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 […]
‘O Lord, Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’: Sermon Matthew 16:21-28; 13th Sunday after Pentecost – August 30th, 2020
‘I’m just a soul whose intentions are good – o Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.’ You may know this song – it was made famous by the group ‘The Animals’ in 1965, although soul singer Nina Simone first recorded it in 1964. This song, this line came to my mind when I […]
Bi-Weekly Update, August 27th
Bi-Weekly Newsletter Aug 27
‘Got Faith?’ Sermon Matthew 15:21-28; 11th Pentecost – August 16th, 2020
Have faith! Has anyone ever said this to you, just have faith, it will turn out alright? I usually hear these words when I call Philomena, Dorothy, or Lore. Pastor, we just need to have faith. And I am grateful to hear these words, for even a pastor needs reassurance once in a […]
Bi-Weekly Update, August 13th
Bi-Weekly Update, Aug 13
Bi-Weekly Update, July 30th
Bi-Weekly Newsletter Update, July 30
‘Battered by the Waves’: Sermon Matthew 14: 22-33; 10th Sunday after Pentecost – August 9th, 2020
Here in California, we know something about waves. We have this amazing coastline, our entire Western border is the mighty Pacific. I love the ocean. I love the sound of waves crashing. I love that there is always movement in the ocean, even on calm days. Wave after wave after wave breaks on the […]
“Good Trouble”: Sermon Matthew 13: 31-33, 44-52; 8th Sunday after Pentecost – July 26th, 2020
‘God’s gonna trouble the water.’ This line in the African American spiritual ‘Wade in the Water’ refers to a passage in the gospel according to John, where we hear the story about Jesus healing a sick man at the pool of Bethzatha. Here we have a verse that is often omitted from contemporary Bible […]
‘Rip It Out?’ Sermon Mt 13:24-30, 36-43; 7th Sunday after Pentecost – July 19th, 2020
If this was a year like any other, my husband Fred would be following the baseball season right now – morning, noon, and night – and especially his favorite team, the SF Giants. But then, of course, this isn’t a year like any other, and big time sports in this country have been basically […]
Bi-Weekly Update, July 16
St. Matthew’s Bi-Weekly Newsletter, July 16
‘Your Impact May Be Greater than You Think’: Sermon Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; 6th Sunday after Pentecost – July 12th, 2020
30 some years ago, while I was in the German equivalent of high school, I and my classmates were required to do a 3 week internship, you know, to get a taste of actual work. The good part: we could choose whatever internship site we wanted. Since I at that point was still debating […]
‘Interdependence Day’: Sermon Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30; 5th Sunday after Pentecost – July 5th, 2020
Have you ever heard the name Elizabeth Platz? I have to admit it: I had never heard about her until recently. But this woman made history: she was the first woman to be ordained a pastor in the Lutheran Church in America, short LCA, one of the predecessor bodies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in […]