~ Matthew 13:24-30 ~ On the surface Jesus’ parable of the Weeds is a straight story about farming. But what kind of farming is this? The practice of not pulling out weeds until harvest time is no way to run a farm. What could only be considered a neglectful way … Read More
~ Matthew 13:1-23 ~ One of the small pleasures during this shelter-in-place pandemic is watching my garden grow. We’ve planted a small garden every spring for several years now but this year I put just a bit more into it since I’ve been home a lot. Preparing the soil, … Read More
~ Psalm 33:8-14 ~ The 4th of July! Independence Day! A day to celebrate our country! Backyard picnics with friends and family! Grand fireworks displays! Oh, wait, they were all cancelled. And, in their place thousands of illegal fireworks going off all over the city late into the night … Read More
~ Matthew 10:40-42 ~ “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward … Read More
~ Selections from Genesis 16 & 21 ~ Photo Credit – Sarah and Hagar by Marc Chagall Stories in the book of Genesis can be really messy. And the story we just heard is particularly messy and troubling and difficult to understand. Frankly, it shows an embarrassing and shameful side of … Read More
~ Matthew 5:38-48/Deuteronomy 19:16-21/Leviticus 19:18 ~ My sermon title today can be said in two different ways. One is as a prayer: “Jesus, this is really hard to do.” The second as a profane exclamation: “Jesus, this is really hard to do!” For here we have two of … Read More