Giving as Obedience and Defiance

 

November 10, 2024

Jesus praises a poor widow for giving two small coins to the temple treasury.  In itself, this is a powerful story of sacrificial giving.   What really makes it striking though, is that this very temple is declared to be corrupt by Jesus.   Yet Jesus still praises her.

When we give as Christians, we do so in a world in which there is corruption, greed and hardness of the human heart.  Yet Jesus still commands and praises generosity.  Why? 

— Giving is an act of obedience to a faithful God; it declares human sin will not limit God’s action
— Giving is an act of defiance to a faithless world; it declares human sin will not limit our action

The sermon ultimately focuses on the faithfulness of God, for Jesus’ teaching and life — as well as the ministry of St. Paul congregation — bear witness to how God works in, with and under generosity.

Sunflower on the Road

All Saints Sunday 2024 (Nov 3)

The sunflower on the maintenance road didn’t get the memo — it didn’t belong there and it was too late in the season.  Yet it was there, and for the folks walking by, it became a beautiful symbol of God’s faithfulness.  In spite of how broken our world is, there remains enough signposts and sacraments, signs of God’s goodness, that we are forced to reckon with the reality of God’s presence and faithfulness in our lives.

This All Saints Sunday we reflect on the sunflowers on the road of our lives — the people whose presence bore witness to God’s faithfulness in our lives.  We link back to Jesus meeting people on the road of life’s sorrows (John 11:32-44) as he becomes the chief sunflower on the road for us.

Freedom to Serve Others

 October 20, 2024

Jesus offers us a freedom that at first seems like a strange freedom:  The freedom to serve others.

We are inclined to think of freedom differently, as the ability to do what we want, when we want to, because we want to.  Yet, precisely if we’ve swum in those moral waters, the “do what you want” waters, we realize that freedom is not freedom and is not life.  We are hungry for a different kind of freedom.

This freedom is the freedom Christ gives – the freedom to love and serve others.

To reflect on this freedom, we look at the life of the Apostle John.  He had many chapters in his life – chapters of arrogance, chapters of grief, chapters of rivalry.  Yet he writes a book whose chapters are about humility, resurrection and fellowship.  What happened to him?  He followed Jesus, who was not simply his teacher, but his ransom, who set him free to serve others.

(Note, in the middle ages, people would often symbolize John with an eagle, for his Gospel “soared” above the others.  John certainly had insight and talent, but it would need to be set free, free from his own agenda, his grief and his rivalry.  This striking image was found on Flickr; the artist, Lawrence OP, as beautiful photos of church art.)

Am I rich?

 October 13, 2024

“I am the rich Jesus is talking about???”

When Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God” many of us as Americans get uncomfortable…

Are they for us?  Are we the rich Jesus is addressing?  Or do the rich refer to the “Scrooge McDuck”s of the world, the people obscenely wealthy?

Pastor Rob offers two questions to wrestle with in determining whether our money is a problem

1. Do our possessions possess us or do we possess our possessions?
2. Is our identity wrapped up in our wealth and possessions?

Toward the end of the sermon, Pastor Rob offers two powerful words of grace

1. We are works in progress, trying to figure out faith and finances
2. We are worship in progress.  Life is about more thing than consumption of things, it is about worshipping the Lord!

I believe, help my unbelief!

 

October 6, 2024

“I believe, help my unbelief!” cries the father who has brought his sick son to Jesus (Mark 9:24).

Like all who have long prayed for a suffering family member, the man is brought to the brink.  While he sees the strength, conviction and love of Jesus — before his very eyes — he acknowledges the forces against him are ancient, mighty and hideous.

A reflection on what we do when we find our own prayer the prayer of this father — “I believe, help me in my unbelief.”

This artwork is from an artist named Judy Cooley.  

What we do in life echoes in eternity

September 29, 2024

“What we do in life echoes in eternity” – a stoic philosopher said it first (Marcus Aurelius) but most of us know it through the movie Gladiator.

When one hears the Gospel today (Mark 9:38-50), one could argue that Jesus seems to say something similar, as he both promises blessing and warns of condemnation based on our actions.  It is true that our actions can have a huge impact on the world around us and long into the future.

However, it is a bit more marvelous and subtle that this, because Jesus has made a choice that echoes throughout eternity as well, namely, he chose to go to the cross, condemn evil and then bring forth new life.

Servant of All...One Person at a Time

 

September 22, 2024

Jesus today offers words we like want to soften:  He calls his disciples to be last of all and servants of all (Mark 8:30-37). 

At first, this sounds impossible. The only person who ever was servant of all was Jesus.

Yet, Jesus does show us a way forward.  Right after calling the disciples to be servant of all, he embraces one child.  Jesus is servant to all…one person at a time.

Likewise, Jesus invites us to serve others, one person at a time.