Recently in St Francis Lutheran Church Category

A sermon responding to Elizabeth Eaton's statement on the creeds, on where the creeds stand in relation to modern society and the power of clouds. 

The text notes I preached from are after the sermon audio for convenience, however, I suggest you listen to the sermon audio, because there were numerous changes during the delivery.  It is in the delivery of a sermon in the midst of the people of God which is where he Holy Spirit is doing the strongest work within me; and there will not only be some changes to the notes but also emphasis and intonations that don't occur in the notes. 

Sermon delivered at St. Francis Lutheran Church of San Francisco

May 17, 2015  - Ascension Sunday

"Creeds and Clouds" - Lectionary text from Acts 1:1-11 & Luke 24:44-53 

Click here for sermon audio

Greetings to you this day my sisters and brothers in Christ and family in life. 

The week before last my 91 year old grandmother died, and I went to South Carolina to be with my family and help with the funeral, which included providing the homily.  While I thank you for your thoughts and prayers, she felt that her time had come, and she was more than ready to go. In many ways it was as much as celebration as it was a remembrance of her life and times. 

But besides all of that, I had the opportunity for the first time in my life to stand in the pulpit in the church of my childhood, the church of my family for five generations and over a hundred years. The church where my parents were married and where I was confirmed and where my Lutheran identity was well formed. 

Greetings to you, my family in Christ, sisters and brothers, saints and sinners, children of God.

I am approaching 48 years old, and of course, it is not "old" by many measures, as many members of my beloved St. Francis family will remind me when I complain about the toils that age has thus far been having on me. But it does seem to be a kind of milestone in my life. Way back in 1989, over half my life ago, I tested positive for HIV, which pretty much eliminated the question of passing on my DNA to later generations, for fear of passing on the virus as well, and so any time I ever thought about the desire to have children, I pretty much moved forward from that thought. But now, in 2014, I am still around and in better health than ever, and my virus has been undetectable for probably the last five years. But I'm going to be 48 soon, and my spouse is going to be 60. And so the prospect of bringing a newborn child into this world now is also the prospect of approaching 70 when that child is in the midst of college. It will be a time that I hope to be beginning retirement and at least joining my husband's golden years in life.