Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God”. (2 Corinthians 4:15) Our seven-verse Epistle reading today has a lot of information for such a short selection. So we are going to break down only the one verse I have just read for you. As we take it apart, I ask that you consider how the examples I give … Read More

[Sermon preached on Sunday, May 27, 2018 (Trinity Sunday) at Saint Paul’s Church on Lake of the Isles – Minneapolis, Minnesota] [You can find the audio of this sermon and more by checking out the latest episode of the Word Made FRESH Podcast]. Focus Verse – John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. There … Read More

[Sermon preached on Sunday, April 29, 2018 (Easter 5, Year B) at Saint Paul’s Church on Lake of the Isles – Minneapolis, Minnesota] [You can listen to the audio of the sermon by checking out the most recent episode of the Word Made FRESH Podcast]. Focus verse (Acts 8:36) As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being … Read More

[Sermon preached on Sunday, April 22, 2018 (Easter IV) at Saint Paul’s Church on Lake of the Isles – Minneapolis, Minnesota] [You can listen to the audio of this sermon by checking out the latest episode of the Word Made FRESH Podcast]. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 1 John 3:16 A few years ago, I had … Read More

[Sermon preached on Sunday, April 8, 2018 (Easter II, Year B) at Saint Paul’s Church on Lake of the Isles – Minneapolis, Minnesota] [You can listen to this sermon by checking out the latest episode of the Word Made FRESH Podcast] “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” John 20:25b This past … Read More

[Sermon preached on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018 [Year B] at Saint Paul’s Church on Lake of the Isles – Minneapolis, Minnesota]. [You can listen to this sermon by tuning into the latest episode of the Word Made FRESH Podcast]. Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Tell that to Mother Nature because, apparently, she did not get the memo. Although the ground outside is covered in a fresh layer of snow and ice, Christian … Read More

[Sermon Preached on Sunday, March 25, 20178 (Sunday of the Passion) at Saint Paul’s Church on Lake of Isles – Minneapolis, Minnesota] [You can listen to this sermon as well as some additional thoughts by checking our the latest episode of the Word Made FRESH Podcast]. Holy Week begins with protest. I am not simply referring to the hundreds of thousands who took part in the March for Our Lives demonstrations that took place yesterday … Read More

[Sermon preached on Sunday, March 18, 2018 (Lent V, Year B) at Saint Paul’s Church on Lake of the Isles – Minneapolis MN] [The audio of the sermon can be heard on the Word Made FRESH Podcast.] Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24 (NRSV) I ran into a crisis of … Read More

[Sermon preached on Sunday, March 11, 2018 (Lent IV, Year B) at Saint Paul’s Church on Lake of the Isles – Minneapolis MN] [The audio of the sermon can be heard on the Word Made FRESH Podcast.] And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. John 3:19 (NRSV) Gospel lessons like the one we just heard are hard to … Read More

[Sermon preached on Sunday, March 4, 2018] Shalom, friends. I just came back from the temple, have you been yet? Yes, you went earlier? Did anything interesting happen? Same old-same old, just like every other time you’ve been to the temple? Hmm, nothing much to report or say, huh. Well, have I got a story for you. You guys aren’t going to believe what happened. You know how it usually goes, the temple is a … Read More