I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." A new commandment. A new commandment?? God gave the commandment to love one another centuries before Jesus came on the scene. In Deuteronomy, ch.6 we hear this commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength, and your neighbor as yourself. So why does … [Read more...]
The Hunger Games
It is good to have children in worship this morning! It is good to hear them sing! Children, according to Jesus, represent the very kingdom of heaven. Unless you change and become like children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, he said. How can we understand what that means unless they are among us to study and to ponder? Let the little children come unto me, and do not forbid them, for to such as these belongs the kingdom of heaven... Whoever welcomes one such child in my name … [Read more...]
The Bigger God
During the medieval period, Christian scholars spent a lot of time thinking about pins. More specifically, they spent time thinking about how many angels could sit on the head of a pin. This may seem like a silly debate, but what these thinkers were really interested in was space. Specifically how much space spiritual beings like angels or God took up. Space is an important thing to us humans, even though we may not talk about it a lot. Unlike the infinite number of angelic bodies medieval … [Read more...]
The Kingdom is At Hand!
I’d like everyone to take one arm and stretch it out in front of you. Now take the other arm and stretch it out in front of you; take one hand and touch the other. Anyone not able to do that? 14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [is at hand]; repent, and believe in the good news." The kingdom is at hand. The translation you have in front of you says, “The kingdom has come near,” … [Read more...]
Created Good
Matthew 27:45-54 This morning Minjing and I drove to North Bend to hike Mt. Si. Mt. Si is one of the best training hikes for people who are planning to hike higher mountains. In fact, three months today I will be my ascent of Mt. Baker for the Climb to Fight Breast Cancer. It was a good day to be outside—not just to get in shape but because, as many of you know, today is Earth Day. Earth Day is an opportunity to recognize the beauty of the earth and our human responsibility for stewardship … [Read more...]
Cycle of Grace
Exodus 12:1-14; Ps. 116:1,10-17; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; John 13:1-17,31b-35 “[Jesus knew that]...he had come from God and was going to God.” –John 13:3 I want to share with you something that I received through my classes at Seattle University. It’s called the Cycle of Grace. It describes the life of faith as intended by God for each of us. When John describes Jesus he describes a man who knew from the beginning that he was loved and accepted. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I … [Read more...]
Put Your Sword Back
Matthew 26:14–25, 31–56, 69–75 51. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” This past Tuesday marked the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. It was a war that testified to the truth of Jesus’ words: All who take the sword will perish by the sword. 610,000 people … [Read more...]
Ripples in the Universe
by Maggie Breen Ann Weems. Ann is a poet. She is person who can craft words and the images they carry in a way that invite the reader to thoughts and feelings and insights that can be hard to grasp, hard to acknowledge perhaps, hard to pay attention to. In 1995, 13 years after the death of her 21 year old son Ann Weems writes.... “And still I weep. On that day in 1982 the stars fell from my sky and still I weep.”i The years have passed and she has been loved and cared for by those dear to her … [Read more...]
Body Fluids
1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 This past week I drove down to a Renton casino to get my food handler’s permit. The food handler’s permit is required in order to work at Luther’s Table. When I arrived at the testing site I sat through a 45-minute class covering the rules for food handling and preparation. Our instructor emphasized the importance of washing hands often—especially after going to the bathroom: Wash once before leaving the bathroom and then again … [Read more...]
Three Strikes and You’re…In??
Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42 Baseball season is just around the corner. Whether or not you’re a Mariners fan—or even a baseball fan!—you know at least some of the lingo. We use baseball terms every day without even thinking about it. If someone gives an answer that’s close to the best answer we say that she’s in the ballpark. If he answers several questions in a row and gets them all right, we say he’s batting 1000. If she makes it to the highest level of her profession … [Read more...]