Out of the Heart…

Biblical Texts: John 7:37-39, Proverbs 2:6-7, Romans 1:16, Psalm 103:17-18

The day was the Feast of Pentecost. That is supposedly the feast that Jesus is speaking out at in the John text. And the first part of this sermon addresses that. The day here at Mt. Zion was also Confirmation. Confirmation is the completion of typically a two year cycle of study of the Luther’s Small Catechism. We throw in a few practical bits as well, like a “how to build a prayer life” and “comparative world religions,” but most of it is knowing the basics of the faith as taught in the Catechism. It ends with a confirmation of the faith of their baptism. One of the traditions of confirmation is usually a specific confirmation verse. It is chosen in a variety of ways by different congregations, but I’m a tyrant. I choose it for all of them. I also try and through it to give them the blessing of a Spiritual Father. The second part of this sermon is those blessings.

(A personal note. I’ve now confirmed my three living children. I went back through my files and gave my older two the verses chosen for them and gave them that personal blessing again. Something like that is the purpose of this. It is something that can be revisited multiple times.)

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Dating the Reign

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Biblical Text: Acts 1:1-11

We observed Ascension Day this Sunday. So I swapped out the first reading for the Ascension Day one. The recent coronation of the English King had me thinking about some things in regards to the Kingdom of God, the phrase Jesus consistently used. I guess the two questions would be: a) when does that reign start? and b) how does it manifest itself? Ascension Day is one of the logical times to date it from. (There are some nice theological arguments to be had about this, but the Kingdom in its full recognition starts here.) Our problem with this is the first royal decrees are not what we would do. “Are you now going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?” That was the disciples’ question. Because it is payback time. It is time to get ours. That is not what The King does. This sermon looks at the first royal decrees upon Ascension, and how they direct us today.

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The Ark of Baptism

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Biblical Text: 1 Peter 3:13-22

This sermon is a bit about the sacraments in general, a bit about the sacramental life which includes sufferings, and a whole lot about the well-spring of both which is baptism. Everything that is given and promised and attempted to be lived in the sacraments and the life they inspire, is already yours in baptism. God has placed you in his Ark. You are going to make it.

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Anxious Hearts

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Biblical Text: John 14:1-14

What do we really want? Another way of saying that might be what are we aimed at? The fancy term here is teleology. What completes us? Such questions typically fascinated most peoples. We are strange in that we’ve ruled out thinking about ends/goals in anything other than temporal and vague ways. And it is that refusal to think seriously about such things that I think puts all kinds of anxiety on our hearts. Jesus’ words in this gospel passage are a direct balm. “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Why? Believe. The rest is in the sermon.

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Recognizing the Voice

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Biblical Text: John 10:1-10

This is “Good Shepherd Sunday” in the three year lectionary, although I’m not completely sure why the appointed text cuts off early. I’m guessing it is because in the fuller passage Jesus has two other “truly, truly” passages that preachers would almost find impossible to proclaim if “I am the good shepherd” was sitting there. And honestly the two earlier “amen, amen” sayings are just as important if not more so. This sermon attempts to grasp the image of the sheepfold. It is a picture of the people of God. It is also a picture of the Christian life. There are some hard truths embedded in the image. Like: there are false shepherds and not everyone in the sheepfold might recognize the voice the shepherd. There is also the clearest gospel that Christ himself knows our name and has come to give us life abundantly. This sermon is an invitation to ponder the image of the people of God that Jesus gives us and to think of our place within that image.

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In the Breaking of the Bread

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Biblical Text: Luke 24:13-35

The Road to Emmaus is a unique resurrection appearance text. This sermon gets into this a bit. It’s main point is how do we recognize the risen Christ among us. As in the Thomas story, for the original Apostles recognizing Christ was seeing him. Although the Thomas story hints at the change coming. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” But after that blessing we might see wonder how we are to recognize Christ who promised to be present. This text, an appearance to two who were not of the 11 or the Mary’s, give us the answer. It is first in the Word, which is the preaching of the Scriptures, by which hearts are set on fire. It is second in the breaking of the bread, in the Sacrament. We recognize Christ in all ages in Word and Sacrament. Which is an important point in these latter days as the conclusion of this sermon will talk about.

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Unbelief to Believing

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Biblical Text: John 20:19-31

At the word cloud would tell you, this is “Doubting” Thomas Sunday. But there are really two things in the text. The Thomas story is one of unbelief to belief and the things that stand in the way. The biggest of them I think is simply shame. The sermon goes into that in the 2nd half. The first half is the commissioning of the disciples. We believe, how then do we live? Jesus gives some directions here. The first half of the sermon looks at what it means to be sent as Christ was sent and the role of the Holy Spirit.

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A Simple Story

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Biblical Text: Matthew 28:1-10

I love the Easter story in Matthew. It is just such a living memory. Not that the other Gospel aren’t, but as this sermon starts out, the meaning you attach to a story changes, deepens, layers, over time. The resurrection in Matthew is such an early memory. The meanings haven’t really started to accrue. It’s just bragging, let me tell you what happened. That’s what this sermon attempts to do. Tell the story. Invite you to the meaning slowly.

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To Ask the Question (Good Friday)

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Good Friday service as I typically do it is a full reading of the passion story from the Gospel of the Year by the members of the congregation. It is broken up into seven segments or scenes. Each scene gets a meditation. After which a candle is doused. So, the recording hasn’t been edited. It includes the hymns sung. It’s a service that never fails to move me.

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Covenants Require Blood (Maundy Thursday)

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Biblical Texts: Exodus 24:3-11, Hebrews 9:11-22, Matthew 26:17-30

Maundy Thursday is the night where Christ gave his disciples the meal we celebrate as the Lord’s Supper. It is also the night that he washed his disciples feet and gave them a new command. That new command was to love one another and is where the Maundy comes from, the latin Mandatum (think mandate.) There are other Christian traditions that focus on those latter two, but I’ve always titled to the sacrament. In the full service I pull out the full versions of some elements that get compressed or skipped in a regular service. We do a confessional address and a long form of confession and absolution. It is a full examination of ourselves before we receive. We “pass the peace” which is not just some hippy leftover (although it is usually that), it stands at the place where Jesus would say if you have something against your brother leave your sacrifice and go make peace with him. Then come back. We make peace with our brothers and sisters before receiving. And at the end of the liturgy we strip the altar and it is left there cold and bare in an empty upper room. So what you have recorded here is the readings and the sermon, but it is one of those nights where the liturgy carries more of the story. That isn’t to say the work is not put in or that the preaching is unimportant. It is. It is just to say that Holy Week services are something different. Something you can’t even begin to capture digitally.

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