Tag: Jesus
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Mary of Bethany (a Lenten sermon on John 12:1-8)
Our sense of smell can bring back memories in such powerful ways. I have what was left of my father’s aftershave when he died. I keep it in my dresser and every now and then when I come across it, I’ll open it and close my eyes and sniff – and I’m instantly brought back…
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Sermon – November 13, 2016 – A Letter to My Sons
Grace and peace to you on this Lord’s day in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. When our boys were teeny-tiny, back in Colorado, my sermon one Sunday took the form of a letter to our boys. It was mostly advice, inspired by the gospel that day, about things I hoped they would…
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Evangelism (a sermon from 1/19/14)
I wonder what comes to mind for you when you hear the word “evangelism”? Do you think about street corner preachers calling out phrases such as “repent and be saved”? Do you get a picture in your mind of the television evangelist in an expensive suit on the stage of a stadium-size church? Do you…
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Sacred Passages
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased (Luke 3:22) Jesus was baptized at about 30 years of age. At this age, according to Mosaic law, he could be baptized into priesthood. Scripture doesn’t give us a lot of glimpses into Jesus’ life before this moment and it’s not…
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This Is The Gospel of the Lord? (a sermon from 7/12/15)
Our gospel for today from Saint Mark is actually a flashback that Herod has when he hears of all the work that the disciples are doing in Jesus’ name. Some were saying the John the Baptist had been raised from the dead and Herod was thinking they might be right – and this is when…
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Okay, God, What Next? (a sermon from June 28, 2015)
I was ordained almost sixteen years ago. I had a shiny new call in hand from a little church in Western New York and planned the ordination service at my home church – Good Shepherd Lutheran in Henning, Minnesota. My pastor from all my growing up years, Rev. Darrell Vetter, preached. Bishop Arlen Hermodson of…
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Parables and Promises (a sermon from June 14, 2015)
Well, it is summertime – and summer means all sorts of things. It means Bible School and there are beautiful days to be out on the lakes, it means family vacations and time with friends, it means mosquitos and woodticks, and it means that we are to the season of Pentecost in which we get…
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The Church
I spend a lot of time trying to understand the church. There are so many things I love about the church. Here, I will list just a few: 1. I love the stained glass and the old architecture of churches. When churches are busy and full of life, that is great, but I’m also partial…
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Slippery Strands of Faith
Faith is a funny thing. For some faith is just a lifelong journey beginning with the waters of baptism. It is a beloved relationship. Spirituality may not be something completely understood, but there is nowhere else we are likely to be found on a Sunday morning than right here with our eyes fixed on the…