A Reformation of Love

 October 29, 2023 (Reformation Sunday)

Jesus tells us that there are two great commandments:  Love God (with everything you have!) and Love your Neighbor as Yourself.

One of Martin Luther’s Reformation re-discoveries was that Loving God IS Loving your neighbor.  You cannot love God simply by doing “holy” or church things, but this must live itself out in service to the neighbor.

However, in serving and loving our neighbor, we discover a big problem:  We don’t have enough love and we feel like we’ve hit a wall.

Turns out (and why I like this image) that sometimes hitting a wall is really running into the cross.  

And that is precisely where we can find the Gospel.

Render unto God the things of God

 October 22, 2023

“Render unto Caesar the things of Caesar; Render unto God the things of God.”  (Matthew 22:21)

What does Jesus mean here?  That we should have two separate lives — one for the secular world and one for the spiritual kingdom?

Nope!  

Jesus calls us to live as disciples in the real world and in fact, calls the Pharisees hypocrites for not doing this.

So what might it look like to “render unto God”?  A reflection on humility, faith and thanksgiving.

Masks of God

 Sunday, October 15, 2023

The tapestry of human history is woven, sadly, with many stories and images of violence, retribution and suffering.  This week, the events of Hamas and Israel add another bloody strand to this tapestry.

The parable Jesus tells this week (Matthew 22:1-14) reflects a violent world, one in which God seems a participant in this violence.  While this is not shocking, it is disturbing to consider the role of God in the violence of human history.  Pastor Rob offers counsel from Martin Luther – do not seek to unmask God (read God’s will from the annuls of history) but rather seek to find the cross of Christ (see places where God’s mercy and reconciliation are breaking in).  This movement to see the cross of Christ in Scripture and in life is a bold move, made in faith.

The photo is of the Bayeux Tapestry accessed through the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh website.

Jesus as Cornerstone

Sunday, October 8

We build our lives by the decisions we make.  Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all have a cornerstone in our lives – the core set of values upon which be base the decisions of our life. 

Pastor Rob challenges us to reflect on what it means for Jesus to be the cornerstone of our life and how we align ourselves to Christ’s teachings and grace.  Where do you see a Sunday to Monday connection, where you sense your life aligning with God’s purposes?  Where do you see a Sunday to Monday gap, where you life is not aligned with Christ?

Ultimately the parable that Jesus — a harsh one indeed (Matthew 21:33-46) — reveals that Christ is the cornerstone independent of our actions.  Even when we do not get it right, this does not change that the cosmos is oriented around Jesus.  The brings with it the reality of justice but also the promise of mercy in our lives.

Jesus as Teacher

October 1, 2023

It turns out, being human is hard!  We often find ourselves at crossroads without much moral signage directing us.  In these cases, we need a teacher, not simply teachings or principles.

In the Gospels, Jesus presents himself as a teacher (including in Matthew 21:23-32).  Often times protestants have shied away from Jesus as teacher because we want Jesus to be savior first and foremost.  In this sermon, Pastor Rob invites us to linger a bit longer with the understanding that Jesus is the teacher.  As we discover and relate to him as teacher, we also discover the beauty and power of Jesus as our Savior.