Before Joshua receives a response, he leads by example and answers his own question himself:

but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord (V15)

Perhaps one of the most famous verses from the entire book.

 

You can’t say a proper good-bye now when someone dies.

And this has profound implications.

It increases our suffering, and our need for comfort and consolation.

But where will that come from?

 

Our reading today provides that answer:

From the shelter and canopy of God’s enduring presence with God’s people.

Psalm 46, John 8:31-36 

God in the Midst of the Mess  

The Psalm assigned for this morning, is the one that inspired Deacon Scott’s composition that you just heard. It is also the one that inspired Luther to write, A Mighty Fortress.  The hymn, which according to Ulrich Leupold, "epitomizes Luther's thought and...

I think we need to stop hoarding.

And to remember the preschool adage, 

that sharing is caring.

Our first reading speaks to today’s situation, of having come through the wilderness of a closed church building, 

these 7 months of worship desert,… 

and now we are (almost) back in the promised  land, 

back in church, at least,

well …some of us, and for how long, …remains to be seen.

18th Sunday after Pentecost

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20, Psalm 19, Philippians 3:4b-14, Matthew 21:33-46

 

      

Introduction

When I hear this parable the refrains that runs through my mind is: 

It doesn’t have to be that way.

 

And while I appreciate the imagery of the vineyard used to envision our life...

We see that with Jesus Christ.

Jesus got down low, just like a good football lineman,

Jesus humbled himself by taking on human form.

And thus became much more powerful, 

more able to take on the enemies of sin, death 

and all that separates us from God and one another.

One of the most popular and successful marketing campaigns of the last decade was made to promote the chocolate candy bar Snickers.

Part of a major overhaul of their brand, 

the motto for the new advertisements were:

“You are not you when you’re hungry.”

15th Sunday after Pentecost

Forgiven

 

The readings this morning focus on the theme of forgiveness.

We wonder:

What is forgiveness? 

What is forgiveness not? 

 

Forgiveness is…

Martin Luther King Jr. said:

Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.

As people of faith, the thought of life without...

God calls, and humans respond.

God is revealed in times of trouble, when people cry out in pain, 

out of fear, out of anger over injustice.