Author: MASadmin

There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. ² There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. ³ He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. ⁴ His sons used to go and hold feasts in one another’s houses in turn, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵ And when the feast days had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all, for Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This is what Job always did.

⁶ One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord, and the accuser also came among them. ⁷ The Lord said to the accuser, “Where have you come from?” The accuser answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.” ⁸ The Lord said to the accuser, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil.” ⁹ Then the accuser answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” ¹² The Lord said to the accuser, “Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!” So the accuser went out from the presence of the Lord.

¹³ One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother’s house, ¹⁴ a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, ¹⁵ and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶ While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷ While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸ While he was still speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house, ¹⁹ and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰ Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹ He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²² In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.

Job 1:1-22

My sermon from the 16th Sunday after Pentecost (September 28, 2025) on Job 1.

******

So this week was rather busy when it comes to the apocalypse. I’m not saying there was some kind of event signalling the start of the end of the world. Rather, all over social media were folks claiming the Rapture was going to happen last Tuesday. The Rapture is a belief that when the end of the world finally comes, the people Jesus loves best will be taken to heaven, leaving their families, jobs, and possibly even their clothes behind. The true believers will, according to this idea, avoid all the nasty stuff that’s about to come. If you take a second to look around, you’ll notice that we’re all still here. And when we hear the word apocalypse, our imaginations are heavily influenced by all the movies, comic books, tv shows, and youtube videos we’ve consumed. To us, the end of the world might resemble something like Mad Max where small groups of people dressed in leather fight over a few barrels of gasoline and water. Or maybe our apocalypses involve zombies, aliens, a pandemic, the complete collapse of the climate on our planet, and a war filled with armies led by those we think are evil. The end of the world is scary and different Christian traditions have invested a lot of time, energy, and effort figuring out how to avoid all the violence we assume is on its way. And that’s because if God is love, then those who God loves should – this thinking assumes – be filled with a life and afterlife grounded in peace, safety, and comfort. The whole idea of the Rapture is less than 200 years old and it comes from one verse in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that was taken completely out of context. And while it’s very human to be worried about what tomorrow might be, ideas like the rapture actually increase our anxieties and fears. When we spend our time wondering if God loves us and wants the best for us, we end up missing out on the life Jesus calls us to live. And if God was willing to be born, to be cared for, to grow up, and to experience what we do when God’s love is made real, we should realize we get to do the same. What the Rapture and other thoughts about the end of the world actually shows is what the word “apocalypse” originally meant. “Apocalypse” isn’t a word pointing to some kind of calamity. It is, instead, a Greek work that means “revelation” or “unveiling.” The “apocalypse” is a vision, a story, and a parable, revealing who we and our God choose to be. So during this week when the apocalypse was all over our social media feeds, let’s let our first reading from the book of Job begin to reveal to us how God’s wisdom will always be bigger than our own. 

Now the book of Job isn’t, I think, meant to be heard as an event that really happened. It is, instead, a long parable – resembling the kinds of stories Jesus shared. All of us have – or will – experience moments when the wisdom we were taught as kids completely breaks down. And it can be terrifying to realize we can make zero mistakes and still lose. I saw this paradox and mystery within the words you shared with me last week. All of us assume behaviors such as “treating others respectfully,” showing “kindness, generosity, helpfulness,” putting “people over ego,” and “caring for others, especially when it requires self-sacrifice” are ones that should be rewarded. The other kinds of behaviors such as “hurting others,” “spreading false rumors,” “disregarding the needs of others,” “being a bully and putting ‘me’ first” over everything else are ones that should be pushed aside and seen as wrong. Yet we all know what it’s like to see goodness ignored and those who peddle in violence and harm failing upwards into positions of power, authority, and wealth. The holy, biblical, and faithful invitations to “help others,” “be responsible,” show “compassion,” “speak up and stand up for those who need our help,” to be “forgiving and not judgemental” are things we can embrace. But we’re often encouraged by our sin and the sin within the various communities we call home to “disgread others, to belittle people,” to “ignore the needs of others,” and to take advantage of them because if we don’t get ours someone will take it from us instead. We’re perfectly fine with others being held accountable for what they’ve done or what we think they’ve done, but we prefer our actions to be given the kind of forgiveness, mercy, and grace we refuse to offer others. Not every situation we run into or decision we make will always have a simple answer. And there are moments when life happens to us regardless of what we say and do. A wisdom shaped only by Proverbs or motivational phrases can’t withstand all the personal apocalypses that come our way. What we need is a deeper kind of wisdom that can bring us into the future God is already bringing about. 

And so that’s why I think we should view the book of Job as an apocalyptic story revealing the strengths and weaknesses of the wisdom we were given when suffering comes our way. The Book of Job does this by crafting a what-if story about a man named Job from the land of Uz who wasn’t an Israelite nor living in any place we can easily identify. We’re told Job embodied so much wholeness, integrity and righteousness that it wrapped up everyone who was a part of his household. He was blameless because he intentionally maintained his relationship with God and trusted God over everything else. Job was the kind of faithful person who lived and received the fullness of what we imagine a good life should be. But it’s at that moment when the accuser, a kind of divine prosecuting attorney, showed up and wondered how deep Job’s integrity truly was. At the start of this extended parable, the God who gave is the same God who took it away. And that’s when we begin our process of revealing and unveiling who we truly are. 

So at this time, you’re invited to take out the pink sheets in your bulletin and answer these questions: 

How do you respond when you encounter something new or different? 

What does it feel like when things just aren’t working out?

Why are things sometimes unfair or unjust? And in those situations, who is to blame?

1 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
2 When a land rebels
it has many rulers;
but with an intelligent person, honesty endures.
3 A poor person who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law struggle against them.
5 The evil do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
6 Better to be poor and walk in integrity
than to be crooked in one’s ways even though rich.
7 Those who keep the law are wise children,
but companions of gluttons shame their parents.
8 One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest
gathers it for another who is kind to the poor.
9 When one will not listen to the [torah],
even one’s prayers are an abomination.
10 Those who mislead the upright into evil ways
will fall into pits of their own making,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
11 The rich is wise in self-esteem,
but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose.
12 When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory,
but when the wicked prevail, people go into hiding.

Proverbs 28:1-12

My sermon from the 15th Sunday after Pentecost/Holy Cross Sunday (September 21, 2025) on Proverbs 28:1-12.

******

So last week, I invited you to share your thoughts about success. And I’ll admit it was neat seeing how similar – and varied – your responses were. Success is, I think, very personal and what it looks like to you might not be success for the person sitting next to you. Our ideas about success have been shaped by the culture we grew up in and it often changes depending on the experiences we have. It would be too simple to merely treat success as the fulfillment of the various goals we’ve set for ourselves. And the words you shared with me show how success is more about the life we live rather than checking off accomplishments on some kind of cultural checklist. Success, you wrote, is “financial security, living comfortably, and building a life [we’re] proud of.” It’s a way of being in the world defined by “the freedom and creativity” allowing us to make a “positive [impact]” on everyone God sends our way. Success is enfleshed in the very personal, and sometimes difficult work, of crafting “a large friend group and a loving family” that we aren’t necessarily born into. It’s the kind of life that feels “happy” but is really grounded in a joy that carries us through all the grief and hardships that come our way. Success is never easy and requires the kind of sacrifices that transform who we are. And while we often imagine success as being something we do on our own, success is truly lived out within a community that always chooses to be for one another. 

Now success, as an idea and way of being in the world, showed up in the book of Proverbs since its initial audience were the sons of wealthy families training to be the administrators, officers, and generals for the royal family. What they needed – and desired – was a kind of guide rooted in the God who had been with them from the Exodus, into the kingdom of David, through the Exile, and beyond. The law – which is really just another word for torah and the teachings, commandments, and stories of God that give us life – wasn’t meant to stay on the page or only in our mind. The steadfast love of God can also be lived out by those who don’t know what God is calling them to do. Today’s reading, which comes near the end of the book, poked and prodded at how our view of success doesn’t match God’s. And so we’re encouraged to lean towards God even when our sense of security, power, pride, and comfort comes undone. Honesty, integrity, and God’s vision of justice – rather than our own – is a gift that doesn’t merely benefit only ourselves. This wisdom, instead, builds everyone up so that our success can be defined by something other than the amount of money in our bank account. This way of living, though, doesn’t assume that our story and our experiences is the only way life is supposed to live. Instead, we’re invited to keep our soul open to the possibility that we’re not an expert on everything. We need correction; we need to listen; and we need to know it’s faithful and holy to ask each other and our God for help. And while this wisdom can feel like it’s hard to translate into the lives we actually live, God knows it’s through the little things we do that reveal the wisdom that is truly guiding our hearts. 

So that’s why I asked you last week to think about the rules your parents, guardians, and loved ones gave you. “Being on time,” “doing your homework before you play,” and “be kind to your siblings” might feel a little arbitrary or one of those things “good kids are supposed to do.” But I wonder if we could recognize how “work[ing] hard in school, go[ing] to church, [knowing] dinner is at 6:00 sharp, and [how] Sundays will always include lunch with grandma” might have been all about the kind of future we can live. That does not mean every rule we were given was good or that what we were taught was always holy and true. But when God’s wisdom is passed through the ones who came before us, we get a glimpse of the One who was willing to be born, grow up, and face the Cross for us and for all. In the eyes of a God who chose to do the hard work of reconciling humanity to God, there is nothing we can do to be more successful at being loved by God. But we can cling to a wisdom that is all about how we live, give, and share. It’s the wisdom which knows life is hard and yet has the courage to say “I was wrong” when we fail to care for ourselves and those around us. It’s the wisdom willing to go with people in the lives they live rather than assume only one kind of life matters to God. And it’s the kind of wisdom that builds a future for all where love, grace, and mercy shines. So when we pass our wisdom down, inviting those who come after us to “show up,” “consider all others feelings,” “and ask for help if you’re in over your head,” we’re not merely trying to create a life that is easier for us. We’re taking our experiences with our God and showing them how tomorrow can be so much more. It’s a future that knows “money can make life easier, but [that it can’t buy the] happiness [and joy we long for in our soul.]” It’s a future where it’s “okay not to know” and trusts we can “make the best choices, [our most loving and reverent guess] with the information” we actually have. And while it would be awesome if we could live a life without regrets, what we have – right now – is a God who is with us and who promises to never let us go. 

So I’d like us to take the next few moments to keep reflecting on the wisdom we’ve received and the wisdom we share. As you ponder the two paths Proverb’s describes, what behaviors should be rewarded and which ones should be punished? We carry with us, I imagine, a picture of what good or successful people do – as well as the bad – and so let’s sketch that out in words. And if we had the chance to give some wisdom to our past self based on the life we’ve really lived – what wisdom would we share? Please take a few minutes to write those down on the back of the bulletin or as comments on facebook and youtube. 

[pause while people write down their answers.]

Last Sunday night, one of the surprise winners at the Emmy awards was Jeff Hiller who won “best supporting actor in a comedy series” for his work in “Somebody Somewhere.” Practically everyone assumed someone else would win. His surprise – and joy – was evident during his acceptance speech as well as his various interviews backstage. And one of the questions he was asked was “what he would share with his younger self.” He said he would tell them “ “you’re going to wait tables at the Olive Garden tonight. Grit and bear your teeth through it. Steal some breadsticks. And know that in the future you’ll get a nice piece of objet (ob-jay) that will make it all worth it.” Sometimes the best wisdom we can give ourselves is to simply endure and not let our own opinion of ourselves or the opinion of others limit who we can be. But there are times when the awards don’t come; when we’ve recognized all the ways we’ve failed; when we’ve done everything right and yet the world still feels incredibly bleak and gray. It’s at those moments when wisdom as  described by the book of Proverbs isn’t enough. What we need is another word that will hold us through. And so next week, we’ll explore what that kind of wisdom looks like as we take our initial steps in the book of Job. 

1 A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
5 A fool despises a parent’s instruction,
but the one who heeds admonition is prudent.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not so the minds of fools.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but he loves the one who pursues righteousness.

Proverbs 15:1-9

My sermon from the 14th Sunday after Pentecost/Holy Cross Sunday (September 14, 2025) on Proverbs 15:1-9.

******

Earlier this week, a poll was published that asked 18-29 year olds their thoughts about success. Over 30,000 adults were invited to pick 3 out of thirteen phrases that defined what success looked like to them. These words ranged from “being financially independent,” to “having no debt,” and to “making your family or community proud.” Then, with all that information gathered, the pollsters shared which phrases mattered to people from a variety of backgrounds. Out of the thirteen options, the one at the bottom was a need to be influential and famous. The generation that grew up with social media has no real desire to be recognized while walking down the street. They also don’t imagine success having anything to do with retiring earlier since, I think, a lot of people assume that option will never exist for them. We might assume that most of us have a similar definition of what success is supposed to look like. But as we moved up the list for these 18-29 year olds, what success looked like changed depending on which sub-group they belonged to. For some men having children, achieving financial independence, and being married are a big part of what it means to be successful. Yet for women, having children and experiencing matrimony are way down on the list. There was, for some people, a deep desire to use their talents to help those around them. And for others, an expensive housing market makes owning a home less important than maintaining some emotional stability. How people ranked these different aspects of success could have laid out a roadmap of what a successful life would look like. Yet the old idea of starting a career, getting married, buying a home, and then having kids was – for most – completely out of order. The image of success other generations developed, embraced, and passed on wasn’t necessarily reflected in the definition these 18-29 year olds were actively living out. And that’s because what’s wise to us might not be wise to those who come after us. Realizing might be hard for some of us to accept. But rather than wondering what’s wrong with kids these days, we might want to ask deeper questions about how wisdom shapes the life God wants us to live. 

Now we started our journey through this wisdom last week by opening up the book of Proverbs. This book is, to me, kind of like a soundtrack for our lives since these short phrases become the lyrics and music that guides the choices we make. The initial audience for Proverbs was originally sons from wealthy families who were about to enter some kind of government service. Yet the need to grow in wisdom is something all of us are called to do. Not everything we consider to be wisdom, though, comes from our Bible. And so I invited you last week to take a moment and write down what things others have passed down to you. A few of you did touch on faith – sharing that “mom always said ‘treat others as you would like to be treated’ and how “letting go – and letting God” is a helpful corrective whenever we try to micromanage our lives.  “A winner never quits and a quitter never wins” is something I’m sure football coaches all over the country said this weekend. And learning how to “control what you can control” is something I continue to work on. Putting “one foot in front of the other,” “think before you act,” and “you make your bed, you sleep in it” remind us of the impact our words and actions always have. And I appreciate the one who wrote “check the door knob” since it’s so easy to assume the solution to every problem has to be hard. This wisdom was a gift from those we trusted – and those who we admired – serving as a guide to light our way through every joy and challenge that comes our way. And while wisdom should guide us into a more life-giving future, that isn’t the only path we can take. The book of Proverbs recognizes how our choices, actions, what we choose to pay attention to, and what we ignore often shapes what comes next. And when we put our trust in anything other than grace, mercy, and God – our fears will tear us down. Proverbs uses a lot of two line verses to invite us into a different kind of future that won’t necessarily be easy or full of peace and comfort. Yet this other future trusts that God’s way is the only Way that can carry us through. So throughout the book of Proverbs, this wisdom is fleshed out in words we’re invited to embrace. We’re asked to recognize how “a soft answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.” When we choose to let “a gentle tongue [be] a tree [for] life” rather than letting our words bite and harm, we allow God’s spirit rather than our own spirit shape every relationship we have. What we say, post, and share should be a kind of knowledge building others up rather than simply existing to tear them down. And that’s because God’s wisdom isn’t meant to only stay on the page. It is, rather, lived out through the interactions we have with everyone God brings our way. We often assume the good we share should feel spontaneous and be incredibly easy to do. But God’s way often requires us to make hard choices so that love, welcome, and inclusion are always at the heart of what we say and do. God’s way isn’t always the easiest way because we need to be held accountable for the various ways we put pride, wealth, comfort, and ideology before everything else. And while we often long for the kind of success that will give us peace for all of our days, the only thing that will – is a God who refuses to let the Crosses we build for ourselves and others be the end to the story. 

Now I know not all of us are 18 to 29 years old but I wonder if we might take the next few moments and write down our own views about success. On the back of your bulletin are three questions and you can also write down your answers as comments on facebook and youtube. What does success look like to you? Is it having a fulfilling career, a large family, a life that impacts others, or a bank account full of all kinds of money? Our  vision of success is often reflected in the rules we grew up with so did you have to do your homework right after school, read for 30 minutes every night, head to college, or clean your plate at every meal? And finally, what wisdom do you share with all the young people around you? What goals, practices, and ways of being in the world do you think will help them shape the future they want for themselves? We’re going to take the next three or four minutes to answer these questions and write those answers down before moving onto the song. And while the wisdom we were given might have brought us to where we are today, we can also trust  that God’s wisdom will always do so much more. 

⁸ Hear, my child, your father’s instruction,
    and do not reject your mother’s teaching,
⁹ for they are a fair garland for your head
    and pendants for your neck.
¹⁰ My child, if sinners entice you,
    do not consent.
¹¹ If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
    let us wantonly ambush the innocent;
¹² like Sheol let us swallow them alive
    and whole, like those who go down to the Pit.
¹³ We shall find all kinds of costly things;
    we shall fill our houses with spoil.
¹⁴ Throw in your lot among us;
    we will all have one purse”—
¹⁵ my child, do not walk in their way;
    keep your foot from their paths,
¹⁶ for their feet run to evil,
    and they hurry to shed blood.
¹⁷ For in vain is the net baited
    while the bird is looking on;
¹⁸ yet they lie in wait—to kill themselves!
    and set an ambush—for their own lives!
¹⁹ Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain;
    it takes away the life of its possessors.

Proverbs 1:8-19

My sermon from the 13th Sunday after Pentecost (September 7, 2025) on Proverbs 1:8-19.

******

If there was a soundtrack for your life, what songs would be on it? 

Now there was a time when music was a way bigger part of my life. I spent many nights standing in the poorly lit basement of a bakery while listening to bands I had never heard of before. Leaving that space with a handful of grainy photos on a dented digital camera while holding a physical CD was complete bliss. And that’s because music has a way of defining the different parts of our life. These songs can help us process, hold, and live through experiences filled with incredible joys and devastating heartbreak. And it’s also kind of neat that when we find ourselves living through a current moment that reminds us of our past, this soundtrack from our life can suddenly pop up and influence what we do next. Taking a moment to recognize how music shapes who we are by connecting us to our past, our present, and our future – gives us a taste of how the book of Proverbs – and all of the other Wisdom literature in our Bible – is meant to function in our lives. Faith is always more than something we have or believe. It is, instead, a kind of force, energy, a gift, and a way of being that impacts every moment of our lives. Our relationship with God speaks into the joys and challenges shaping who we get to be. And while trusting the Jesus who lived, died, and rose for you and the world really is the foundation of our Christian identity; we often also need ideas, stories, songs, and practical how-tos to help live that faith out loud. The books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes are one of the ways God provides that help for us. These books can never give us an exact response for every situation we end up living through. But they do act as a kind of soundtrack we lean into, giving us a sense of security during all the insecurity life brings. 

Now the book of Proverbs is, primarily, a composite text – weaving together material developed in different times and different places. Some of these words were probably first uttered two hundred years before David became king around the year 1000 BCE. Yet others – and final editing done to this book – might not have occurred until around 175 BCE. Almost 1000 years of life show up within Proverbs’ pages. And this book chooses to take this life and turn it into a lot of two line poetic verses to help those listening make the right decisions for their lives. These two line verses are typically shared as a kind of parallelism with the second line restating the first line in a slightly different way. But there are also lots of times when the second line challenged what the first line said, inviting us to recognize what is good and what isn’t. This poetry, though, isn’t always straightforward, often putting words out of order, leaving out verbs, and inserting random adjectives as a way to encourage us to puzzle over its meanings. And that’s because proverbs, like music and songs, choose to speak into our lives that have their own histories, stories, and experiences. Proverbs recognizes itself as a guide providing tools we can apply to the various situations we face. But when it was first written, Proverbs imagined itself as primarily a book for the learned, the educated, the rich, and the powerful living in ancient Israel. It assumed those hearing these words were sons leaving their family to take up some kind of government job. But the book also knows that growing in wisdom is a journey meant for all and that this journey never ends. Our moral and ethical values are always lived out regardless of how “good” we claim to be. And real wisdom comes with the “[w]illingness to accept correction, regardless of age or status.” Proverbs, then, chose to introduce itself in our reading today as a kind of parent – or teacher – telling a child – or a student – what God’s wisdom looks like. What God offers is a way of being in the world that is less about what you have – such as your status, your money, your intelligence, and your opinion of yourself – and is more about who God knows you can be. When we lean into something other than our God, we will be consumed by something that can never give us life. We have a responsibility to turn away from greed and the hoarding of wealth, power, and love. Instead, the soundtrack God wants for our lives is a song that does not withhold any good from whoever God brings our way. 

And so – as we begin this sermon series on God’s wisdom – I wonder if you might share a bit of wisdom someone gave you. What did a beloved parent, guardian, or parental figure give you that still lingers in your soul? When you face a particular challenge – what lyric buzzes through your mind which helps you breathe deep before you say something you regret? And when you’re faced with a choice that has only bad answers, what word points you towards hope and grace? Maybe it’s something as simple as “look both ways before you cross the street” which reminds you to not jump feet first before you examine all your options. Maybe you like to say “the Lord willing and the creek don’t rise” since we know how often our plans go awry. Phrases like “all hat and no cattle,” “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” are the songs that shape the choices we make. And this wisdom was given to us as a guide for a future that those who came before us wouldn’t get to see. It is through the grace of God we have the opportunity to create, share, and pass down all kinds of wisdom too. So on the back of your bulletin, I’d like you to take time during the rest of worship to write down the wisdom you carry with you and drop it in the basket in the narthex. For those at home, leave a comment on facebook or youtube about all the wisdom others gave you. This wisdom matters because it speaks into the life you’ve lived. Yet it also shows why God’s wisdom – which isn’t always our wisdom – has its own value too. And that’s because God not only chose to be with you, to teach you, and to guide your way. God also chose to live as you and show the fullness of what our lives get to be. 

Amen.

⁷ When [Jesus] noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host, ⁹ and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

¹² He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Luke 14:1,7-14

My sermon from the 12th Sunday after Pentecost (August 31, 2025) on Luke 14:1,7-14.

******

Tyler Yan is a stay-at-home dad and tiktoker who regularly posts videos of what he makes for his daughter’s lunch. Each video begins with a focused shot on an empty metal bento box sitting on a white kitchen counter waiting to be filled. As a person who has been making school lunches for years, I’m always looking for ways to spice up what my kids bring to school. But what Tyler puts in his kid’s lunch box puts my lunch making skills to shame. I’d like to share with you a short list of some of the recent lunches he’s posted on Tiktok. A few days ago, he packed for his daughter some herb baked salmon over sesame rice with sliced cucumbers, edamame, yellow dragon fruit, and half an avocado on the side. Prior to that, she feasted on a wagyu burger with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and swiss cheese on a gluten-free bun. Last week, the bento box was packed with an arugula salad under some filet mignon and included jasmine rice, shitake mushrooms, and a little gourmet chocolate for dessert. But my personal favorite was the fish tacos made out of fresh fried snapper with mango coleslaw, cilantro lime rice, and a side of freshly cut dragonfruit for dessert. Each lunch looks like a literal piece of art and you can almost taste it off the screen. Yet what I also really enjoy the most about these videos are all the comments people leave. Unlike the rest of the internet, the vast majority of those words are extremely positive, celebrating the food he made. And one thing I think is very cool is how many simply post a question wondering if they could become one of his daughters too. The beauty, grace, and joy at his table make all kinds of people want to be a part of it. And that makes sense because the meals we share are about more than simply giving our body the nutrients it needs to survive. Meals are events where care is offered, love is shared, and where people who don’t always see eye-to-eye with one another have to sit down together and chew. We want to be at the table where good meals are found. And in today’s reading from the gospel according to Luke, Jesus invites us to remember how being at God’s table changes every other table we have. 

Now the meal Jesus was invited to probably resembled the kind of dinner parties popular in the Greco-Roman world at the time. The first order of business when guests arrived was for the lowest person on the social totem poll to wash their feet. That person might have been a servant, a slave, or one of the host’s younger children. And once the dirt, dust, and grime was wiped away, everyone would be invited to take their seat. Those seats, though, wouldn’t be chairs since the ancient Mediterranean world was all about stretching out on something resembling a chaise lounge. These couches were arranged at the center of the room within easy access to individual tables, trays, or a long plank where food would be placed. One thing that made these couches different, though, was they weren’t designed to seat only one. Each couch had space for three or four people to recline. Folks would lean on their left elbow and contort their body so their right hand could grab food while their feet pointed away from one another. During the meal, the enslaved or servants or maybe some of the hosts’ youngest daughters would be busy picking up plates, filling glasses, and making sure none of the food ran out. And that’s because this meal wasn’t designed to go fast. It was a long, slow event where everyone could be seen. 

Now it wasn’t enough to simply be at the party; everyone needed to see that you were there. Whenever Jesus or anyone else drew near, it was even expected for the neighbors to look out their window to see who was on the guestlist. These guests, though, weren’t only there to be noticed; they also had a lot people watching to do on their own. Paying attention to who was talking to whom, where people were sitting, who was in that room with and who wasn’t helped people recognize how other people saw them. And when they took their seats, where they sat in relation to the host of the party reflected their social status and prestige. Those nearest the host would, most likely, be the rich, the successful, those with power, those who we’d like to be, and those who the host wanted to impress. Getting on their good side was important because they were the ones who might give them a job, join in on some financial endeavor, or offer some kind of gift that would make other people feel jealous since the so-called “right kind of people” knew their name. Who we’re with often determines how much admiration, care, and attention other people give. And in a world where how others saw you determined your worth, being seen reclining on the right couch really mattered. Who you lounged with influenced what your tomorrow might be. And if you claimed a spot others felt you didn’t deserve, the harm to your reputation would last for a long time. We might think that, today, we’re beyond this kind of behavior. But all we need to do is turn on our tv and open up our social media feeds to see how much we care about being seen. For some, it’s more important to be seen as strong rather than having the character, integrity, and values that make us strong in the first place. Others care so much about being liked by the right kind of people and disliked by those they despise that they let their perspective determine their truths rather than letting the truth shape who they choose to be. When we assume we can look at someone and without hearing their story decide they’re unworthy to be at our table, we make our world incredibly small. And when we act as if every one of our moments are picture perfect; that we are always at the top of our game; and that the only thing we do in life is win – the reality we actually move through is completely pretend. When we let our worth, value, and sense of self be defined primarily by what others see, then our life doesn’t belong to us. Now Jesus, at that dinner party 2000 years ago, could have told the host, the guests, and everyone in that room that their worth was primarily defined by the love God already had for them. But instead of telling them who they are, he invited them to change their lives by living as if everyone truly mattered to God. We don’t have to live as if being seen is what makes our life worth living. We can, instead, just be and notice how expansive God’s love always is. When we intentionally expand our guest list and choose to not think too highly of ourselves; when we let others sit in the places where we want to be and focus on the care we can give; it’s at those moments when this life becomes our own. Integrity, honesty, humility, and grace are a big part of how life should be lived. And when embrace them, the meal God has already set for us comes clearer into view. It’s through baptism, the gift of faith, and those times when Jesus became real to you – when we notice the place at the table God has made for us. And this place isn’t in the back or off to the side or even below those folks we know are way more faithful than we could ever be. The seat God has given to you is at the table where the Son of God sits. The desire to be seen will always be very hard for us to shake but trust that you are worth way more than the amazing – and not so amazing – lunches you get to serve. God’s table is big enough to include folks like you. And so we, in response, can make our own meals and our own tables bigger so that they better reflect who our God chooses to be. 

Amen.

¹⁰ Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ¹⁴ But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.” ¹⁵ But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? ¹⁶ And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” ¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.

Luke 13:10-17

My sermon from the 11th Sunday after Pentecost (August 24, 2025) on Luke 13:10-17.

******

One of the interesting things about having the same cell phone number I signed up for my freshman year of college is that most people don’t know what to do when a random 607 number shows up on their phone. The people who don’t have me saved in their contacts usually respond in two ways. First, I’ll be immediately sent to voicemail where I leave a message I hope doesn’t sound as awkward to them as it does to me. The second way folks respond, which happens way less, is they actually pick up and begin with a “hello” that feels like a question and an accusation all at the same time. They assume the number labeled “Binghamton, New York” interrupting their day must be some kind of scam. And with that one word, we sum up our collective angst, frustration, and unhappy acceptance that being negatively interrupted is simply a part of life. Every time we sit down, take a breath, or pick up a book, there’s always a dog that needs to be walked, a cat who wants to be fed, a child asking us what their favorite youtube video is to call, and a series of notifications from countless apps telling us to get up, sit down, buy something, or to watch this video designed to make our blood boil. Our attention and focus are a currency that’s always in circulation and there’s someone or thing promising their interruption will be the one that finally makes us whole and complete. Some days, all we want is a few moments for our soul to be completely undivided and directed towards what we’re supposed to do. But then a presence, a vibe, or a person interrupts us and we suddenly discover we are made for so much more. 

I like to imagine today’s reading from the gospel according to Luke to be a kind of interruption within an interruption. Jesus’ climatic journey from Galilee to Jerusalem brought him into towns and villages where his mere presence interrupted their daily life. All of the sudden, their curiosity, their questions, their conflicts, and their needs came pouring out. When the kingdom of God shows up, life happens. And it was during weekly sabbath worship in a synagogue when an unnamed woman walked in while Jesus was speaking. Now it was a tradition for communities in Jesus’ day to invite religious leaders and traveling rabbis to read a piece of scripture and offer their own teaching and interpretation during worship. Unlike other stories in Luke, we’re not told which piece of scripture Jesus read out loud or what, exactly, he was teaching. What we hear instead is how a woman’s presence interrupted him. She is, from our perspective, a bit of a mystery. We don’t know her name, her age, if she had a family or if she spent her days begging for food in the marketplace. We don’t even know what caused her to be bent though some biblical commentators speculate the bones in her spine fused together, leading to long years spent stiff, exhausted, and in chronic pain. The life she lived could have been incredibly isolating as she managed her condition as well as dealing with those who acted as if she had brought all of this onto herself. The more bent her body became, the smaller her world grew and I wish we heard what was going through her mind when she went to worship that day. Did she know Jesus would be there? Was she frustrated by how late she knew she would be since her body moved so slow? Did she almost give up going to synagogue at all? Or was it a community that felt like home since the text doesn’t act as if people were surprised, angry, or upset that she was there? We have no idea if she came to worship that day expecting her life to be interrupted. But when Jesus saw her – her presence interrupted whatever he was about to say. And he could do nothing less than notice her, pay attention, discern her entire story, and interrupt her life with compassion, hope, and love. 

Yet it’s at that moment when the grumbling started. It appeared a religious leader and probably others within the community weren’t thrilled with what they just saw. Now the healing wasn’t the issue. Rather, what bothered them was when the healing happened. I’ll admit that sounds a little weird but I also think we should give the grumblers a little slack. They had, faithfully and spiritually, come up with a rhythm for the sabbath that interrupted their ordinary day. Instead of being in the field, the marketplace, or out in a boat catching some fish, they were spending time away from what they usually do to listen to God and to one another. The sabbath, then, was a moment when the regular interruptions of our lives were pushed aside so our undivided attention could be directed towards the One who made us, loves us, and who is always with us. What the grumblers imagined the Sabbath did was interrupt our interruptions so we could just be. The Sabbath was a break from our  so-called “normal” but it wouldn’t, necessarily, interrupt things as they already were. Jesus, however, saw the Sabbath as something more. It isn’t merely a rest or a pause to help us manage everything that comes next. The sabbath is an interruption meant to break through everything that doesn’t give us life. When God paused during the story of creation, God wasn’t merely taking a breath before getting back to doing what God always does. Instead, God was inserting into the world a promise that you are always more than what you do. You are not only what happens to do you. And your illness, your schedule, your situation, your condition, and all the interruptions that take you out of your life is not the limit of who you are. You are a beloved child of God, created to be known, seen, and loved. And the sabbath is for you in ways the rest of the week is not. Now experiencing the Sabbath might require us to purposefully stop what we’re doing instead of seeing this day as an opportunity to do some yardwork or start one more load of laundry. But this could also be a moment when we choose to not let our interruptions interrupt the gifts God has given us. We can let the Sabbath be a picture for what life can be and wonder what kind of interruptions we – and those around us – need to break the pain, suffering, anger, and loneliness that does its best to consume us. The Sabbath is meant to be a moment of compassion and care that does more than simply prepare us for the week that comes. It, instead, transforms it because God’s love for you changes everything into something new. We don’t always know when a phone call or a notification or an event or an experience or when a million other things will suddenly interrupt our day. But we can embrace the interruption God gives us in the Sabbath because wholeness is God’s wish for you and for the world. Life isn’t meant to exhaust us nor are we called to exhaust and use up the lives of those around us. Instead, God’s mercy and hope interrupts all our lives so that we can discover just how life-giving we can be. 

Amen.

⁴⁹ “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! ⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! ⁵² From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; ⁵³ they will be divided:
father against son
    and son against father,
mother against daughter
    and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
    and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
⁵⁴ He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain,’ and so it happens. ⁵⁵ And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Jesus 12:49-56

My sermon from the 10th Sunday after Pentecost (August 17, 2025) on Luke 12:32-40.

******

I haven’t been able to visit the shore very often this summer but I recently stood on the Ocean City boardwalk when a thunderstorm rolled in. It was early in the evening so most people had already left the beach and returned to find dinner or visit the amusement park. The increasing cloud cover as well as the setting of the sun made the air feel eerie when the street lights unexpectedly turned on. I couldn’t really tell which way the clouds were moving and so my youngest and I joined everyone who were waiting to be entertained for thirty seconds at a time by a variety of mechanical rides. It was long, though, before a light drizzle signaled what was already on its way. After a few rights, I convinced her to take the festivities to an indoor arcade since I suspected that the nearby lighting strikes might force the amusement park to close for the night. I assumed it was going to pour at any moment but, luckily, most of the storm stayed to the north. When it was finally time to head back to where we were staying, the northern sky was lit up with all kinds of flashes of light as a giant cloud moved out over the ocean. Storms have a way of disrupting our plans and our expectations. And yet they’re also kind of necessary to make sure all plants, animals, and even human beings have the water they need to survive. The presence of storms along the horizon often shape the lives we get to live. And I wonder if Jesus’ words today from the gospel according to Luke were meant to show us how Jesus’ presence is its own kind of storm that transforms who we get to be in the world. 

Now I’ll admit that Jesus’ words today aren’t the ones we paint on a piece of reclaimed wood and hang in our family room. It’s pretty hard to faithfully connect the Jesus we call Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, King of Kings, and the Prince of Peace with the One who also promises division and pain. The church has for a long time struggled with this passage and even Ambrose, the Bishop of Milian 1600 years ago, wrote “are we to believe that [Jesus] has commanded discord within families? …How does [this Jesus] say, ‘My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you,’ if he has come to separate [children] from [parents] and [parents] from [children]…” We have, over the centuries, either ignored passages like this or used them to attack those we disagree with. And there are plenty of folks in our own country today who relish these words since they think they’re the ones who won’t get burnt. When it comes to our own practices of faith, we prefer a Jesus who is a little more graceful, comfortable, and caring. We need a Jesus who overcomes the divisions of our world and who gives us a sense of calm when our lives come tumbling down. When things are truly difficult and hard, the Jesus we pray to pats us on the back, holds us, blesses us, and knows we’ve truly tried our best. The One we turn to in our private and public devotions isn’t the One who splits families apart. And so what can we do with the Jesus who acts as if he’s a storm breaking into our lives and our world? 

It’s possible, though, that this metaphor of a storm actually helps reveal a little bit of what Jesus was trying to say. Over these last few weeks, we’ve heard him share a variety of stories, parables, and teachings during his climactic journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. Some of his words were shared with those who begged him to intervene on their behalf while others were mostly curious and simply wanted to know how to pray. Jesus regularly talked about our need to be generous, inviting us to see God moving in our world, and inviting us to let compassion guide what we say and do. But making the time to follow Jesus isn’t easy since our possessions, our greed, our desire for comfort, our lust for power, and our lack of imagination often gets in the Way. Yet the God who is willing to show up in our lives and in our world is always going to be a disruptive act. Every healing and all the ways Jesus let those around him know they are seen and loved interrupts the limits we place on our lives and on our world. Jesus, then, really is his own kind of storm – a storm of grace, mercy, and hope that changes our expectations and assumptions. His presence will always upend the ways we let faith, culture, and tradition decide who matters and who doesn’t. As much as we’d like Jesus to bring about a kind of peace triumphing over all the division in our world, we – I think – are the ones who chose to remain divided since the status quo gives us a sense of purpose, status, and control. Being divided lets us assume that God’s promises are really only for the very few. And so we hoard what we have; marginalize those we don’t understand; and act as if other people are the sinners while we are saints who just occasionally make a few mistakes. Jesus’s words, then, are a kind of proclamation of holy frustration with the lives we choose to live. But it’s also a kind of promise that knows this isn’t the limit of what life can be about. Since we are loved; since we are part of God’s holy family; and because we are worthy of a God willing to live, love, die, and rise again – we get to push through our divisions and towards a more eternal unity where mercy and forgiveness is at the center of who we are. 

The fire Jesus described was less hellfire and more a refining fire – the kind blacksmiths use to turn rock into a strong and precious metal. It’s the kind of fire Mary, Jesus’ mother, sang out loud with the promise that Jesus’ presence will scatter the proud and fill the hungry with good things. John the Baptist, when he baptized Jesus, noted how his presence will divide us from our self-centeredness and towards each other with a deep love and care. And it’s this same fire that fueled the long list of faithful ancestors sketched out in our reading from Hebrews who served God and their neighbor during times that were uncomfortable, challenging, and required them to imagine life beyond the status quo. They lit fires of love in big and small ways that pushed back the cloud of gloom and hatred which always try to divide us. They are part of the great cloud of witnesses which include those who’ve personally fed our faith and souls. What made each of them stand apart was the way they chose to be like Jesus and show us what a storm full of God’s love will always do. And while it isn’t always easy to figure out exactly what this kind of storm looks like, the holy fires of love will always save the weak, support the orphan, make a difference in the lives of those we declare to be our enemies, and are the sacrifices we make so everyone in need can thrive. This work we do will never be perfect and we won’t always get it right. But Jesus trusts this is something we can do since through Him, in Him, and because of Him, we are a part of that great cloud of witnesses showing everyone what a holy storm of mercy, compassion, and love can do in our own lives and in our world. 

Amen. 

³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

³⁵ “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; ³⁶ be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. ³⁷ Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. ³⁸ If he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

³⁹ “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Luke 12:32-40

My sermon from the 9th Sunday after Pentecost (August 10, 2025) on Luke 12:32-40.

******

One of the stories I shared with my children this week was what flying was like before every seat included its own TV screen and every hand had a smartphone or tablet. There was a time when our entertainment was primarily whatever book, newspaper, or crossword puzzle we brought with us. If our flight was long or fancy, we could fight for an aisle seat to watch a faded out movie projected onto a small pull-down screen at the far end of the plane. We didn’t get to pick the movie and our over-the-ear headphones didn’t always plug in easily into our armrest. And if the snack cart was in the aisle or there were folks standing in the aisle waiting for the bathroom, we missed seeing whatever happened on the screen. We might also choose on the flight to do a little work using paper or notepads, sleep, or even chat with the person sitting next to us. But I spent most of the time as a passenger on a plane simply bored for hours at a time. This boredom, though, wasn’t awful since we got to be part of a  temporary community who could be bored together. And being together while so many others worked to bring us to our destination was a gift we didn’t always recognize. It took centuries of people investing their time, energy, imagination, success, and failures to allow two hundred people to be bored while hanging out in a thin metal cylinder 37,000 feet above the ground. Countless people we’ve never met or even seen make flying something we do. But we often struggle recognizing how taking a trip isn’t an individual event we do all on our own. Our language around taking vacations, flying, and traveling focuses primarily on what we do since it really does take a lot of work and resources to spend a few days living our life somewhere else. And while at least one of us here at CLC can fly a commercial jet, we all occasionally act as if being on a plane with others is more an inconvenience rather than a communal event. The little screens in our hands or the one in the seat in front of us that lets us pick a movie or show no one else on that plane will watch reinforces the assumption we’re merely individuals going through life on our own. And I wonder if Jesus’ words today from the gospel according to Luke are more than simply encouraging individuals to act as if our place in the kingdom of God depends on what we say and do. Instead, it’s about what we get to do since we’re already part of a community that’s so much bigger than ourselves. 

So over these last few weeks, we’ve spent time traveling with Jesus as he took the scenic route from Galilee to the city of Jerusalem. Jesus’ journey brought him into urban settings where people were excited – or nervous – to see him. He made time during his journey to teach, often using metaphors, images, and stories to upend our expectations of how the world should be. And while some of these thoughts could be really long and involved, Jesus would also use shorter phrases one-after-the-other to push us into something new. In the passage we just read, we heard God and Jesus described in multiple ways that change who we get to be in the world. It began with Jesus describing his friends as a flock. Now being a flock implies a couple of things. First, we can’t be a flock on our own. A flock requires us to be part of a group whether we realize that or not. This flock, though, isn’t merely a community bouncing around as it wanders from place to place: it is a flock with a shepherd. The Bible often uses the image of the shepherd for God or as a metaphor for how leaders should act in the world. But in Jesus’ day, shepherds were viewed with suspicion since they worked a job out in the fields that no one in so-called “right” society would ever do themselves. The shepherd for this community, though, was someone who didn’t mind getting their hands dirty while dealing with the messiness of life. This work, however, was an act of generosity since God brings us into the kingdom of God. At first glance, Jesus’ words might imply this gift comes to us after we sell our possessions and do whatever we assume a faithful person should do. Jesus’ words, however, don’t include any “scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” kind of transaction. Instead, Jesus simply says we’re in the flock and so the selling of possessions, the giving of alms, and making sacrifices so others can thrive isn’t about gaining our place with God. It is, instead, trusting that God keeps God’s promise. This doesn’t mean, however, there won’t be times when we fear, worry, anxiety, or frustrations will make us feel as if we are unloved by God. What Jesus’ promises is that those feelings and days won’t be the limit of what it means to be with our God. The God who is willing to embrace the fullness of our lives is the same God who is already holding us in an eternal community who get to make God’s love real in our world. 

Now seeing ourselves as more than simply individuals finding our way in the world, continued in the two short parables Jesus added. In the first story, Jesus described an enslaver returning home from a party to find those he enslaved ready to serve. Even though slavery was considered normal in Jesus’ day, acting as if Jesus is the slave master in this parable isn’t easy to hold since slavery allows some to inflict violence on the bodies of so many others. Jesus’ words, though, point to the ways how Jesus’ presence can change the ways we live together. When the enslaver arrived home, he chose to do what we wouldn’t do by giving up his power to serve those at the bottom of the social ladder. They were ready not because they said the right things, prayed the right prayers, and never did anything wrong. What they did was embrace Jesus’ call to trust that they really were part of the kingdom of God. Living as if Jesus’ words are true is more than simply holding onto a series of beliefs swirling around in our heads. Being ready is about living as if there is always room in our lives and in our world for more hope, care, support, and love. And this is expressed through the connections that bind us to God and to one another. That doesn’t mean life is meant to be easy or that a faithful person is one who pretends as if fear, anxiety, and worry don’t make it feel as if joy has been stolen from us. But the One who has broken into our lives to show exactly how abundant, generous, and full life can be is the One who has already promised to never let us go. In your baptism, through faith, and in the grace God gives you everyday – you are more than just you. You are a beloved child of God and part of a holy community that stretches from here to beyond the stars. And while so much of our culture and what we teach our children implies how everything depends on the individual choices we make, we are part of a flock of love that is still with us even during those moments when we’re overwhelmed or completely bored. We, as individuals, are not the only things that determine what our future gets to be. Jesus reminds us that whose we are shapes who we are and that we do nothing on our own. Instead, we are wrapped up in the arms of Jesus who is taking us through the journey of life and into a more precious destination where love, grace, and hope becomes a home for us and for all.    

Amen.