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Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 17—July 30, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: 1 Kings 3:5–12 | Psalm 119:129–136 | Romans 8:26–39 | Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52
Summary: Recently I attended the ELCA Rostered Leaders Conference in a sizzling hot Phoenix, and I noticed how much more diverse the group was than in the past. In the last 30+ years, there has been a lot of change, and I wondered to myself what God is up to. As a church we have made decisions that have been deemed dangerous. Will this lead us to a future like the parables in today’s Gospel? The future is hidden like a treasure in the field. Are we willing to give up everything to gain this treasure? The kingdom of God is hidden in our loneliness, fear, and anxiety, and often we cannot see it, but it is there for us to find.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 16—July 23, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Ruth Peterson
Lessons: Isaiah 44:6–8 | Psalm 86:11–17 | Romans 8:12–25 | Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43
Summary: Today’s Gospel is all about good and bad seeds, but Jesus’ concern is about the dominion of heaven. Jesus acknowledges that there is evil around us, so what should we do? Some want to wall themselves off from the world, and others are quick to judge and punish, but Jesus tells us that God will judge. Our role is to grow as good wheat while naming the evil and standing up for the truth. In faith we know that in the end God wins.
We expect this sermon to be available soon.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 15—July 16, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Phyllis Hörmann
Lessons: Isaiah 55:10–13 | Psalm 65:(1–8), 9–13 | Romans 8:1–11 | Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23
Summary: Today’s lessons let us ponder the meaning and stewardship. Our incarnational theology calls us to think about how we live out our lives. We live in a broken world and deal with isolation and loss. As stewards of all that God has given us, we are called to live out our faith and to sow the word of God’s reign. This is how we care for our neighbors and the world may be made whole.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 14—July 9, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Zechariah 9:9–12 | Psalm 145:8–14 | Romans 7:15–25a | Matthew 11:16–19, 25–30
Summary: In our second lesson, Paul laments that he doesn’t do what he wants and can’t help doing what he doesn’t want to do; and in the end, he ends up relying on Jesus. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have problems but that, even when we mess up, God is there with us. Wherever we are, the yoke placed on us is a yoke of love, and the burden is God’s presence.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 13—July 2, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Jeremiah 28:5–9 | Psalm 89:1–4, 15–18 | Romans 6:12-23 | Matthew 10:40-42
Summary: Today’s Gospel is the last part of Jesus’ instructions to the disciples before he sends them out to proclaim good news to the people of Israel. Jesus has told them about the problems they will encounter, and now he says that anyone who welcomes them welcomes him. The word “welcome” used here is a bit stronger than the way we usually understand it. It’s not just inviting people to be like us and do what we want to do. Real welcome sets the stage for changes in ourselves. LCH voted to welcome LGBT+ people in the 1990s, and it changed us as a congregation and helped to start a process that changed the ELCA as a whole. The Gospel that Jesus proclaims is a two-handed embrace that truly receives the other.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 12—June 25, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Jeremiah 20:7–13 | Psalm 69:7–18 | Romans 6:1b–11 | Matthew 10:24–39
Summary: You have probably been waiting all year to today’s Gospel when Jesus says that he has come to set family members against each other. This is just bad marketing, but Jesus is preparing the disciples for the troubles he knows will come. God does not take us away from trouble; God promises to be with us in trouble. Don’t be afraid to commit to discipleship. Go out into a broken world and share God’s love.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 11—June 18, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Exodus 19:2–8a | Psalm 100 | Romans 5:1-8 | Matthew 9:35—10:8 (9–23)
Summary: Today’s lessons are about mission, but we know there is a great reluctance in Lutheran congregations to get involved with evangelism. In our Gospel, Jesus sends the disciples out because Jesus has compassion on the people. We want to sit in the comfort of our faith, and Jesus sends us out. Yesterday many of us walked in the annual AIDS walk, and tomorrow is Juneteenth. Our call is to follow Jesus, who gathered outcasts and sent them out to stand with those in greatest need.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 10—June 11, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Hosea 5:15—6:6 | Psalm 50:7–15 | Romans 4:13–25 | Matthew 9:9–13, 18–26
Summary: Today’s lessons remind us that God wants steadfast love and not sacrifice or righteousness. Steadfast love calls us to discipleship, and in discipleship we see that God loves us and calls us to love others as we are loved.
Trinity Sunday—June 4, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Genesis 1:1—2:4a | Psalm 8 | 2 Corinthians 13:11–13 | Matthew 28:16–20
Summary: Trinity Sunday can be confusing. We cannot really figure out what God is, but we can understand what God does. We try to turn faith into certainty, but that doesn’t work. In our Gospel, Jesus sends the disciples out to teach and baptize and promises to be with them. Each of them had doubted, and so do we. We live between doubt and despair, between faith and uncertainty; and there we meet Jesus; there we baptize in the name of God, the three in one.