17 Pentecost A—9/27/20 Ezekiel 18:1-4,25-32; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32 Pr. Scott Kramer The religious “influencers” were outraged. Jesus had just disrupted the business of the church—or, the temple in this case—by turning upside down the tables of the moneychangers, and so they confront him: By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority? Just who do you think you are, Jesus of Nazareth? Well, in the eyes of the religious power … [Read more...]
Keys to Hope
7 Pentecost A—7/19/20 Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:18-25; Pr. Scott Kramer One week ago I joined seven teammates on the Pacific Crest Trail. This is the fifth year in a row that we’ve chosen a section of the trail, with the goal of completing all 500 miles in the State of Washington. This year’s plan was to hike the 99 miles between White Pass and Snoqualmie Pass. We usually leave in early August, which has been practically ideal for weather and trail conditions. … [Read more...]
Fork in the Road
2 Advent A—12/8/19 Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-7; Matthew 3:1-12 Pr. Scott Kramer If you’re a local sports fan, you know what the big story was this past week. Chris Petersen, Husky coach over the past six years, suddenly resigned. Well, coaches do resign, but typically in order to take a more prestigious, challenging, and usually better-paying coaching position somewhere else. What made this announcement such a big deal is that Petersen resigned without any new coaching … [Read more...]
Choose Love!
6 Epiphany A—2/12/17 Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (Sirach 15:15-20); Psalm 119:1-8; Pr. Scott Kramer Clyde Ford is a retired chiropractor and psychotherapist who lives in Bellingham; he’s also African-American. In yesterday’s Seattle Times Clyde Ford tells the story of a lunch meeting he had one day in a small local café. As he and his luncheon companion were enjoying their conversation, without warning a woman outside the coffeehouse beat on the window, shot her middle finger into the air and hollered … [Read more...]
Through the Cross
Palm Sunday—3/20/16 Luke 19:28-40; Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Phil. 2:5-11; Luke 23:1-49 Pr. Scott Kramer The whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully… “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven.” If it weren’t Palm Sunday you might think it’s Christmas. Remember what the angels sang on the eve of Jesus’ birth? Something similar: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he … [Read more...]
Saved to Save
3 Lent C—2/28/16 Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9 Pr. Scott Kramer Three weeks ago yesterday, on February 6th, at 4:00 in the morning, my wife and I were awakened by windows rattling and the building shaking. I looked at her and she said, “Earthquake”, and…we both fell back asleep! Maybe not the safest response to an earthquake (!) but the next morning we heard news that she was right. It was an earthquake—the same one you read about in the news--on the … [Read more...]
For the Sake of Peace
2 Advent B—12/7/14 Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2,8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8 The heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire…the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire. –2 Peter 3:10,12 December 7th: A deafening roar filled the room and the entire ship shuddered…One and a half million pounds of gunpowder exploding in a massive fireball disintegrating the whole forward part of the ship… Seconds after … [Read more...]