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Transfiguration of Our Lord—March 3, 2019
Preacher: Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Exodus 34:29–35 | Psalm 99 | 2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2 | Luke 9:28–43a
Summary: In our Gospel, the cloud covers the disciples and Jesus is transfigured, bridging the gap between heaven and earth. This week we learned of the United Methodist Church’s vote to continue their prohibitions of LGBT+ clergy and same sex marriage. In our anxiety, God wraps us in clouds and tells us to listen to God, even when the church fails us. We know that God cares deeply for us because of—not in spite of—who we are. We are called to be with each, not keep silent, and tell all creation that God’s love embraces us all.
Seventh Sunday after Epiphany—February 24, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Genesis 45:3–11, 15 | Psalm 37:1–11, 39–40 | 1 Corinthians 15:35–38, 42–50 | Luke 6:27–38
Summary: In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the disciples to love their enemies and bless those who persecute them. In our society, which practices transactional love, this seems impossible. We cannot love our enemies with the same agape love God shows us. We fall short, but God shows us mercy. God pours out a full measure of love, shaken down, and in God’s mercy we can strive to do the same.
Sermon not recorded due to technical issues.
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany—February 17, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Jeremiah 17:5–10 | Psalm 1 | 1 Corinthians 15:12–20 | Luke 6:17–26
Summary: A couple of times a week I drive over the Pali Highway and admire the big houses high up on the mountains, but then I hit a pothole and am reminded that I live down here. In today’s Gospel, Jesus and the disciples come down from the mountain to the level ground, where people need healing. Jesus preaches and calls the poor, hungry, and despised “blessed” (present tense). God has chosen not to condemn those living on level places and reminds them of their blessing. We all stand in the level places with Jesus, and God blesses us and sends us out to be blessings for the world.
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany—February 10, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Isaiah 6:1–8, (9–13) | Psalm 138 | 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 | Luke 5:1–11
Summary: I’m always frustrated when I go fishing because I never catch anything. In today’s Gospel, Peter and the others have been out fishing and haven’t caught anything. Jesus steps into the boat, tells the to let down their nets again, and they catch so many fish the boat is in danger of sinking. Jesus catches the disciples off guard and they leave to follow him and fish for people. This is not the predatory evangelism of someone like Elmer Gantry. Jesus tells us to cast the net of God’s love and draw in the whole world. And God practices catch-and-release fishing. Once caught, we are sent out to share God’s love and grace.
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany—February 3, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Jeremiah 1:4–10 | Psalm 71:1–6 | 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 | Luke 4:21–30
Summary: Scripture is full of people offering excuses why they cannot answer God’s call. In our first lesson, Jeremiah tells God he cannot do it because he’s too young, but God tells him that God chose him and prepared him before he was born, and Jeremiah answers the call. In the Gospel, the people reject Jesus when he points out that in the past God had chosen foreigners over the people of Israel. But later, Jesus chooses his disciples from among these same people. In all their brokenness, anger, hurt, and insufficiency, God chose the people of scripture, and God continues to choose us to be voices of hope and love in spite of our excuses.
Third Sunday after Epiphany / Reconciling in Christ Sunday—January 27, 2019
Preacher: Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Nehemiah 8:1–3, 5–6, 8–10 | Psalm 19 | 1 Corinthians 12:12–31a | Luke 4:14–21
Summary: In today’s Gospel, Jesus returns from the wilderness, enters his home synagogue, and tells them that he has come to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. I grew up in a small town with no open LGBTQ people. In seminary being gay was a non-issue until my advisor recommended I do my internship at LCH, which became a Reconciling in Christ congregation the year I was born. This congregation has done a good job proclaiming Jesus’ message of liberation, the wider church not so much. We as the church are stronger when we recognize that all are beloved children of God and when we open our eyes to see the image of God in everyone.
Listen to this sermon (We apologize for the presence of occasional spots where the sound drops out.)
Second Sunday after Epiphany—January 20, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Isaiah 62:1–5 | Psalm 36:5–10 | 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 | John 2:1–11
Summary: John tells the story of the wedding feast at Cana as a sign to show us Jesus is and who we are called to be. At that time, running out of wine at a wedding would have been seen as a great breach of hospitality. Jesus turns water into wine as a sign of God’s abundance in the face of adversity. Jesus calls us to see the abundance of God’s love and counter the adversity of our world by sharing God’s love so that it floods the world.
Baptism of Our Lord—January 13, 2019
Preacher: Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Isaiah 43:1–7 | Psalm 29 | Acts 8:14–17 | Luke 3:15–17, 21–22
Summary: I don’t remember it, but my baptism at 3 months was full of anticipation. So was the baptism of Jesus recorded in today’s Gospel. It follows the prophecies from the weeks of Advent, the angels of Christmas, the star and magi of the Epiphany, and John’s message of repentance. But instead of those, we hear the voice of God saying “This is my son, my beloved.” Our own baptisms may have their own expectations, but it is also a washing away of expectations and the word from God that each new Christian is a beloved child of God.
Sermon not recorded due to technical issues.
Epiphany of Our Lord—January 6, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Isaiah 60:1–6 | Psalm 72:1–7, 10–14 | Ephesians 3:1–12 | Matthew 2:1–12
Summary: The Christmas story in Luke is like a Hallmark TV special with a heartwarming ending, but Matthew’s story is more like a film noir with Herod, the power-hungry despot who charms the wisemen and will kill to hang on to power. Epiphany, which means “revealing,” shows us what God has always been doing. Matthew reveals the anti-Herod—a child not a warrior, born to poor parents not a ruler, born in a manger not a palace, bring peace not war, and dying so others may live not killing others to hold power. Herod is like the vase in the familiar optical illusion that wants to be filled, but the star of Bethlehem shines a light so we can see each other’s faces. Like Jesus, we can look at others and build relationships in which we find God. In those faces, the love of God is revealed.
First Sunday of Christmas—December 30, 2018
Lessons and Carols—no sermon.
Christmas Day—December 25, 2018
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Isaiah 52:7–10 | Psalm 98 | Hebrews 1:1–12 | John 1:1–14
Summary: This morning I read the news of a child who died in detention at the US border. Jesus is brought into this world to reconnect us—person to person—in bonds of love, but too often we use this child divide us. As John reminds us, Jesus comes as the Word to bring light among us. God chooses to dwell among us, and when we pull people apart, Jesus weaves us together again in love. On Christmas, we are called to celebrate every life with the gifts of love and lift up those in need.
Advent IV—December 23, 2018
Preachers: Pastor Jeff Lilley and Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Micah 5:2–5a | Luke 1:46b–55 | Hebrews 10:5–10 | Luke 1:39–55
Summary: In this dialog sermon, Vicar Andy, thinking about the words Mary sings in the Magnificat, decides that he should take the people of LCH to the state capitol and lead a protest in the name of the poor and powerless. Pastor Jeff reminds him that those of us who are privileged should not speak for others and that, when Mary talks about the powerful, she is talking about us. He also reminds him that Mary, who was powerless in her own time time, shapes the young Jesus to be who he will be.
Advent III—December 16, 2018
Preachers: Pastor Jeff Lilley and Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Zephaniah 3:14–20 | Isaiah 12:2–6 | Philippians 4:4–7 | Luke 3:7–18
Summary: In our gospel today, the crowd asks John what they should do to be saved. The same question is asked today, but this is not the right question. As Luther said, there is nothing we can do to be saved because God has already redeemed us in Christ. The real question is what we should be, and the answer is this: beloved children of God. The good that we do comes from knowing that we belong to God.
Advent II—December 9, 2018
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley and Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Malachi 3:1–4 | Luke 1:68–79 | Philippians 1:3–11 | Luke 3:1–6
Summary: This Sunday, the sermon was combined with the children’s conversation. Pastor Jeff and Vicar Andy told the story of a great treasure. Three people heard about the treasure and came searching for it, each certain that his or her strength would help them find it. They arrived in the town, and a boy in the café offered to help, but they were too proud. One took lots of equipment and went looking in the mountains, another looked in the dark and narrow places, and the third took maps and charts and looked at the end of the winding road. But none was successful, and they returned to the café dejected. There the boy reminded them of the prophet who preached that the rough places would be made plain and the crooked straight and called on everyone to prepare the way of the Lord. The treasure, the boy reminded them, is within their hearts.
Advent I—December 2, 2018
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley and Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Jeremiah 33:14–16 | Psalm 25:1–9 | 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13 | Luke 21:25–36
Summary: Our gospel today has been traditionally been used to talk about endings, which often is uncomfortable and unsettling to those who hear the words. Today, we offer an alternative to this reading and suggest that the text is one that should instill hope. We portray two people, both facing uncomfortable realities around immigration. They each stand on either side of a wall. Later, after much talking, the wall morphs into a table. Both sit down with the Eucharist and partake in the bread and wine.