Weekly Sermons

The beauty of this holy story is how believably human it is. The first sentence identifies a problem. The second sentence describes the conversation about wh...

We're at the start of a long story. The coronavirus pandemic will disrupt life for much longer than anyone wants, which is to say, more than a few hours. Peo...

There's a virus going around; maybe you've heard. The technical term for it is fear. It is spreading very quickly and infecting an alarming number of people....

After baptism, there is a test. For Jesus, it was a grueling six weeks in the wilderness with Satan. For Lutherans, it is even worse: two years in confirmati...

Sometimes, when you are ready to give up, God gives you a transfiguration. We got a late start on our cross country trek to South Carolina when I began semin...

One year for Valentine's Day, I wrote my sweet baboo a poem. The final stanza was an acrostic—the first letter of each line spelled out her name. Maybe somed...

The law that Jesus came not to abolish but to fulfill was God's word to overwhelmed people. They were wandering about forty years in the wilderness, which ha...

Bible scholars contend that Matthew presents Jesus in the image of Moses, but I think he looks like Aladdin. He climbs the mountain and launches into a sermo...

There is a practice for meditating upon Scripture that I encourage you to try...with the annual report. Read a passage and imagine being a part of it. Visual...

It is a delight to be among you today. Pastor Brian invited me to come and be among you and I jumped at the opportunity. We have something big that connects ...

Up till now in Matthew's gospel, we've heard a lot about Jesus, but nothing from him. Today the silence is broken. God doesn't send an angel in a dream; God ...

The story of the magi has been magic for Christian imagination. These mysterious stargazers have inspired countless tales and traditions, from children seeki...

O little town of Bethlehem, where still small bodies lie And mothers wail for slaughtered dreams with grief that will not die: ‘Tis in your dark streets shin...

Many years later, my brother and I still talk about him. He stood maybe five feet tall, maybe a hundred pounds if you also count the bling, and rocking a vel...

You will find a child, God's angel said to the terrified shepherds, which is the miracle of Christmas in a few simple words. The conversation itself is a mir...

It's about that time of year when the Christmas shopping list is whittled down to that one person you can't find anything for. They insist they don't want or...

It was a dark and stormy night. The small band of travelers trudged through the mud and the rain to the bank of the river, which was swollen and surging, and...

At Wednesday morning chapel this week, I tried to introduce preschoolers to Advent. At one point, I asked them, "Who comes at Christmas?" When in doubt, the ...

In case of rapture, this pulpit may remain occupied. When Jesus returns, I'm not sure he'll pick me to play on his team, because I’m too much sinner and neve...