In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus is a short distance away from Jerusalem. He is on his way to suffering and death. Now Jesus is, mildly said, a controversial figure, revered by some, loathed and even feared by others. There are those who see Jesus and his teachings of the kingdom […]
Lenten Reflections 2019: ‘Living in a Broken World’ – Week 1: Christchurch
‘Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, […]
Sermon Luke 6:27-38; 7th Sunday after the Epiphany – February 24th, 2019
The story of Joseph and his brothers, which we find at the end of the book of Genesis, has always been one of my favorite stories from the Bible. Since I was a kid, I’ve liked a good story, and this IS a good story. Just in case you don’t know or have forgotten […]
Sermon Luke 6:17-26; 6th Sunday after the Epiphany – February 17th, 2019
I got my first introduction to U.S. American worship and spirituality when I was a teenager in the 80s back in Germany. I think it was in the 8th grade when our religious studies teacher showed us a clip from ‘The PTL Club’ – PTL stands for ‘Praise the Lord’ – also known as […]
Sermon 1. Corinthians 13:1-13; 4th Sunday after Epiphany – February 3rd, 2019
Years ago, I served as an associate pastor in Saratoga in the South Bay. One Sunday, the Scripture lessons assigned for that day were all about love; God’s love, and Christ’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves. And guess what I preached about that Sunday: love, of course. As I was shaking hands […]
Sermon John 2:1-11; 2nd Sunday after Epiphany – January 20th, 2019
A couple of weeks ago, I got together with D H, N H’s son, and his wife B to prepare for N’s burial and to talk about her life. Now I already knew that N had a big heart and that it was her nature to take people under her wings. But then D […]
Sermon Luke 3:15-17, 21-22; 1st Sunday after Epiphany – January 13th, 2019
Some years ago, I stumbled across a great short film that actually won a few awards. This short film is called ‘Validation’. I strongly recommend you watch it, I think it’s very uplifting – and makes you think! You can find it on You Tube. But a little bit about this short film. We […]
Sermon Matthew 2:1-12; Epiphany – January 6th, 2019
There is one word I just learned about a couple of days ago, and I decided that this will be my motto for 2019: coddiwomple. And I kid you not, this word actually exists. Has anyone here ever coddiwompled? I have. And I have a hunch, you have too. But what does ‘coddiwomple’ mean? ‘Coddiwomple’ […]
Sermon Luke 2: 8-20; Christmas Day – December 25th, 2018
The first congregation I served as a pastor was a small Lutheran church down in San Jose. Right around the corner from my congregation was one of those mega churches, a church that probably drew hundreds of worshipers on any given Sunday. Everything about this church was BIG. I remember driving by this big […]
Homily Luke 2:1-20; Christmas Eve – December 24th, 2018
It was exactly 200 years ago that one song was played and sung for the very first time that since has become a Christmas classic: Silent Night, Holy Night. There are some legends around the origins of this song, but what we know for sure is that Joseph Mohr, a young priest, at some […]
Sermon Luke 1: 39-55; 4th Advent – December 23rd, 2018
Mary’s Voice (Sings Marty Haugen’s ‘Magnificat’) This is my song. This is my voice. I am Mary. The mother of Jesus, the mother of God. A mother figure to many who were – and are – overwhelmed by a threefold all-male God. From early on, I was venerated by the church, put on a pedestal. […]
Advent Devotion 2018: Peace, Joy, and Love – Week 3: Love
‘What is love, anyway?’ Howard Jones, ‘What is love?’ ‘Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only […]
Sermon Luke 3, 7-18; 3rd Advent – December 16th, 2018
Did today’s lessons leave you a little confused? Did it maybe sound a little schizophrenic to you? First, we heard from the Old Testament book of the prophet Zephaniah, ‘Sing aloud, Daughter Zion; shout, o Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, o daughter Jerusalem! God is in your midst!’ Rejoice! In today’s […]
Advent Devotion 2018: Peace, Joy and Love – Week 2: Joy
“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” Mark Twain “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me […]
Sermon Luke 3:1-6; 2nd Sunday in Advent – December 9th, 2018
The first few lines of today’s gospel may sound boring to us. ‘In the fifteenth year of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of […]
Advent Devotion 2018: Peace, Joy and Love – Week 1: Peace
Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in […]
Sermon Mk 5: 21-24; 35-43; Eternity Sunday – November 25th, 2018
It always happens at this time of year: I feel a disconnect between where I am, emotionally and spiritually, and where the world around me is. Our church calendar is very clear about it: it’s not Christmas yet. No, as we are approaching the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ (as the popular song […]
Sermon Mark 13: 1-8; 26th Sunday after Pentecost – November 18th, 2018
‘Not one stone shall be left upon another – all will be thrown down.’ Today is a somber day on the German calendar. It’s ‘Volkstrauertag’, the day of national mourning in Germany, a day that can be compared to the U.S. American Memorial Day. This day of remembrance was instituted after the horrors of […]
Sermon Revelation 21: 1-6; All Saints Sunday – November 4th, 2018
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death […]
A Monologue by ‘Katharine Luther’ loosely based on Romans 3: 19-28 with Preface
Preface to today’s message: Today is Reformation Sunday. This is a day we usually celebrate in the Lutheran Church as we remember how Martin Luther brought something new to the table and emphasized God’s amazing grace for all creation. Today, a little later in this service, the message is going to be rather playful and […]