Jesus also said, The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain … [Read more...] about What We Plant, a sermon on Mark 4:26-34
Blood is Thicker Than Water, a sermon for Good Friday, John 19:16-30
This is a guest post by my sister, the Rev. Susan Joy Huizenga. She preached this sermon on Good Friday (4/14/17) at the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center; Saginaw, MI. Some of you know Susan from an earlier?post about being a living kidney donor. One day when I was about twelve years old, my sister … [Read more...] about Blood is Thicker Than Water, a sermon for Good Friday, John 19:16-30
Would Jesus Have Marched? Salt & Light
I have a lectionary essay on Matthew 5:13-20 over at Journey with Jesus. … [Read more...] about Would Jesus Have Marched? Salt & Light
Pentecost: a Question about the Crowd
The Pentecost story is so familiar that I picture it easily. But I've just come to realize that I've been wrong about a detail. I'm wondering if that detail matters. Acts 2:1-21. The Pentecost story takes place on a feast day roughly ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven. As I've always pictured … [Read more...] about Pentecost: a Question about the Crowd
John 20:19-31, Scenes & Questions
Are you preaching on John 20:19-31 this Sunday? Easter is over and Jesus is wandering about in a state of immateriality. In John 20, Jesus drifts?through closed doors and astounds the disciples. Then -- as if to hammer home the point that he's really alive and breathing -- he exhales on them. It's … [Read more...] about John 20:19-31, Scenes & Questions
All Together: Pentecost
The Pentecost story in Acts 2 begins with this sentence: They were all together in one place. The they is the disciples and other followers of Jesus, and the time is 10 days after Jesus had disappeared into the clouds. I can imagine the Jesus-followers were sad, confused, and a bit frozen-feeling. … [Read more...] about All Together: Pentecost
Preaching Lazarus
Today's text was John 11:1-44, the Lazarus story, which is all about lamentation (grief) and love -- and gosh, aren't those two connected? Mary and Martha were torn apart by grief because they loved their brother so, and his death was untimely and unexpected. (We used the DVD of the Gospel of John … [Read more...] about Preaching Lazarus
Plans for Your Welfare . . .Twisting Scripture Into a Greeting Card
Shopping for Confirmation cards, I noticed that a certain Bible verse is very popular: Jeremiah 29:11: For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. That's a nice one, right? We latch onto those thoughts and a few … [Read more...] about Plans for Your Welfare . . .Twisting Scripture Into a Greeting Card
Bending Space & Time: Ascension Day
Yesterday we celebrated Ascension Sunday. ?What did Jesus mean when he said BRB, Be Right Back? I began by having the congregation read the Apostles Creed out of the hymnal. ?"He descended into hell. ?He ascended into heaven." ?Familiar words which reinforce our "three-story" notion of the cosmos: … [Read more...] about Bending Space & Time: Ascension Day
Slavery: The Human Condition
Getting ready to write Sunday's sermon, I'm thinking about Slavery. What am I a slave to? "You are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of righteousness, which leads to life." -- Romans 6:16 Am I a slave to fashion? ?(no laughing, just because you've seen my … [Read more...] about Slavery: The Human Condition