The Bible is full of interesting and multi-layered characters. The vast majority of them are not perfect – they are all human, after all, so why would they be? And wouldn’t perfection be boring? At least when it comes to storytelling? I am grabbed by one of the characters of our lesson from the Old […]
Out of the Water, Into the World: Sermon Mark 1: 4-11; 1st Sunday after the Epiphany / Baptism of Our Lord – January 10th, 2021
The Jordan River is not one of the mighty rivers of this world. Compared to other rivers, it is tiny: it’s merely 156 miles long and 60 feet across at its widest. It’s fairly shallow: its deepest point is about 17 feet. It’s never been navigable. It is formed by tributaries in the mountains […]
Bi-Weekly Newsletter Update
Biweekly Newsletter Jan. 7
Detour Ahead: Sermon Matthew 2: 1-12; 2nd Christmas / Epiphany – January 3rd, 2021
I want you to think back exactly one year, to the beginning of January 2020. What were your expectations for that year? What were your plans for that brand new year? I remember that, in January 2020, my husband Fred and I were seriously planning a trip to Spain, which was supposed to happen […]
Glory to God in the Deepest! Sermon Luke 2:1-20; Christmas Eve – December 24th, 2020
For the past 23 years, friends in Germany have been sending me a special gift every Advent: an Advent calendar called ‘Der andere Advent’, ‘The Other Advent’, with reflections and images for every day of the Advent and Christmas season. In this year’s calendar, there was one reflection that stood out to me: A […]
‘Mary knew’: Sermon Luke 1: 26-38; 4th Advent – December 20th, 2020
This is the season of holiday songs. There are certain radio stations here in the Bay Area that have played nothing but holiday songs for weeks now. What is your favorite Christmas song – or carol? That may be a tough question – I have to think hard about it, there are so many […]
To Be Continued… Sermon Mark 1: 1-8; 2nd Advent / St. Nicholas Day – December 6th, 2020
The gospel according to Mark stands out among the gospel accounts we have in our Bible. It is the one gospel story that cuts right to the chase. No mention of Mary and Joseph or any other of Jesus’ relatives, no birth story, no stories from Jesus’ childhood – no, after a one sentence […]
‘Are We There Yet?’ Sermon Mark 13:24-37; 1st Advent – November 29th, 2020
I love the Advent season. It’s my favorite church season of the year. Always has been. When I was a child, Advent was this time of joyful and festive anticipation, a time of excited waiting. It was the countdown to Christmas! There would be decorations and lights everywhere as the days were getting […]
‘Risky Business’: Sermon Matthew 25:14-30; 24th Pentecost – November 15, 2020
Today, I want to tell you a story about hope, faith, and love. Years ago, in my previous congregation, a young woman came in during office hours. I could tell she was agitated, even desperate. And so we sat down, and she started talking. ‘My car broke down, and I need […]
“Apocalypse Now”: Sermon Matthew 25:1-13; 23rd Sunday after Pentecost – November 8, 2020
‘Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?’ We heard these words just a few moments ago. They come from the book of Amos, one of the prophets in the Old Testament, and those are not necessarily words I would choose as words of comfort, […]
‘Whether One May Flee From the Deadly Plague’: Monologue for Reformation Sunday, November 1st, 2020
Katie Luther enters with a rag covering her face and some smoking herbs in her hand. She tiredly takes the face covering off and starts her monologue. Ah, dear people! What times we live in! The plague is back in town. People are getting sick, people are dying. All we can do is try […]
‘What About Love?’ Sermon Matthew 22: 34-40; 21st Sunday after Pentecost – October 25th, 2020
Years ago, I was part of a pastoral team at a congregation in the South Bay. And in that congregation was one particular woman who adored my colleague, but just wouldn’t warm up to me. Which is kind of normal – we all have people we just don’t click with. Whenever I preached on Sundays, […]
‘It is God’s world after all’: Sermon Mt 22:15-22 – 20th Sunday after Pentecost October 18th, 2020
In the early 60s, Walt Disney manufactured an attraction for the 1964 World Fair in New York with the working title ‘Children of the World’. He tasked the famous Sherman brothers to write a song especially for this attraction – and to come up with a simple melody and simple lyrics that could […]
‘Not Forgetting the Whale’: Sermon Luke 12: 15-21; Erntedank / Thanksgiving for the Harvest – October 4th, 2020
I just finished reading a book, and it was one of the best books I’ve read in a while. This book isn’t just entertaining and a page turner, no, it made me think, it surprised me, it even made me cry a little – but mostly, it gave me hope. This book it called […]
‘Is the Lord With Us or Not?’ Sermon Matthew 4: 12-25; 17th Sunday after Pentecost – September 27th, 2020 (By Michael Dickson, Ministry in Context Student, PLTS)
Good morning friends! Grace and peace to you all in the name of God our creator, Jesus Christ our trusted redeemer, and the Holy Spirit that fills us, sustains us, and inspires us to act. I’m excited and grateful to St. Matthew’s, and I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to preach […]
Bi-weekly Update, Sept. 23, 2020
Bi-Weekly Newsletter Sept. 23
‘Not fair!’ Sermon Matthew 20:1-16; 16th Sunday after Pentecost – September 20th, 2020
I want to share a personal story with you that happened when I was in the second grade. I always loved to read, I started reading even before I entered elementary school, and I was the best reader in the classroom – together with Stefan Lohwasser, he loved to read as much as I […]
“Crossing the Divide’: Sermon Matthew 18:21-35 – 15th Pentecost; September 13th, 2020
I don’t know about you, but for me, one day blurs into another as we continue to deal with the pandemic. And I often have to remind myself: what day is it now? But this past week, one date stood out, and I’m sure not only for me: 9/11. 9/11. This date has become […]
Bi-Weekly Update, Sept. 10th
Bi-Weekly Newsletter Sept. 10
‘Let’s Talk’: Sermon Matthew 18:15-20 -14th Sunday after Pentecost; September 6th, 2020
As you may know, I recently got back from a three week stay in Germany. And though the primary reason for my trip was to visit with my ailing mom, and I still worked while in Germany, and Germany is dealing with a surge of Corona cases (though I have to say that Germany’s […]