Simply the Sermon for February 23, 2025: Epiphany 7C

Our Bible texts for this Sunday are Genesis 45:3-15, Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40, and Luke 6:27-38. 

Mercy. Mercy. Mercy. Joseph eventually lives it out in Egypt. Jesus preaches it in the gospel. The Spirit guides us into merciful lives with the power of forgiveness to reconcile what is fractured and divided. Such merciful living is the baptismal blessing of having put on Christ. It is the gift of the life-giving Spirit. It is a reflection of God’s glory revealed in Christ.

Live in love, my siblings in Christ,
Pastor Diana

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Simply the Sermon for February 16, 2025: Epiphany 6C

Our readings for worship today, Feb. 16, 2025 are Jeremiah 17:5-10, Psalm 1, and Luke 6:17-31. We hear today about the sermon on the plain, where Jesus comes to the regular people, both Jewish and non-Jewish. To heal and to strengthen, to teach and to love. And he goes on to teach the disciples how to live among God's beloved people, blessing them and calling them to an awareness of God's plan to upend cultural power dynamics so that everyone is on this level plain. 

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Simply the Sermon for February 9, 2025: "Called Despite Our Imperfections"

The fifth Sunday after Epiphany continues to highlight unlikely people being used and odd circumstances surrounding how God's glory will be revealed. Our texts are Isaiah 6:1-13, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, and Luke 5:1-11.

“Who will go for us?” God asks. The ones who answer God's call are a person of unclean lips, a person who used to threaten and abuse the members of the church of God, and three fishermen who couldn’t catch a thing. More surprising still, perhaps, is that we are also called.

Photo by Annie Le on Unsplash

Simply the Sermon for February 2, 2025: "Embracing God's Call"

Our readings today are from Jeremiah 1:4-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, and our gospel is from Luke 4:21-30. But actually we pick up the Lukan story that began last week at 4:14. We talk about the challenges of living up to God’s call to be helpers as God turns the world upside down, granting gifts and favors in unexpected places. 

Photo by Mihály Köles on Unsplash