Bearing Fruit

John the Baptist, in Matthew 3, calls the people to "Bear Fruit worthy of repentance." How do we bear fruit? By fruit, of course, we mean the fruits of the Spirit: Love, patience, kindness, humility (see Galatians 5). To think about how we as humans can bear the fruits of the Spirit, we will look at how an actual fruit tree bears fruit. For a fruit tree to actually bear fruit needs patience, pruning and of course, pollination. Likewise, to bear fruits of the Spirit, we need patience, pruning and of course, pollination.

Who, What, Where

The prophet Isaiah puts forth a compelling vision: All the nations streaming toward the house of God, to learn and then be sent out as swords are beaten into plowshares. It is particularly powerful for us at Zion’s Lutheran because the name of the house of God is Zion! Zion is the place where the ancient Israelites would worship, learn and then be sent out into the world. In the same way, Zion’s is the place we where we worship, learn and then are sent.

So. Let’s make this extra fun. Isaiah 2 and Zions: The who, what and where of church.

Remember Me!

From the cross, the thief cries out, "Remember Me." It is a strange verse to hear the week of Thanksgiving, but hang in there, there is something worth remembering here, even as we head into the holidays.

Legacy and a Resume

Jesus today predicts the destruction of the temple. He is not concerned, because he knows that the legacy of the temple will live on. What will your legacy be? More importantly, what is the legacy of the temple?

Reformation, Repentance and Zaccheus

Jesus transforms the life of Zaccheus (Luke 19). What's that got to do with Martin Luther, the 95 Theses and your life as a disciple??

Joseph and the "Reuben" option

The story of Joseph is fascinating and complex...the first part of it, where he is sold into slavery is rather haunting! Based on Genesis 37.

Persistence in prayer

Jesus, in the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18), calls us to be persistent in prayer. What do we do in life when it seems our prayers are not being answered?

Giving Thanks

This week we hear about 10 lepers (people who suffer from a horrible skin disease) who are healed by Jesus. Only one, from Samaria (the other side of the tracks) comes back to give thanks. Giving thanks feels good; God expects this; yet why do the nine not come back and do we often have a hard time saying thanks?

(The sermon starts a few seconds into it; you just miss a segue from talking about Jacob in the Old Testament to the Gospel lesson, namely, the story of the thankful Samaritan). This Bible story may be found in Luke 17.

Wrestling with God

One of the great stories in the Bible from all time: Jacob wrestling with God. Or God wrestling with Jacob. Either way its a haunting story. But finally one that ends with healing.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

This is a tough parable Jesus tells of a poor man Lazarus and a rich man. The rich man, only in hell, realizes the consequences of his own actions. What will it take for our eyes to be opened to the poor around us? Our own death? Our own hellish experiences in life? It seems that maybe it starts with learning a name...

Where is God?

This fall, we've been hearing stories of Jacob. What a crazy tale! This week the gate of heaven is opened and he see's a ladder with angels going up and down! Yet he admits he didn't even know that God was in that place. In our lives too God is there but we don't even know it!

Celebrations!

Jesus today tells two parables -- a shepherd finding a lost sheep and woman finding a lost coin. In both cases, a celebration follows. In church today we had some big celebrations. Why are we celebrating? What did we find? (And therefore, what was lost?)

Meat and Potatoes

Two stories: Jacob and Esau are born; Jesus tells people the costs of following him.

They form the meat and potatoes of Christianity. Really, they do!

Healing on the Sabbath

Jesus this week heals on the sabbath (Luke 13:10-17). We probably ask: What is the sabbath? Sabbath is time off. Well, sort of. What exactly is the sabbath? Let's let Jesus show us.

Abundance consists of...

We all agree what Jesus says: Life does not consist in the abundance of things (Luke 12:13-21). Somehow though possessions have a way of working their way into our lives...and sticking there... How do we live what Jesus teaches?

Good Samaritan

A classic story: The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). What a witness to God's love! This past week the youth were on a mission trip. What a witness to God's love!

Witnessing to the ends of the earth!

This week Jesus says to his disciples that they will "recieve the Holy Spirit and be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." We don't live in Jerusalem nor Samaria...but we are called to witness to people in familiar places (Jerusalem and Judea) as well as "the other side of the tracks" (Samaria). What does this mean for us then? Paul's letter to the Galatians gives us some insight into what Christian witness looks like in both places we love and places we don't exactly enjoy...

Based on Acts 1:1-10 (Jesus calls his disciples to be witnesses); reference to Galatians 6:1-10

The Forever Road Trip

Jesus today is on the last leg of a roadtrip...and is a bit impatient. Why might this be?

Shoes

Saint Paul is at it again -- stirring up trouble in the city of Galatia. Here he confronts Peter about what shoes a Christian should wear. Well, not exactly, but that is at the heart of the matter.

Holy Trinity...and me?

Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Big deal??? We look at the basics of the faith to assess three things we hear all the time as Christians:
A) "God doesn't give you more than you can handle."
B) "Everything Happens for a Reason."
C) "You just have to believe"

They may be true, but our faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit provides us with something a bit different to say.

Pentecost

Street preachers, speaking in tongues and end times prophecies...yet one of the most important (and relevant) events in world history, not to mention your life...why?

The High Horse

Jesus meets Paul on his High Horse; he meets Peter in the ashes of Peter's sin and shame. Where will Jesus meet you and convert you heart, once again, to him?

Resurrection of the Body

The tomb is empty. That means Jesus body isn't there. Which means that Jesus wasn't just resurrected in the soul but also in the body. Which is amazing. Amazingly good news for you and me.

Palm Excitement

Palm Sunday is a festive day. This is a good thing. Following Jesus is the most exciting thing we can do with our lives.

Worthy is Christ

The book of Revelation is famous for "wrath" but it is far more a book of worship, in fact, of heavenly worship across all space and time. What can we learn from Revelation about our earthly worship today? Sermon reflects on Revelation chapter 5.

Fig Tree

Jesus tells a parable of an unfruitful fig tree. Where might Jesus be in this story?

Healing...and lent

Healing is a major theme in the Bible. Lent, a season of repentance and the cross sheds light on God's role in our healing.

Tempations of Jesus

We spend much effort on our bodies, whether working out, at doctors or in our daily routine. What about our souls, our spiritual bodies? Lent is a time of spiritual exercise following Jesus lead in the wilderness. Based on Luke 4.

Transfiguration

Today we hear of Jesus going up a mountain and being "transfigured." The disciples are blown away by this mountain experience. We all are hungry for the mountain top. How do we get there from here??

Share the boat!

In today's sermon, we look at Jesus calling of his first disciple, Peter. Jesus first tells Peter to share the boat; Peter is done fishing, but Jesus uses his boat to teach people. Next Jesus tells Peter to cast his nets to the deep. As Christians, we are also called to share the boat and cast our nets -- and not just as individuals, but as a church. Based on Luke 5.

One body in Christ

We have lots of people in our church who actually don't have much in common. Different ages, different backgrounds, different political beliefs. So what do they have in common? Christ! But what does this mean? (Based on 1 Cor 12)

Love is patient, love is kind

Paul today (His first letter to the church in Corinth, chapter 13) is dishing out some poetic and lovely words about love. Love is patient; love is kind. Against what backdrop did he write these words?

How Jesus makes miracles happen

Today we hear of Jesus first miracle -- turning water into wine. The same way Jesus does this miracle -- using common elements and common people -- is how Jesus does miracles today.

Baptism of Jesus

Today we hear of Jesus Baptism (Luke 3:14-21). Today we also have a Baptism of a baby. Why was Jesus baptized? Why do we baptize? Why do we baptize babies?

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas?

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? The magi bring three gifts that seem like "wants" and not "needs." A closer examination reveals that actually they are just the gifts Jesus and we need...Sermon based on Matthew 2:1-11 (and 1st Corinthians 1:18-31).

Christmas Eve

Christmas was ruined! The Christmas counterdowner had falled apart and the elf, elmo and other Muppets were all so frightened! Although it is just a movie, sometimes it can seem like Chritsmas does depend on us. The truth is, God comes into our world at Christmas and always and let's us know that it doesn't all depend on us.

Mary's Song

During Advent this year, our congregation looked at God's messengers, both new and old. This week we hear from Mary. What is her message to us? Based on Luke 1:39-55