June 2016 Archives

Jesus time was short on Earth. Even now following him is not always easy nor convenient. But it is nevertheless rewarding. 

Please listen to the sermon rather than read it.  The delivered sermon is often considerably different than the sermon notes which are included for convenience below.  

Sermon delivered at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Berkeley. 

June 26, 2016- 6th Sunday after Pentecost

"Journey Without End".  Text is from Luke 9:51-62

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Good morning to you my sisters and brothers, saints and sinners, disciples of Christ and children of God.

Good morning to you my sisters and brothers, saints and sinners, disciples of Christ and children of God.

Let the dead bury their own dead.  No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.  These sayings of Jesus seem particularly hard and unsympathetic responses for people who simply want to enlist in the life that Jesus is offering. Here they have had the call to change their lives and following the Lord, and all they want is closure on their old lives, and this one who they would follow seems to be making it especially hard on them. How would that make you feel? 

I'm angry. I'm very angry. So much conspired to make a tragedy take place. 

This is an unrehearsed homily, so there is no accompanying text!  

Sermon delivered at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Berkeley. 

June 15, 2016 - 5th Wednesday after Pentecost

"Second Wednesday after Pentecost".  Text is from Isaiah 65:1-9 & Galatians 3:23-29

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You've got your guest list all planned. Then someone unexpected and undesirable comes and misbehaves and crashes your party. Maybe you need to check your motives. 

Please listen to the sermon rather than read it.  The delivered sermon is often considerably different than the sermon notes which are included for convenience below.  

Sermon delivered at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Berkeley. 

June 12, 2016- 4th Sunday after Pentecost

"Dinner Guest".  Text is from Luke 7:36--8:3

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Good morning to you my sisters and brothers, saints and sinners, disciples of Christ and children of God.

Just imagine that you have spent all day planning this dinner party to impress this new V.I.P. in town, who has accepted your invitation. You have made sure everything is just right, all the right people are sitting next to all the right other people, and the topic of conversation is going just as you planned. And then suddenly this strange and unexpected person shows up unannounced, certainly not someone you would ever have in your house but someone who takes attention away from all of your hard work making a fuss over your V.I.P. and making a rather embarrassing scene. And to top it all off, your guest humors them, feeding into the fuss and not acting like the person you thought you invited over to begin with! 

I cannot help thinking that this is what must have been going through the head of Simon the Pharisee's head as this woman, a woman of questionable morals and history, showed up, rubbing oil on Jesus' feet and washing them with her tears and her hair. Indeed, Jesus is not the man that Simon expected, the prophet, the holy man that he'd heard so much about. Simon was expecting someone he could have some deep theological conversation with, possibly some debate. But instead, there is this scene happening of a starkly different nature, and Simon is not at all happy with how things turn out. 

The same laws apply to kings and rulers as they do for all people. 

This is an unrehearsed homily, so there is no accompanying text!  

Sermon delivered at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Berkeley. 

June 8, 2016 - 4th Wednesday after Pentecost

"Second Wednesday after Pentecost".  Text is from 2 Samuel 11:26--12:10, 13-15

Click here for sermon audio