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August 21, 2005
Posted by revcwirla on 08/21 at 03:58 PM
Matthew 16:13-20 / 14 Pentecost A / 21 August 2005
Who is Jesus? That question doesn't need to be asked here, does it? This is a Christian church, after all. A Lutheran congregation. That's the kind of question we ought to be asking out in the world. When was the last time you asked that question? And what sort of answer did you receive? How would you answer it yourself?
August 14, 2005
Posted by revcwirla on 08/14 at 03:57 PM
Matthew 15:21-28 / 13 Pentecost A / 14 August 2005
She just wouldn't take no for an answer, this pesky Canaanite woman. No matter what Jesus said to her, she just kept coming back like a bulldog, with a faith that wouldn't let go no matter what. And even more amazing - this was an outsider to Israel! That's what this Gospel is all about this morning - God's universal grace to all in Jesus and the faith of a bulldog that won't let go no matter what.
August 07, 2005
Posted by revcwirla on 08/07 at 03:55 PM
Matthew 14:22-33 / 12 Pentecost A / 7 August 2005
Fear is the undertow in this morning's Gospel reading. Fear threatens to swallow up Peter and the disciples in their little boat. Fear paralyzes, wears us down, erodes our faith, generates doubt. To the disciples' fear, and to ours, Jesus speaks His Word, "Take heart. It is I. Do not fear."
December 25, 2003
Posted by revcwirla on 12/25 at 03:22 PM
John 1:1-14 / Christmas Day 2003 The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. (Jn 1:14)
The most popular Christmas song of all time has nothing whatsoever to do with Jesus. The song is “White Christmas,” the song written by Irving Berlin in 1942 during WWII. He wrote it for a musical called “Holiday Inn.” It was recorded by Bing Crosby and became an instant hit with the troops overseas. It pushed on all the nostalgia buttons that make us feel good at times of trouble - Grandma’s cookies, Mom’s apple pie, White Christmas. Not a him of Jesus. In fact, Berlin deliberately set out to write a Christmas song that had nothing to do with Christ - a Christmas song for the rest of the world, so to speak.
December 21, 2003
Posted by revcwirla on 12/21 at 05:20 PM
Luke 3:7-14 / 3 Advent C / 21 December 2003
Every birth is preceded by a conception and a pregnancy. My point is theological, not biological. Before the Word made Flesh appeared in a manger in Bethlehem, He dwelled among us in the womb of His mother for nine months. That’s the focus of this morning - the plain fact that our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so He embraces the whole of our humanity, literally from the womb to the tomb.
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