Ready or Not! - Easter Sunday, Reflections on John 20:1-18

We all know that the forward momentum of our Lenten ski lift is supposed to bring us to the emotional mountain top of Easter: Resurrection Day, victory of life over death, the end of tears. But for some of us, Easter Sunday isn’t so much a mountaintop we access with effortless grace. It’s more like that piece of playground equipment we used to play on in grade school. The big round flat platform with the metal handles - lots of kids could get on and whirl around if one person would push with their foot. Other kids would try to jump on as the wheel came around, but if you missed it this time, you had to wait until it came around again to get on.

Your Last Meal - Maundy Thursday Reflections on Mark 14:12-25

As Christians we affirm that Jesus, the Son of God, the host of this Maundy Thursday meal delivers us from bondage to sin and death, bewilderment, hopelessness, and apathy. We can be certain of his presence amid an uncertain future.  

Unless a Grain of Wheat Dies - Reflections on John 12:20-33

A valuable sermonic approach would be to invite listeners to make belief in (trust in) Jesus as the Revelation of God their highest allegiance in life, reflect on the sacrifices that entails, and offer a vision of its benefits and fruits.

Faith is a Verb, not a Noun - Reflections on John 3:14-21

In the Gospel of John belief is not intellectual assent, but wholehearted trust, entrusting our lives/futures to God. Faith in the gospel of John is a verb, not a noun.

Reflections on Mark 8:31-38

“To save, find or gain one’s life is to attempt to live one’s life as if one owned it, and it is an enterprise doomed to failure because life is a gift from God."

Called, Tested and Sustained - Reflections on Mark 1:9-15

We are empowered to be faithful to God’s calling on our lives, and sustained by God’s presence, even as we are tested in the world’s wilderness.

Finders Weepers, Losers Keepers - Reflections on Matthew 16:24-28

“Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”

Something is lost. Something more important is found.

Inside Out: Reflections on Matthew 15:1-20

Clean hands aren’t enough. The heart must also be pure. The pure in heart are those who are spiritually pure rather than ritually or ceremonially clean. Most people get heart checkups and start watching what goes into their mouths. Jesus recommends that we check out our hearts and then start watching what comes out of them!

Feeding the Multitude: Reflections on Matthew 14:13-21

As we stand in the shoes of the disciples in Matthew’s account, we are to obey Jesus’ daring, ridiculous command. We are to offer our limited resources to him to bless and multiply, and take responsibility, not to hoard them for ourselves, but to distribute them to others. 

Weeds Among the Wheat: Reflections on Matthew 13:24-30

The presence of forgiveness in our lives is an important criterion on which our obedience will be judged when the time comes. We are not to roll judgmentally down the road of life, but we are to stop when necessary, to take stock of our own sins and to extend the same forgiveness we have received to others.

Let’s Hear Something We Haven’t Heard Before - Reflection on Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

When my now grown son Matt was a boy, I would read him Bible passages every night. Every now and then, when we would return to a familiar passage, he would say, “Let’s hear something we haven’t heard before.” 

We’ve all heard the parable of the sower many, many times before. How to rekindle interest?  Let’s try rebranding “The Parable of the Sower” and see if any new insights arise.

Applause and Gold Stars?? Lectionary Reflections Matthew 10:40-42

We all like to be rewarded for our efforts. Gold stars on our school papers as children. Praise from parents and teachers as we get older.

Jesus is promising a reward for those who welcome prophets and righteous persons to the community, and for those who offer small kindnesses to the vulnerable in their midst. That reward is participation in the kingdom of God, which has both a present and a future component.