Archive for February, 2009

Lent And Holy Week Sermons (2009)

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

 

Date: April 9, 2009
Liturgical Day: Maundy Thursday
Sermon Title: Len Sweet Prayed for Me

Summary:
In this sermon, Pastor Dave uses the example of a well-known evangelist who prays for those who read his writings, and reminds us that in the world-view of Jeuss, those who are of a high stature are not to think of themselves as more important than others — but every Christian is to consider himself or herself to be a servant of all. Jesus says, “I have set you an example, that you also shoud do as I have done to you.”

Download Sermon: 2009-Maundy-Thursday-B

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Date: April 5, 2009
Liturgical Day: Passion / Palm Sunday
Sermon Title: See the Son of God

Summary:
The Centurion stood by the foot of the cross, and saw that Jesus is the Son of God. We, like him, stand alongside our Lord through the days of  Holy Week. As we worship and pray together, may we too see what God is doing in Jesus Christ for us.

Download Sermon: 2009-passion-sunday

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Date: March 29, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Sermon Title: Heartfelt Faithfulness

Summary:
Some 600 years before Christ, Jeremiah spoke of the day when God would transform those who believe. They would be shaped by God’s forgiveness. God’s ways would be written on their hearts. Thanks be to God, who has indeed accomplished this through Christ. May our hearts and lives be touched by this Good News today. May we too be changed.

Download Sermon: 2009-lent-5b

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Date: March 22, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Sermon Title: Believe In (not about) God

Summary:
In this week’s texts, both Ancient Israel and First Century religious leader Nicodemus learn the difference between believing certain truths about God, and believing in (or trusting in) God.  This is a lesson that our texts would have us learn today.

Download Sermon: 2009-lent-4b

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Date: March 15, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Third Sunday in Lent
Sermon Title: From “Religious Rite” to “Right with God”

Summary:
Jesus was offended that the focus of worshippers in the Temple was on cattle, sheep, doves and money instead of God. So he chased the moneychangers and merchants out of the Temple, and called them to focus on God, not on ritual behavior. At its best, the Season of Lent does the same today.

Download Sermon: 2009-lent-3b

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Date: March 8, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Second Sunday in Lent
Sermon Title: The Cross-Shaped Life

Summary:
Jesus begins to teach his disciples about his approaching passion. He calls them — and us! — to pick up their cross and follow him. It is only when we are willing to lose our life for the sake of the Gospel that we will come to know the life he so desperately wants for us.

Download Sermon:  2009-lent-2b 

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Date: March 1, 2009
Liturgical Day: The First Sunday in Lent
Sermon Title: Promise, Assurance, Hope

Summary:
As God’s war bow in the clouds was a promise that gave Noah assurance and hope, so too the waters of our baptism serve as a promise that give us assurance and hope. May God ground our living in this sign, and this promise, that we might live with faith and joy.

Download Sermon:  2009-lent-1b

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Date: February 25, 2009
Liturgical Day: Ash Wednesday
Sermon Title: Where Your Treasure Is

Summary:
We participate in the season of Lent, and embrace the spiritual disciplines commended to us by the church, not to feather our own caps and to gain recognition among our peers, but to grow deeper into our relationship with God, and in our ability to place our trust in God’s promises. May this year’s Lent observances help us in our attempts to do just that.

Download Sermon:  2009-ash-wednesday-b

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The First Sunday in Lent (3/1/2009)

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Lessons:
    Genesis 9:8-17
    Psalm 25:1-10
    1st Peter 3:18-22
    St. Mark 1:9-15

Prayer of the Day:
    Holy God, heavenly Father, in the waters of the flood you saved the chosen, and in the wilderness of temptation you protected your Son from sin. Renew us in the gift of baptism. May your holy angels be with us, that the wicked foe may have no power over us, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 1.9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” 12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

St. Mark 1:9-15 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

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Ash Wednesday (2/25/2009)

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Lessons:
    Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
    or
    Isaiah 58:1-12
    Psalm 51:1-17
    2nd Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
    St. Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Prayer of the Day:
    Almighty and ever-living God, you hate nothing you have made, and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and honest hearts, so that, truly repenting of our sins, we may receive from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness through your Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

[Jesus said,] 6.1 “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

16 “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

St. Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Well, they’ve gone and done it again at Saint Peter. They’ve messed with the way our chairs are set up. For years, the chairs were pointed straight forward, the way God intended chairs to be at church. Then that Methodist Preacher came up from Highlands Ranch, and convinced them to angle the chairs in towards each other. It was a nuisance (hard to take the offering, confusing when it was time to come forward for communion…). It was nice to be able to see other worshippers, and the singing improved quite a bit. But it was unsettling for those of us who were comfortable having it the old way.

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The Transfiguration of Our Lord (2/22/2009)

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

Listen!

Lessons:
    2 Kings 2:1-12
    Psalm 50:1-6
    2nd Corinthians 4:3-6
    St. Mark 9:2-9

Prayer of the Day:
    Almighty God, the resplendent light of your truth shines from the mountaintop into our hearts. Transfigure us by your beloved Son, and illumine the world with your image, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

9.2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

St. Mark 9:2-9 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

In this week’s Gospel lesson, we once again get a glimpse of Jesus, accompanied by his inner circle. Mark tells us that Jesus has been teaching in the villages of Caesarea Philippi (not the town of Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast, but Caesarea Philippi in the far north, east of the Jordan River from Galilee). While there, he speaks to them very openly and clearly about the suffering and death that awaits him in Jerusalem. When Peter takes Jesus aside and protests, Jesus speaks to Peter with one of the strongest rebukes attributed to him. He says: “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” (St. Mark 8:33)

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The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany (2/15/2009)

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

The Power of New Beginnings

Lessons:
    2 Kings 5:1-14
    Psalm 30
    1st Corinthians 9:24-27
    St. Mark 1:40-45

Prayer of the Day:
    Almighty and ever-living God, with mercy you look upon our weaknesses. Stretch out your wondrous hand to protect us from danger and restore us to health, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

1:40 A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, 44 saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

St. Mark 1:40-45 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

First century religious life, at least from a Jewish perspective, had much to do with drawing lines – lines that separated the faithful from the unfaithful – lines that protected the faithful from being defiled by their surroundings. So the Jewish people obeyed laws and traditions that were intended to guard them from foreigners, from impure foods, from unsafe behavior, and from diseases. Among the diseases that threatened Israel in those days was the dreaded skin condition leprosy.

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The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany (2/8/2009)

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

The Fever Left Her,
and She Began to Serve Them 

Lessons:
    Isaiah 40:21-31
    Psalm 147:1-11, 20c
    1st Corinthians 9:16-23
    St. Mark 1:29-39

Prayer of the Day:
    Everlasting God, you give strength to the weak and power to the faint. Make us agents of your healing and wholeness, that your good news may be made known to the ends of your creation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

 1:29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38 He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

St. Mark 1:29-39 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

 Why did Jesus heal Saint Peter’s mother-in-law? That may seem a strange way to begin this weekly meditation, but I am curious: why did Jesus heal Saint Peter’s mother-in-law? Don’t expect the usual barrage of mother-in-law jokes. That’s not why I ask. It’s just that there are so many others he didn’t heal.  This week’s text even tells us his ability as a faith healer was so widely known, that his disciples told him everyone was searching for him. But rather than go to them, and continue his healing ministry in Capernaum, Jesus went on to the neighboring towns to meet with the people there. So if he wasn’t interested in healing all the others who had heard about him in Capernaum, why did he heal Saint Peter’s mother-in-law?

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A Gentle and Reverent Defense

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

February, 2009 Pastor’s Newsletter Article

Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.

First Peter 3:14b-18a New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

A newcomer to Saint Peter recently asked me why we talk about discipleship in our congregation. She was familiar with street preachers, and had some unpleasant experiences with a college roommate who was a person of strong faith (and determined to force her faith upon anyone and everyone). Those are the images that came to mind for her, when she thought about discipleship, and that didn’t seem to fit with how she was experiencing Saint Peter.

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