What did they expect when they followed him to Bethany, a whole day’s journey from the scene of Jerusalem’s crime and its surprising aftermath? He had been talking about what they would do next, but he kept leaving out his part whenever they tried to tie him down on that point. He repeated his big dream for them one more time before he grinned and … Continue reading Ascension
A re-telling of Luke 5:17-26 Even though the house was already crowded, when the elders arrived, they were given front row seats, where the teacher was telling curious stories about seeds and banquets and quarreling brothers. A Pharisee was posing a convoluted question when falling debris gave them just enough warning to avoid the chunk of ceiling that barely missed Jesus himself. The dust cleared … Continue reading Healing 101
Luke 14:1-6…..On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?’ But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed … Continue reading Sleight of Hand
This is the last in a five part series, “Unexpected Treasures in the Desert.” It is a sermon series for the congregations I am serving, known collectively as Prairie Faith Partners. This series is provided to help you navigate the COVID-19 epidemic “wilderness” we are experiencing together. For each sermon I am writing my own reflections on the texts, which I like to do in … Continue reading Looking Ahead
This is the fourth in a five part series, “Unexpected Treasures in the Desert.” It is a sermon series for the congregations I am serving, known collectively as Prairie Faith Partners. This series is provided to help you navigate the COVID-19 epidemic “wilderness” we are experiencing together. For each sermon I am writing my own reflections on the texts, which I like to do in … Continue reading First Sabbaths
This is the third in a five part series, “Unexpected Treasures in the Desert.” It is a sermon series for the congregations I am serving, known collectively as Prairie Faith Partners. This series is provided to help you navigate the COVID-19 epidemic “wilderness” we are experiencing together. For each sermon I am writing my own reflections on the texts, which I like to do in … Continue reading Manna
This week I am beginning a five part series, “Unexpected Treasures in the Desert.” It is a sermon series for the congregations I am serving, known collectively as Prairie Faith Partners. This series is provided to help you navigate the COVID-19 epidemic “wilderness” we are experiencing together. For each sermon I am writing my own reflections on the texts, which I like to do in … Continue reading Leaving Egypt
He never said, “Be safe.” He saw what they did with the life-giving Law, its walls now closing in on souls meant to roam free. Perhaps his tears over the city were not for all her wanderings, but for her fear, her lack of wonder, her contentment with the small, tame world of scrupulous obedience. He shook her at her core, tumbled the Temple, untamed … Continue reading Into the Wild
It is a curious exercise to consider the humanity of Jesus– dependent social hobbled by the burdens of everyday life suffering from compassion fatigue. Little wonder that he craved camaraderie in the school of hardship. Lessons in the mathematics of poverty and despair the rhetoric of injustice the geography of resilience. Stories that stayed with him trained him to endure the pain and keep a … Continue reading Friends
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus], “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my … Continue reading Tears and Sin
saint sinner seeker 