Sermons (Page 89)
Transfiguration
TJ was the best. A first-grader, away from home for the first time at summer camp, TJ quickly became friends with not only his fellow cabin-mates, but with other counselors and campers who shared his week at camp. Counselors quickly learned that TJ could help fill a few minutes of down time, and a regular pre-lunch session of Jokes with TJ became a daily staple. TJ became something of a celebrity in his week at camp…
Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
Good morning. It’s a pleasure to be with you all this morning and to bring you greetings from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), your partner in the ministry of the gospel through the preparation of leaders for both church and society. I serve there as Pastor to the Community and Director of Worship, which is how I know Vicar Sarah and previous students who have been placed here for contextual education. Like you, we are proud of who these students are and look forward to witnessing who they will become as they prepare to be sent out into the world. Thank you for the important role you are playing in nurturing a new generation of leadership for the church…
Sixth Sunday After Epiphany
“Today’s Gospel reading is Jesus’s most famous sermon. If you’ve heard this sermon before, you might question your memory or today’s translation because it sounded a bit different. But, this is not the Matthean version of the “Sermon on the Mount” that says “Blessed are the poor… in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” No, Luke doesn’t sugar coat reality. Luke’s retelling of the beatitudes is geographically among the people and symbolically given from the place of suffering, misery, and despair. Luke’s version of this sermon is not metaphorical, symbolic, or spiritualized in content. With down-to-earth realism, he states “Blessed are you who are poor.” And, frankly, this isn’t anything new from Luke…”