God’s Imagination (a sermon for Advent IV)

God’s grace and peace be with all of you. This morning, I want you to do me a favor and pull out that pew Bible that’s in front of you, and I want you to find the beginning of the gospel of Matthew. Now, our appointed reading for today is almost the very beginning of …

Magnificat (a sermon for the 4th Sunday of Advent)

God’s grace and peace be with all of you. Oh, you faithful few—you, who decided to come to church on Christmas Eve morning, even though some of you may be back in the evening for Christmas Eve services—you, who are getting your fourth Advent Sunday even though it’s December 24th—you faithful few get to hear …

Imagine Bigger (a sermon for Advent IV)

[This is the last sermon I'll be preaching at my current congregation, except for Christmas Eve.]   God’s grace and peace be with all of you. In the Bible, we have four different gospels that tell the story of Jesus. And in the four gospels, we have two different Christmas narratives, two accounts of the …

Are you the one? (a sermon for Advent III)

God’s grace and peace be with all of you. It’s December, and George has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His doctors say he has a year to live. George shares his news with the Bible study group at his church, and someone says to him, “Don’t worry. God has a plan.” It’s December, and …

Repentance (a sermon for Advent II)

God’s grace and peace be with all of you. Repent! Repent, repent, repent! Our gospel reading today sounds like it belongs at the beginning of Lent, don’t you think? The repeated refrain is for repentance. John’s proclamation is for repentance: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” People are hearing John’s message and …

Breaking and entering (a sermon for Advent I)

Preached November 27th, 2016, at Our Saviour's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oxnard.   God’s grace and peace be with all of you. Have you seen those commercials for security systems? Regardless of the brand, they usually follow the same pattern: there’s a nice, attractive family that tells a scary story. The wife says, “Our neighbors’ …