Easter IV 2024 (April 14) Good Shepherd Sunday The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd powerfully communicates the fundamental truth “God loves you.” When push comes to shove, this is the fundamental truth we live by and we want to pass on to the next generation of faith. However, there is another vital truth – even embedded in Psalm 23 – that we w…

Easter III (April 14, 2023) This past week our nation was fascinated and delighted by the eclipse. It was a reminder of the glory of the heavens, the place where the beauty and complexity of the creation bears witness to the creator. This past week our nation was heartbroken and afraid of violence and further escalation around the world, particular…

Easter Sunday 2024 (March 31) We live in an age of pessimism, in which it is easy to be cynical about present and gloomy about the future. The women who go to the tomb of Jesus had every reason to be pessimistic, cynical and gloomy (Mark 16). Yet they do not succumb to this attitude, but choose instead to do an act of love, courage and hope. From w…

Palm Sunday 2024 (March 24) Throughout his ministry, Jesus transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary: donkeys, jugs of water and scraps of food. Again and again, through faith, the ordinary becomes an extraordinary vessel of God’s love. He further sends out his disciples to unbind things, animals and people so that which is unbound, the ordina…

Lent 5 (March 17, 2024) Jesus was the most empathetic human who has ever lived. But for Jesus, like for all humans, empathy exposes him to the pain and suffering of others. In the cross, this empathy is taken to another level, a wholly divine level, whereby Jesus fully empathizes and fully takes on our suffering, shame and sin. This brings him to c…

Lent 4 (March 10, 2024) “Into your hands, I commend my Spirit”, Jesus from the cross, praying Psalm 31:5 In life, we will hear the phrase “Let go and Let God!” What does this look like? Jesus here seems to be embodying this letting Go and letting God, resigning himself, surrendering control and putting his life in God’s hands. This certainly is Let…

Lent 3 (March 3, 2023) “Woman, behold your son; behold your mother.” Jesus today creates a new family – an authentic community out of people who have experienced trauma and heartache. As we go through life, we often encounter the need for new relationships and for authentic community. Today’s reflection is about how we often look for it in various …

Lent 2 (February 25, 2024) “Today you will be with me in Paradise”; Jesus, Luke 23:43 We long for paradise, a world in which mercy has the last word and God’s peace reigns. But so much evidence mounts in our lives that the opposite is true: armed violence writes the story of judgement and retribution. In this story, we hear of Jesus extending beaut…

First Sunday of Lent (February 18, 2024) Word of the Cross: I thirst (John 19:28) Jesus’s cry of “I thirst” reminds us, even reveals to us, that he is human. The ancient church confessed that Jesus is “truly human.” Pastor Rob explores what it means for Jesus, not just to be human, but to be “truly human”: Faith in the face of human death Compassio…

Transfiguration Sunday (February 11, 2024) After the super bowl tonight, reporters will ask the players “How does it feel to win the Super Bowl?” Chances are, none of them will say anything remotely coherent. The event is too overwhelming for them. Today, we remember the Transfiguration of our Lord (Mark 9:2-10), certainly an overwhelming event for…

Sunday, February 4 (Epiphany 5) Often in life we must say “no” to something in order to say “yes” to something else. In today’s Gospel (Mark 1:29-39), Jesus says “no” to stay in the town where he was. He says “no” to the expectations of the disciples and he says “no” to healing people there. He does this so he can say “yes” to God’s purpose in his …

When in your life have you encountered something that you considered not just bad or wrong, but evil? In the Gospel of Mark, we hear a story of Jesus encountering evil (Mark 1:21-28). While Mark tells the story so briefly that one might be tempted to overlook it, further reflection forces one to recognize the connection between how evil works in th…

January 21, 2021 (3rd Sunday after Epiphany) “After John (the Baptist) was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee began to proclaim the Good News…” (Mark 1:14) The arrest of John meant Jesus could no longer continue with business as usual. In our lives, we often encounter situations in which we cannot go back to life as it was. What have been those situ…

Baptism of Jesus (January 7, 2024) Have you kept your resolutions? Pastor Rob offers a word of encouragement and challenge to refine and revitalize your resolutions in light of Jesus’ Baptism. (Didn’t make resolutions — not a problem — this sermon is what Jesus baptism and our baptisms mean for the direction and purpose of our lives).…

Christmas II (Dec 31, 2023) You beat the level Mario — but as it turns out, they moved the real princess to another castle! It is a metaphor for life, where the goal posts of achievement always seem to be moving. Questions, based on the story of the Magi and their gifts, which are an invitation to move out of doing life as it is a video game. If yo…

Christmas Eve 2023 Christmas songs stir many memories; some bring us comfort and warmth, but others bring us grief. The whole Christmas season is filled with many memories and layers of emotion. Pastor Rob unpacks how the Christmas story, as told by Luke (2:1-20), has a layer of lament, a song of grief. In this story, we can also find our own song …

Advent 4, 2023 “Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, …to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Zechariah (Luke 1:79) As we wrap up our Advent sermon series on peace, we give the last words to Zechariah, as a he foretells the work of Christ: “To guide our feet into the way of peace.” These are lovely wor…

Advent 3 (December 10, 2023) Sometimes it feels like the fabric of our society is coming apart. When it comes to divisive issues, we often feel like we lack the common moral framework to find common ground. How can we stitch society back together and find ways to live in peace with people with whom we disagree? Pastor Rob explores two proposals a) …

Advent 2 (December 3, 2023) Mary and Elizabeth are the first two sisters in Christ! (I love the painting. I have used it before as a web image, but its just so good!) It seems that Mary’s announcement of her pregnancy was not received well among her close family; so instead she travels far away to visit her kin, Elizabeth. They embrace, share their…

Advent 1 (Sunday, Nov 26) It turns out that changing gears on a bike is simpler than changing gears in life. But changing gears we must, for life is filled with situations that demand that we recalibrate. These forced recalibrations often rob us of our inner peace. This season of Advent we will reflect on peace and Christ as our peace, beginning wi…

Christ the King Sunday (November 19, 2022) In Matthew 25, Jesus separates sheep and goats (vs 31-46); the sheep, who are righteous, go to eternal life; the goats go to damnation. Within the passage, Jesus tells the righteous that what they did “to the least of these” they did to him. The passage serves as prod to help our neighbor in need; it also …

Sunday, November 12 Of the many fashion trends that come back into style, recently “WWJD” bracelets are fashionable again. Given to teens by parents and youth workers, the hope is that teems will remember to refrain from certain activities by recalling to mind the teachings of Jesus. But maybe we should embrace the youthful willingness to try new t…

November 5, 2023 (All Saints Sunday) What food would you want to eat with a beloved person in your life who has died? We all have those foods and those memories with those dear to us who have joined the church eternal. We tend to think about heaven as a place where our soul or spiritual substance goes. It turns out though, this isn’t really what th…

October 29, 2023 (Reformation Sunday) Jesus tells us that there are two great commandments: Love God (with everything you have!) and Love your Neighbor as Yourself. One of Martin Luther’s Reformation re-discoveries was that Loving God IS Loving your neighbor. You cannot love God simply by doing “holy” or church things, but this must live itself out…

October 22, 2023 “Render unto Caesar the things of Caesar; Render unto God the things of God.” (Matthew 22:21) What does Jesus mean here? That we should have two separate lives — one for the secular world and one for the spiritual kingdom? Nope! Jesus calls us to live as disciples in the real world and in fact, calls the Pharisees hypocrites for no…