Sermons

Jeremiah 33:14-16
Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36

Sermon delivered at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Perkasie, PA

Now, before we get started, it’s very important that we can answer this question: Why is the beginning of Advent a time when we hear Scripture about the end of the world?

In a season that we have all grown up believing is about waiting for a baby to be born—why, this morning, and the past few Sundays too, have there been Scriptural images of “heaven and earth passing away”?

Continue reading “Our God is New—Dec. 2, 2018”

Daniel 12:1-3
Mark 13:1-8

Sermon delivered at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Perkasie, PA

From Jesus and from the book of Daniel we have grim images. War and violence. Nation against nation. Earthquakes and famines and natural disaster. A time of anguish.

I know we, at this time, can relate to these things. We can understand the sense of dread, of worry and unrest. Just in the past month, almost 60 dead in wildfires. So many others killed meaninglessly by alienated gunmen. And a nation divided like never before.

Continue reading “Transformation/Stewardship—Nov. 18, 2018”

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon delivered at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Perkasie, PA

In the past month (or more?) I have been in a lot of interviews… with Pastor Krey—who just raved about what an amazing church you are, with Michele and Brian and Lori and Jane, who were overjoyed about being part of this community. Then, with Megan Germann and your call committee, and with Rhonda and ALL the folks on the council… who were making sure I was up to snuff for you all.

So, it’s been a lot of meetings!

But I’ll tell you one thing that has been true of all these meetings—they were full of talk about all the good things happening at St. Andrews.

Continue reading “God is Here—Oct. 14, 2018”

Mark 7: 24-37

Sermon delivered at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Hilltown, PA

There were rumors of a healer.

Someone who could cure her daughter.

People said he was a prophet from Galilee, a prophet for the people of Israel.

“Either way,” she must have thought, “this man and his God might be able to help.” This woman from Phoenicia was going to find out.

Continue reading “The divide is in our own hearts—Sep. 9, 2018”

John 6:1-21

Sermon delivered at the Ward Memorial Chapel of Pine Grove, Falls Village, CT

When you meet an infant, you meet a new individual—a new face. But its kind of an unfinished face—a person in progress. They continue to grow into the kid, the teenager and the adult face we’ll all eventually get used to.

And as this person is in progress, there are moments, even when a child is an infant, when you can have a real glimpse of what they will look like. And a glimpse of what their personality will be when it comes to full ripeness as an adult.

These glimpses are very emotional and powerful—when you see in this child a quick flash of personality, or you see a little of your father’s chin, or a little of your grandmother’s charm, something like this. There is a glimpse of all the fullness and uniqueness of this little person.

So, when you’re wondering about these miracles from The Gospel of John today keep this idea of glimpsing the personality of an infant in mind.

Continue reading “Divine family resemblances—July 29, 2018”

Jeremiah 23: 1-6
Ephesians 2: 11-22
Mark 6: 30-34, 53-56

Sermon delivered at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Narberth, PA

I was talking with another pastor about leadership skills the other day, and he thought that different people sort of come in at different levels or rankings of leadership skills—you know, like 1-10.

Continue reading “Irresistible leadership—July 22, 2018”

Ezekiel 2:1-5
Mark 6:1-13

Sermon delivered at Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Haddonfield, NJ

As a pastor-in-training I’ve had the opportunity to preach or teach at a lot of different kinds of Lutheran churches. I’ve served in New York City, in small towns in the northeast, I’ve travelled all across Washington state on my internship, preaching at everything from rural churches, to big churches in Seattle.

And now, I’m at this final leg of my journey on the road to becoming a pastor. And I’m getting to serve and preach for churches in Pennsylvania, and, apparently, New Jersey too. So, thanks for having me.

And of all these churches I’ve been too, what do you think ties most of them together—What’s something they have in common?

Continue reading “Welcome/Sent—July 8, 2017”

Lamentations 3:22-33
Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon delivered at Tabor Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, PA

For twelve years this woman, “had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse.” And a twelve year old girl is: “at the point of death” and as the story goes on, “she is dead.”

Such intense desperation here. Can you imagine—to be ill and considered unclean in your world,  for twelve years. These situations paint a picture of our human condition, right?

Well, children in our time still succumb to illness. And people are still incurably sick, and worse, in our churches, women and LGBTQ+ folks often are abused or rejected. But in response to this suffering, grief and isolation: Jesus acts. Jesus, as the English translation here tells us, made these two well.

Jesus made them well.

 But, that’s the question: What does it mean to be “well”?

Continue reading “Made well—July 1, 2018”

Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon delivered at Bethany Lutheran Church, Palmyra, NJ

It’s not just for Tradition that we’ve all gathered here, no. And it’s not only for show that together we publicly read from this book we call the Bible.

As a church, and as one great big Church, each Sunday, we don’t come together and read from Scripture for nothing. We do it because we believe God continues to speak relevantly to us here. God speaks an important and understandable message to us.

Continue reading “Speaking of “Tradition”—Jun. 3, 2018″

Sermon delivered at St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, PA

1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8

To fall in love for the very first time, to love your spouse for 30 years, to love your mom, to love your dog, to love “Oreos,” God’s love, to love your best friend, and the love of our neighbors… Isn’t it weird that it’s all the same word: love?

Continue reading “This love will continue grow…—Apr. 29, 2018”