Sermon–October 2, 2011–Pentecost 16A

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost A Preached at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muskegon, MI, while on Internship. Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:7-15 Philippians 3:4b-14 Matthew 21:33-46 One of my all-time favorite movies is the 1980 classic “The Blues Brothers”, starring Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi. I was raised a Chicago boy, so the movie practically … Continue reading Sermon–October 2, 2011–Pentecost 16A

Sermon–September 18, 2011–Pentecost 14A

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost A Preached at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muskegon, MI, while on Internship. Jonah 3:10-4:11 Psalm 145:1-8 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 If I were the one responsible for translating the Bible, I think the full title of Jonah’s story would be, “Jonah and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." Catchy, … Continue reading Sermon–September 18, 2011–Pentecost 14A

Sermon–August 14, 2011–Pentecost 9A

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 Psalm 67 Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 Matthew 15:[10-20] 21-28 Preached at Nativity Lutheran Church, Brandon, MS, during my Clinical Pastoral Education in Jackson. This may, or may not be hard to believe, but I was never a part of the “in” crowd in school. Sure, things got better later … Continue reading Sermon–August 14, 2011–Pentecost 9A

Sermon–July 10, 2011–Pentecost 4A

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost A Isaiah 55:10-13 Psalm 65:9-13 Romans 8:1-11 Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Preached at Nativity Lutheran Church, Brandon, MS, while I was doing my Clinical Pastoral Education in Jackson. I can't tell you how many times I've done something and immediately thought, “You know... that was dumb.” You see, I'm what you'd call … Continue reading Sermon–July 10, 2011–Pentecost 4A

Sermon–April 3, 2011–Lent 4A

Fourth Sunday in Lent B 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 Preached at Hope Lutheran Church, Columbus, OH, as part of my Ministry in Context. Why do bad things happen to good people? It is one of the hardest questions I have ever had to deal with. It has caused me enormous … Continue reading Sermon–April 3, 2011–Lent 4A