A monk at Wittenberg, nails a document on a church door. Written in Latin, he desires to spark a debate. For this man spots others selling something called “indulgences,” which claim to cut short someone’s time in purgatory. So, what’s the issue? For the Church of Rome, unless someone lives a super-virtuous life, he dies […]
Ecclesiastes 5:10-20, Luke 12:13-21: Enjoy All in Christ
October 29, 2018 by
In the realm of wealth, we listen today to an expert. The teacher is Solomon, the wealthiest king of Israel. To put his life in modern terms—he owned cars, houses, yachts. Personal chefs, women, entertainment, the best food, an enormous wine cellar, gardens, and vineyards all occupied his life. In Ecclesiastes, he writes his report, […]
Mark 4:35-41, Revelation 14:13: Donna Kind-Gappa’s Funeral Sermon: Blessed are the Dead Who Die in the Lord
September 21, 2018 by
The story is the tale of your life, soaked into the bones and marrow of your being. The sun warms your face, but distant thunder cleaves your ears. Soon, dark clouds banish the brightness, and blackness descends, unasked for and unwanted. The still waters rebel and lash out in chaos. Venomous bile stings your throat, […]
Mark 9:14-29: Faith and Faithfulness
September 16, 2018 by
In today’s Gospel, Jesus triumphs in a spiritual miracle, casting out a demon. For us, this is almost unrelatable because we can explain, in some way, people’s bizarre conduct. In our world, people exhibit many weird behaviors. Still, we almost always come up with some explanation, often traceable to an illness—Bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s, a horrible […]
A Lesson on Grieving
September 16, 2018 by
With two deaths within a week, a lesson like this made sense. For when someone you know and love dies, you suffer an enormous sense of loss. It is like an amputation. Initially, there’s a sharp pain. Eventually, there’s healing—but there’s always a loss. Grief is the expression of this loss, which someone can express […]
Sandy Webb’s Funeral Homily: Baptism Does What?
September 15, 2018 by
John 3:1-7, 14-17; Genesis 7:11-13, 22-23; 8:1, 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-21 Sometimes, someone enters your life who speaks the truth, flowing from a heart of love, without pretense or agenda. Whenever a friend like this becomes part of your life, don’t let him go. Such people are rare. Don’t allow being comfortable to obstruct genuine […]
Mark 7:24-37: Knocked Down by Sin and Death
September 13, 2018 by
In less than a week, two deaths—Sandy Webb and Donna Kind-Gappa. So close together, we are left unable to make sense of this. Inside, we are a mess of emotions, disturbed and rattled. Somehow, this smacks of betrayal. For if God is real, how can he let this happen, a few days apart? Only a […]
Ephesians 5:22-33: Love and Submission?
September 13, 2018 by
Such a reviled word, submission. Given a different worldview, which concerns itself for others, we set aside our desires and rights for the benefit of another. Now, this is part of following Jesus because He did the same for us. The rights and privileges of being God, He put away, becoming human, walking the road […]
Psalm 68:6, Dean Webb’s Funeral Sermon: God Brings Those in the Prison House to Where?
August 16, 2018 by
“The two ways—one of life and one of death, and a vast chasm exists between the two” (Didache 1:1). So begins a 1st-century document, meant for Gentile converts entering a Church filled with Jewish Christians. Such are the subjects Dean delighted in learning during my time as his pastor. Today, you will not find yourself […]
John: Lesson 9: The Food of God’s Kingdom (John 6:25 – 71)
July 11, 2018 by
Jesus is back in Galilee with another Passover soon approaching. He crossed over the Sea of Galilee and a crowd follows Him there. Hungry, Jesus took five loaves and seven fish and multiplied them to feed a crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children. Both Jesus and His disciples leave and the crowd follows […]
