Jesus’ eschatological parable contains frightening realism; that though people are all invited into God’s kingdom, they instead go their own way, eventually finding judgment. Yet the prophet Isaiah also writes that we are to be a refuge for the poor and the needy in distress, promising that God will remove the shroud of death that […]
View the Sermon (PDF)Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells a vineyard parable, which serves as an image of our ongoing stewardship of and participation in God’s mission in this world. Paul encourages us to press on to make the goal of God’s heavenly call our own, because Christ has made us his own. We know the power of his […]
View the Sermon (PDF)Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Following Christ, we are called to change our minds about ourselves and others going out into the world in humble service for Christ. As Jesus emptied himself taking the form of a slave and serving others, we too, are to empty ourselves, changing our minds, so that we come to have the mind of Christ […]
View the Sermon (PDF)Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
In the Parable of the Vineyard, Jesus says that the reign of God is like a landowner who pays his workers the same wage no matter what time of day they began to work. Paul writes of “progress and joy in faith” revealing the Christian journey one of believing in and suffering for Christ. No […]
View the Sermon (PDF)Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Paul reminds us today that as we all stand before the judgment of God, we are also to forgive as God has already forgiven us. Jesus also encouraged the disciples to forgive seventy-seven times, revealing God’s boundless mercy. Each week, we hear words of forgiveness and are fed with Christ’s body and blood for the […]
View the Sermon (PDF)Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
We gather in the name of Christ, assured that where two or three are gathered, Christ is among us with gifts of peace and reconciliation. We are to live honorably as in the day, putting on the armor of light, which is Jesus Christ. In Holy Baptism, we are moved from the darkness of death […]
View the Sermon (PDF)Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
The prophet Jeremiah speaks of the incurable wound of his suffering yet finds strength in God’s word. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and follow him, the living Word of God. In doing so, we find our selves and our true life as disciples. We are called to hate what is evil, and to hold […]
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
God’s word of reconciliation and God’s mercy are keys to the church’s mission. In Isaiah the people are advised to look to their spiritual ancestors as the rock from which they were hewn, and Jesus told Peter that the church would be built on the rock of his bold confession of faith. Paul reminds us […]
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
In Isaiah we hear that God’s house shall be a house of prayer for all people and that God will gather the outcasts of Israel. The Canaanite woman in today’s gospel is a Gentile, an outsider, who is unflinching in her request that Jesus heal her daughter. As Jesus commends her bold faith, how might […]
View the Sermon (PDF)Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Running for his life, Elijah found the reassuring presence of God not in earthquake, wind, or fire, but in the gentle sound of silence. Traveling through a storm, the disciples and Peter called out to Jesus in fear. Jesus said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” In the midst of storms and […]