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Ephesians 1:15-23
Proper 29A
I once heard my colleague Jack Roeda compare going to church to visiting an opthamologist. After all, worshipers have a very hard time seeing what’s really going on. Six days a week we see much chaos. We see a global pandemic shadowing our lives, racial injustice rattling our world and political turmoil roiling our countries….
Matthew 25:14-30
Proper 28A
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” How often haven’t we heard—or even spoken—these words at the funeral of some beloved member of the church? How often haven’t we seen these words etched onto tombstones in a cemetery or printed on the cover of the memorial folder for a funeral? This is what every believer hopes…
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Proper 28A
At the end of the fourth chapter of his letter to the Thessalonians Paul addresses the issue of what happens to people after we die. Now, at the beginning of his fifth chapter, he addresses the issue of the fate of those who are still alive at when Christ returns. Apparently during his visit to…
Matthew 25:1-13
Proper 27A
When I used to meet with an engaged couple prior to their wedding, and certainly at some point during the wedding rehearsal the evening before the big day, I always made a point to tell people, “Now don’t forget to enjoy yourselves! It goes fast so have fun!” Typically I remind them just to relax…
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Proper 27A
It started out as words of comfort. Paul’s intention was to soothe anxieties, tamp down sorrows, answer some hard questions that the Thessalonians were asking. That’s how it started. Over time, though, these words in 1 Thessalonians 4—coupled with some further talk on similar themes in the next chapter—have become a source of unending speculation,…
Matthew 23:1-12
Proper 26A
Matthew 23 indicates that pastors (i.e., most of us reading this sermon commentary) need to be wary of the titles people afford us. Although neither “Reverend” nor “Pastor” is specifically mentioned in Matthew 23, only a very wily preacher would ever suggest this indicates that those titles are exempt from Jesus’ comments. So what are…
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Proper 26A
We preachers need to be careful. When someone catches us at the church door to disagree with our sermon some Sunday, it is tempting to say “Hey, your quarrel is not with me but with God. I was just preaching God’s Word so . . .” Of course, sometimes that really may be the case. …
Matthew 22:34-46
Proper 25A
Back to the beginning. That might be a good way to understand this passage in Matthew 22. Because in a couple of ways, these verses hark back to how Matthew began Jesus’ story in this Gospel. First there is the genealogy in Matthew 1. In that “family tree” of Jesus Matthew inserts something into the…
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Proper 25A
All of us likely have a vision of the ideal pastor, missionary or other church leaders. Yet our visions probably also vary widely. Some, after all, think of the ideal pastor as a terrific preacher. Others believe pastors should be able to minister to a variety of people. Many think good leaders have some combination…
Matthew 22:15-22
Proper 24A
In recent years there has been a lot of talk about religion in America. This election year of 2020 is no exception—indeed, the upcoming election magnifies such things. Maybe other nations have similar conversations but America is definitely the epicenter of some pretty serious conversations in this area. This is due in part to the…
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