matthew 28:16-20

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It’s Trinity Sunday, so that means we hear the only verse in the Bible where Jesus refers to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Maybe instead of getting caught up in trying to explain the Trinity, we should call this Great Commission Sunday! I mean, last week was Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit arrived with a whoosh and with fire, and gave birth to the church. It makes sense that a week later, the church would get its marching orders.

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Enduring in Faith – Sermon on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

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November 10, 2019

There’s nothing quite like baptizing a baby to bring us hope. Thank you, Leah and Sean, for reminding us of the sure and certain hope we claim as followers of Jesus! But hope can be fleeting, and sometimes it seems like the tiniest challenge can shatter our hope.

The church in Thessolonica was facing a challenge like that. They had questions. When was Jesus going to come back? Had they missed it? Were they ‘left behind’ and putting their faith in something that wasn’t really true? Continue reading →

Enduring in Hope – Sermon for All Saints on Ephesians 1:11-23

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November 3, 2019

The year is winding down – before the Halloween candy was off the shelf, the Christmas décor was already out. The garden has been put to bed and the lawn mower has given up its place of honor in the garage to make room for the snow blower. Next Saturday is the Fall Bazaar, and today we will be packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. You have less than sixty days left to make good on those New Years resolutions from last January.

But the real sign that time is on the move happened at 2 o’clock this morning, when we switched back from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time. I don’t know about you, but I seem to be more aware of the swift passing of time in the Fall than any other season. It’s a bit of a paradox for me: I get all nostalgic, thinking back over fond memories, even as I begin to anticipate the coming of another year’s opportunity. Continue reading →

Exponential: A Seed of Faith – sermon on Mark 4:1-9

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August 5, 2018

We’re starting a message series today called Exponential. When it comes to faith, when it comes to life, when it comes to God’s blessings, we tend to think addition. We want God to add to our lives. But our God thinks multiplication. And God’s version of multiplication is always exponential. When God multiplies, it’s to the “Nth” degree.

Think all the way back to the Garden of Eden. What did God say to Adam and Eve? God said, be fruitful and … multiply. He didn’t say be fruitful and add. He said be fruitful and multiply. Continue reading →

End of Story: When ‘Good Enough’ Isn’t – Sermon on Matthew 25:14-30

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Watch a video of this sermon here.

We have some leftover business from last week. Have you been bothered about those five bridesmaids who got locked out of the party, just because they didn’t bring along an extra flask of oil? They came with their lamps, and their lamps had oil, but they didn’t bring along any extra. They thought they were prepared, but they weren’t. “Good enough” wasn’t good enough, after all. And instead of continuing to wait, even if it meant waiting in the dark, they went off looking for what they needed somewhere else. When they finally arrived, the door had been shut, and they were out of luck.

The nagging question left over from last week comes up again this week. Why isn’t “good enough” good enough? In today’s passage, Jesus tells another parable that forces us to consider this question from a different angle. Continue reading →

Faith Focus – Sermon on Matthew 14:22-33

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April 3, 2022
Video

Young adults and teenagers are good at asking some really important questions:

  • “Is God real?
  • Why are churches so messed up?
    Why are so many Christians hypocrites?
  • Can I trust the Bible?
  • Is it wrong to doubt God?

Denying the power of these questions – or worse, ignoring them – simply feeds into the suspicion that our faith isn’t strong enough to handle doubt. But we don’t have to have all the answers. Admitting that we don’t is actually the first step toward establishing our credibility as faithful disciples. Continue reading →

So You Might Believe – Sermon on John 20:19-31 for Easter 2A

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It’s still Easter. Put yourself in the upper room for a moment. Imagine what it was like to have waited there together over the Sabbath, hiding behind locked doors. All your hopes and dreams have been crushed. The One you thought would free you from oppression has been brutally executed. You are afraid. Then something happens that you can’t quite explain, and you aren’t sure you can believe. Continue reading →