Sermons (Page 21)
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Before we get too deep into this gospel reading, I’m wondering who has heard this parable before? Well, let me first give the sermon I usually hear on this text. It goes like this… We have two people. One is a Pharisee, a Jewish leader who is exceedingly righteous and judgmental, and the other is a tax collector, a traitor of his people, who is humble and contrite. While you might think the righteous one following God’s rules has the best relationship with God, it is the tax collector who is justified with God. So, the takeaway, be humble. Amen…
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
I led my first protest when I was 10. Grandpa had some stressful paperwork he was doing, and we were, allegedly, pestering him about getting ice cream, and he lost his temper, something he never did, and yelled. I felt this was unacceptable behavior and we should have ice cream. I discussed this with my little sister, and we felt there were a variety of other issues too. They keep saying we’ll go to the amusement park this summer, but when?…
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
There are some people who love their commute, but I’m not one of them. I’m the person who sees driving from one place to another as, generally, a waste of time and an inconvenience. If I’m honest, driving is probably the place where I commit most of my sins–not in a road rage kind of way, but more so as a passionate fan watching a football game on TV. I vocalize to myself that the car in front of me needs to go faster, or I start shaking my head a someone running a red light, or I think something too inappropriate to say in a sermon…