Pentecost 16A—9/24/17 Jonah 3:10--4:11; Matthew 20:1-16 Pr. Scott Kramer When I was a child, one of my favorite Bible stories was the tale of “Jonah and the Whale.” What little kid wouldn’t love the story of someone on a ship who was thrown overboard, swallowed by a huge fish, and spit out unharmed onto dry land? As an adult, this story is still one of my favorites, but not because of the big fish. The story of Jonah represents a very grown-up and difficult truth that all of us eventually must … [Read more...]
Power to Choose
15 Pentecost A—9/17/17 Genesis 50:15-21; Exodus 14:19-31; Matthew 18:21-35 Pr. Scott Kramer This past Friday my wife and I returned from a visit to Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana. Over the course of the week we put almost 1800 miles on the car! Turns out that it was more than just a road journey. For me, it was a spiritual journey, as well. I’d like to share some of that road-trip with you this morning because a lot of what we experienced over the past week ties in with our … [Read more...]
Love or Fear
13 Pentecost A—9/3/17 Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 26:1-8; Romans 12:19-21; Matthew 16:21-28 Pr. Scott Kramer In the September issue of National Geographic magazine is a short interview with Vivek Murthy, former Surgeon General of the United States. This month’s issue is dedicated to the “Science of Addiction” and Murthy was asked what it means to be healthy, and he speaks specifically about emotional health: I am deeply concerned about the level of stress that our country is experiencing…I have long … [Read more...]
Ultra-Light Backpackin’ Tips 2017
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. –Matthew 11:29-30 A few weeks ago, I returned from an eight-day, 90-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT runs 2600+ miles from our Mexican border into Canada. Last year a friend, his adult children and I hiked the 70-mile section of the PCT from Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass. We enjoyed it so much that we chose to … [Read more...]
Chip Off the Old Rock
12 Pentecost A—8/27/17 Isaiah 51:1-6; Psalm 138; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20 Pr. Scott Kramer I have here a receipt that proves that I recently shopped for groceries at Fred Meyer. Nothing unusual: bread, cheese, fruit, milk, cereal. But down near the bottom of this receipt—and every Fred Meyer receipt I’ve seen recently—is this message: Tell Us How We Are Doing! The company provides a link to a survey which enters me in an online sweepstakes for gift cards ranging from $100 to $5000. I … [Read more...]
Words for Our Time
11 Pentecost A—8/20/17 Isaiah 56:1,6-8; Psalm 67; Romans 11:1-2a,29-32; Matt. 15:10-28 Pr. Scott Kramer Did you ever think you’d hear Jesus call someone stupid? Matthew 15 is a hard-hitting chapter in which Jesus exposes the hypocrisy and screwed-up priorities of religious people, including his own followers. It’s a chapter that speaks to American Christians in 2017, maybe especially over the past week following the events of Charlottesville, Virginia. The Christian who is deeply convinced of … [Read more...]
Fairy Tales?
8 Pentecost A—7/30/17 1 Kings 3:5-12; Rom. 8:26-39; Matt. 13:31-52 Pr. Scott Kramer I have with me this morning one of my favorite plants. Grevillea is an Australian native. I love this plant! It’s evergreen, it’s hardy in winter and blooms--even in snow! Hummingbirds love it, especially in winter. It is drought-tolerant, grows rapidly and can be pruned easily. And get this--it loves poor soil, which makes it a great fit for the unfertile soil of our Lakeridge yards! Jesus uses a variety of … [Read more...]
Wheat & Weeds
7 Pentecost A—7/23/17 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Pr. Scott Kramer I invite you to turn in your pew Bibles to the very end of John’s gospel, ch. 21. Beginning with v.24: This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Now please turn back a … [Read more...]
Baptismal Candle
4 Pentecost A—7/2/17 Matthew 10:40-42 Pr. Scott Kramer Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Hospitality is at the heart of what it means to be Christian. But through the example of Jesus himself we discover that the welcome we extend to family or friends is only the barest beginning of God’s welcome. God’s welcome is more than a handshake or a greeting. Christian hospitality represents the wide embrace of God’s love that sets aside one’s own … [Read more...]
God’s Welcome
2 Pentecost A—6/18/17 Ex. 19:2-18a; Psalm 100; Romans 5:1-8; Matt. 9:35-10:8[9-23] Pr. Scott Kramer One of the highlights of this past week for me was a reunion with a friend I hadn’t seen in many years. Liz and I taught English in China together 30 years ago. She and her family are from Sacramento but I’d never met her husband so it was a joy to meet them and their 15 yr.-old son over dinner at our house. Next month we will welcome other visitors; this time, friends from Hong Kong that we … [Read more...]
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