When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Matthew 25:31 What would you consider to be the most important day in the history of the world? For Christians, we might say the day that Jesus was born. Or…
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25:21 Jesus' Parable of the Talents, recorded in Matthew 25:14-30, has got me thinking about all the tests we…
Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died 1 Thessalonians 4:14 I don’t want to ignore today’s gospel reading (Matthew 25:1-13), but I also don’t want to start with it. I want to start instead with our second reading from Paul’s…
Here is my sermon on Matthew 5:1-12 and 1 John 3:1-3 for All Saints Sunday.
Are you envious because I am generous? So the last will be first, and the first will be last. Matthew 20:15-16 I have a confession to make: Whenever I have read or heard this parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), I have always assumed that I was one of the laborers who…
Peter came and said to [Jesus], “Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22 Let’s talk about forgiveness. It is one of the most important topics in our Christian…
Living among other Christians is a privilege and a blessing, but also can be challenging. Here is my sermon on these themes, based on Matthew 18:15-20.
From that time on [after Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah], Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. Matthew 16:21 For those keeping track,…
I have enjoyed reflecting on the Beatitudes that begin Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Here are some concluding thoughts on this 10-part series.
Why does Jesus bless those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake? Here is a brief reflection on this last beatitude, in a devotion that I wrote for my congregation on the eight beatitudes of Jesus found in Matthew 5:1-12.
My Pastoral Ponderings 