Sermons (Page 60)
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Community is messy! In our texts today, we find reminders of how hard it is to find balance in community AND stay rooted in LOVE at the same time. In the Gospel, Jesus establishes that the way of the cross is communal and it is messy. In community, there is clash of personality and worse, people HARM and OFFEND one another. He knows his followers will struggle to put LOVE that he teaches into practice in the midst of conflict and competing demands…
Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
It was a quick turn of events in today’s episode. If you recall, last week, Peter named Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus described that statement as a “rock.” Today, the very next thing Peter said, Jesus called that statement a “stumbling block.” It was a jarring move from rock to stumbling block. But, for me, the most memorable part of the Gospel was Jesus’ phrase “Get behind me, Satan.”…
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
“Who do YOU say I am?” This is the question that comes to us today in the gospel. A question just as relevant today as it was the first time it was spoken. If you are like me, you probably first think of the Sunday school answer: “Jesus!” Because that’s the answer to everything, right? Then, you may think about who the CHURCH has said Jesus is over the years- sometimes a tame carpenter from the Middle East, sometimes a radical rebel-rouser challenging an empire. You may also think about how Jesus has impacted YOUR faith and the way you live over the years…