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LCH Sermons—Time after Pentecost (October and November) 2012
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Christ the King—November 25, 2012
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Daniel 7:9–10, 13–14 | Psalm 93 | Revelation 1:4b–8 | John 18:33–37
Summary: In this unusual year with Christ the King following Thanksgiving and Black Friday, the Gospel lesson, which comes from Good Friday’s Passion Gospel, shows us a Pilate caught between two different views of Jesus as king. In the world around us, we see consumption as king. But Jesus is not a king of power and things but a king who rules in love from the cross. We overcome the emptiness of this world when we give ourselves to Jesus who proclaims us worthy, beloved, and sacred. This Christ is the only king who matters.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 33—November 18, 2012
Preacher: Pastor Angela Freeman
Lessons: Daniel 12:1–3 | Psalm 16 | Hebrews 10:11–25 | Mark 13:1–8
Summary: In today’s Gospel, the disciples are excited by the grandeur of the temple, and Jesus tells them that it will all be destroyed and that they should be alert. Jesus is telling both them and us that God is doing something greater than the things of this world. Because God promises to be with us, we should not be alarmed by the dangers of the world.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 32—November 11, 2012
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: 1 Kings 17:8–16 | Psalm 146 | Hebrews 9:24–28 | Mark 12:38–44
Summary: In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that the widow’s penny is worth more than the large donations of others because she gave everything she had. This story is often used in pledge sermons, but it goes much farther. The real question is how, when God gave everything in the person of Jesus, we can be good stewards of our time and everything God has given us. When we see our whole lives as reflecting God’s love and mercy, God lives in us and in our church.
All Saints Sunday—November 4, 2012
Preacher: Pastors Jeff Lilley and Angela Freeman
Lessons: Isaiah 25:6–9 | Psalm 24 | Revelation 21:1–6 | John 11:32–44
Summary: This dialog sermon looks at the interplay between joy and sorrow that is characteristic of All Saints when we celebrate the lives of all the saints but also feel sorrow about the saints in our lives who have died. In modern culture, we often push death out of sight, but in the Gospel, Jesus goes into the cave and rolls away the stone to call Lazaarus out, even though he has been dead for days and there is a smell. Jesus rolls away the stones of our lives and unbinds us so we can find true and authentic lives and can welcome everyone into our fellowship.
Reformation Sunday—October 28, 2012
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Jeremiah 31:31–34| Psalm 46| Romans 3:19–28 | John 8: 31–36
Summary: In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that if they follow the Son, they will be set free. Like us, and particularly like us in the church, they are reluctant to change their way of thinking. The church in the U.S. is shrinking, but we do not ask the right questions. If we believe God’s promise to be with us always, we will be relevant in a changing world. If we believe in the Son, we too will be free to love, and serve, and bring the Gospel.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 29/Children’s Sabbath—October 21, 2012
Lessons: Isaiah 53:4–12 | Psalm 91:9–16 | Hebrews 5:1–10 | Mark 10:35–45
Summary: In place of the Children’s Conversation and Sermon, the children from the Sunday School presented a skit based on today’s Gospel from Mark 10:35–45. Disciples James and John ask to be first in the kingdom, and Jesus says that they will have to suffer as he suffers, but he cannot give them what they want. The other disciples are angry, and Jesus says that those who want to be first must be servant of all.
No audio available of the skit.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 28—October 14, 2012
Preacher: Pastor Angela Freeman
Lessons: Amos 5:6–7, 10–15 | Psalm 90:12–17 | Hebrews 4:12–16 | Mark 10:17–31
Summary: Again this week we have a challenging text. When we are confronted with situations such as world hunger, like the rich young man in today’s Gospel, we ask what God would have us do. Jesus does not condemn the man, who had obeyed all of the Law. Instead, Jesus gave him more to do—sell everything and give to the poor. The disciples were perplexed, perhaps, because they knew that they were attached to even the little they had. There are opportunities every day to make a difference. We may not be able to do it alone, but we can face those problems together.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 27—October 7, 2012
Preacher: Pastor Angela Freeman
Lessons: Genesis 2:18–24 | Psalm 8 | Hebrews 1:1–4; 2:5–12 | Mark 10:2–16
Summary: I am happy to be preaching in a Reconciling in Christ congregation where I don’t have to convince you that today’s text include everyone. The lesson from the Hebrew scriptures tell us that God created us all to live in community. In the Gospel, Jesus talks about divorce. He knew that divorce splits up relationships and grieves God. Christian marriage takes place in community and involves God. Divorce is painful, and the community must be ready to talk about that pain. We also must remember that God is perfected in weakness and that God knows who we are and loves us as we are.
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