6 Easter A—5/17/20 Acts 17:22-31; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21 Pr. Scott Kramer Recently, I’ve been wondering how our current pandemic stacks up against pandemics of the past. Doing a bit of digging, I found that from the time our Christian scriptures were written until now there have been at least twenty major pandemics around the globe. Measured by the number of people who have died, it turns out that COVID-19 to-date ranks #15 on this list of twenty. What caught my attention more … [Read more...]
Sermons Archive
The “Morel” of the Story
True morel mushroom (left) and false morel (right) 5 Easter A—5/10/20 John 14:1-14 Pr. Scott Kramer Last week a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go mushroom hunting. He’d asked before and it hadn’t worked out but this time I was able to say yes, so yesterday—in separate cars, appropriately self-distanced--away we went! Steve has been doing this every spring for twenty-five years. Needless to say, he knows where to look for mushrooms! Now, I’d thought I was prepared. I’d watched … [Read more...]
Whom to Follow
Easter banner in the church 4 Easter A—5/3/20 Acts 2:42-47 Pr. Scott Kramer You just heard this reading from the Book of Acts: Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods, and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and … [Read more...]
Young Prophets
3 Easter A—4/26/20 Luke 24:13-35 Pr. Scott Kramer Today's question is the same one we heard last week: Can you see Jesus? Now on that same day, while two disciples were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Maybe I’m the only one who finds that last verse interesting. …but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. For most of my life I understood that to mean God prevented them from seeing. But God does not … [Read more...]
Sent Out of Doors
2 Easter A—4/12/20 John 20:19-31 Pr. Scott Kramer I’d like to share with you a story I heard from a friend of mine this past week. Since stay-at-home orders began some weeks ago, her adult daughter has come over to visit and the two go on a walk through the neighborhood every day. One day my friend wasn’t quite ready when her daughter arrived. When she finally was ready, she went looking for her daughter and found her running from corner to corner through the back yard. My friend … [Read more...]
Out Ahead of Us
Easter Sunday—4/12/20 Matthew 28:1-10 Pr. Scott Kramer Of all the images in Matthew’s account of the Easter story, the one that I identify with most this year is the empty tomb. Here we are, Jakub and Marissa and me, just the three of us. The worship space is empty. Those of you who are here week after week are not here! Today, as we conclude the season of Lent and continue the season of social distance, you—the Body of Christ—are not here. Some of you have a lifetime practice of … [Read more...]
Fish for People
3 Epiphany A—1/26/20 Matthew 4:12-23 Pr. Scott Kramer It was about this time of year probably 25 years ago that my wife and I heard about an opportunity to fish for smelt. I love to fish, and this sounded like a fun adventure, so one day we drove down to Castle Rock, Washington, to try our luck for Columbia River smelt on the Cowlitz River. Now, the kind of fishing that I’d always done was the rod-and-reel method we use in lakes and rivers, the kind of fishing that involves deception … [Read more...]
Veni, Vidi, Vici
2 Epiphany A—1/19/20 Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-11; John 1:29-42 Pr. Scott Kramer We have just returned from a family visit to China, and are grateful for you, God’s people, for your ongoing faithful service as the Body of Christ in South King County and beyond! Grace and peace be with you all. My wife and I are blessed to share the experience of life in two lands: China and the United States. Two languages, two cultures, an ocean apart, sixteen time zones and what sometimes feels like … [Read more...]
Big Dreams
4 Pentecost A—12/22/19 Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Matt. 1:18-25 Pr. Scott Kramer Sixty-three years ago today, Lyle and Eloise Kramer became husband and wife. Less than three years later, along came their first-born, Scott. December 22nd has always been a favorite day for me--especially this year. The day falls on a Sunday, when we hear again the story of another couple who were about to become man and … [Read more...]
Signposts of Joy
3 Advent A—12/15/19 Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 Pr. Scott Kramer 1The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom. Recently my wife and I made a visit to the Amazon Spheres. The Spheres sit in downtown Seattle--glass and steel geodesic bubbles that house four floors of subtropical garden. Admission is free but they are so popular that you have to book well in advance. I love green living … [Read more...]
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