Tag Archives: healing

Take heart …

The texts for Sunday, October 25, 2015 (22nd Sunday after Pentecost): Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126; Hebrews 7:23-28; and Mark 10:46-52.  (We didn’t choose the Reformation texts this day, but something about these texts seems to speak pretty closely to the Reformation too, even if they aren’t Martin Luther’s favorites.)   † A blind man, he wasContinueContinue reading “Take heart …”

Shall we rise?

The texts for Sunday June 28, 2015 (5th Sunday after Pentecost): Lamentations 3:22–33; Psalm 30; 2 Corinthians 8:7–15; and Mark 5:21–43 Jesus finds his way into town and, despite crowds pressing in, he heals two. Or at least just two in this story. Two seemingly very different women. One, barely a woman — just 12ContinueContinue reading “Shall we rise?”

Speaking Love

The texts for Sunday, September 7th, 2014:  Ezekiel 33:7-11; Psalm 119:33-40; Romans 13:8-14; and Matthew 18:15-20 . “So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.” – Ezekiel 33:7 What does it mean to love?  I ask thisContinueContinue reading “Speaking Love”

Beloved child, get up.

Text for this reflection (in an Advent series entitled “Revive”): Mark 5:21–43 “Talitha cum,” Little Girl, get up. This text is not one that we normally hear this time of year, in the season of Advent. Normally, we get lots of texts from the old testament prophets or the beginning of the Gospels where weContinueContinue reading “Beloved child, get up.”

Reclamation Grace

The texts for Sunday, September 15, 2013 (Lectionary 24C):  Exodus 32:7–14; Psalm 51:1–10; 1 Timothy 1:12–17; and Luke 15:1–10. “Create in me a clean heart, O God,  and renew a right spirit within me.” – Psalm 51: 10 I’d say that God is a God of second chances; but, besides it sounding a little cliché, it might give the impressionContinueContinue reading “Reclamation Grace”

The message of reconciliation

The texts for Sunday, March 10, 2013: Joshua 5:9–12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16–21; and Luke 15:1–3, 11b–32 “that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” – 2 Corinthians 5:19 Reconciliation. This is the kind of thing thatContinueContinue reading “The message of reconciliation”

Unanswered Prayers

The texts for Sunday September 30, 2012 (Lection 26): Numbers 11:4–6, 10–16, 24–29; Psalm 19:7–14; James 5:13–20; and Mark 9:38–50 Man, I’d give my eye teeth to be able to pray like that. Maybe even my right hand. Maybe even an eye. …To be able to pray like Elijah and stop the heavens up for threeContinueContinue reading “Unanswered Prayers”

Born into a Broken World

The texts July 1, 2012 (moved from June 24, 2012 — the celebration of the birth of John the Baptist): Malachi 3:1–4; Psalm 141; Acts 13:13–26; and Luke 1:57–80 … Our world is full of shattered lives and broken people and all sorts of broken dreams, ideas, systems, and priorities. Our world is full ofContinueContinue reading “Born into a Broken World”

Daughter

The texts, moved from Sunday, July 1, 2012 to Sunday, June 24, 2012: Lamentations 3:22–33; Psalm 30; 2 Corinthians 8:7–15; and Mark 5:21–43 “Your faith has made you well.” ?? My faith! Hardly. I came to Jesus, for sure. But it was not out of faith. It was out of desperation. For twelve years IContinueContinue reading “Daughter”

The Beautiful Gate

The texts for Sunday, April 29,2012: Acts 4:5–12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16–24; and John 10:11–18 This sermon focuses most specifically on Acts 3:1 – 4:12 … In that moment, I can see that gate being beautiful. That gate that was closed suddenly open suddenly inviting suddenly a place of healing and wholeness where itContinueContinue reading “The Beautiful Gate”

Contagious Wellness

The texts for Sunday, February 12, 2012: 2 Kings 5:1–14; Psalm 30; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; and Mark 1:40–45. “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 himContinueContinue reading “Contagious Wellness”

God in-fleshed

The texts for Sunday, December 18, 2011: 2 Samuel 7:1–11, 16; Psalm 89:1–4, 19–26; Romans 16:25–27; and Luke 1:26–38. “The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called SonContinueContinue reading “God in-fleshed”

Sunrise is coming…

The texts for Sunday, September 18, 2011 were: Jonah 3:10—4:11; Psalm 145:1–8; Philippians 1:21–30; and Matthew 20:1–16. “Sunrise is coming,” she said. That was the only response I got when I asked if it was worth it.  If it was worth working through the night.  If it was worth waiting in the long, painful hours—waitingContinueContinue reading “Sunrise is coming…”

Posing Questions

The texts for Sunday, September 11, 2011 (at least the ones that we’re using) were: Jonah 3:1-4:11; Psalm 140; Ephesians 2:1-7 [8-10]; and Luke 10:25-37  This Sunday, we had a picnic, jointly held, between Immanuel, Salem, and Zion Lutheran.  Pastor Joshua Rinas (the pastor at Zion) and I planned a service called:  “Rising up: Remembering, Healing,ContinueContinue reading “Posing Questions”

The Body Broken

The texts for Sunday, September 4, 2011 are: Ezekiel 33:7–11; Psalm 119:33–40; Romans 13:8–14; and Matthew 18:15–20. … No, we only encounter that God, that God embodied in Jesus when we live, serve, struggle in community. We only encounter that God embodied in Jesus when we look into the eyes of the person whom hasContinueContinue reading “The Body Broken”

More than Enough

The texts for Sunday, July 31st are: Genesis 32:22–31; Psalm 17:1–7, 15; Romans 9:1–5; and Matthew 14:13–21. Audio of sermon (a first person account of the feeding of the 5000 by a female disciple of Jesus): Pentecost-L18A.2011   ” Don’t ask me how it happened. Don’t ask me to explain how the bread multiplied or how weContinueContinue reading “More than Enough”