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Talented

  Friends, this is a popular text to preach on. It comes up in the lectionary every three years like clockwork, and the majority of my colleagues will use this text for their sermons today, even though they had other options. The text lends itself toward a point that a lot of us want to make this time of year, while we’re doing stewardship campaigns and encouraging pledging–give generously of what you have to the Master. And we’ll eventually land there. But despite how popular this text is, it’s not the easiest to preach on well. This is a different side of Jesus than a lot of us are comfortable hearing about in church. We’re seeing Jesus’ spicy side. This isn’t Jesus the Good Shepherd, someone you can imagine cuddling adorable lambs. This isn’t the sermon on the mount, and Jesus telling you that, sure, the lilies of the valley are pretty, but God made you even prettier. This also isn’t “your faith has healed you” Jesus. This is a frustrated Jesus. Not the Carrie Underwood Jesus wh...
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Questions God Asks Us, Part 10: Do You Understand What I Have Done for You?

  Friends, you’ve made it! The grand finale, part ten of this ten part sermon series I put together based on a short study book called Questions God Asks Us by pastor and author Trevor Hudson. In every chapter of this book, Hudson takes a question the Divine poses to humans in the Bible, either from the voice of our Creator in the OT or from the voice of Jesus in the NT, and has us look at how we can faithfully respond to God’s question. Last week’s question had us looking at Jesus’ resurrection. This week’s question has us rewind a few days–to the Thursday before. Specifically, as told by John. The other three disciples—Matthew, Mark, and Luke, nicknamed the “synoptic” Gospels because they copied each other’s papers and look the same—tell us that on Jesus’ last night as a free man, he chose words of love and peace, and reinvented dinner. And I find that we’ve made the Lord’s Supper so formal, in the interest of making it sacred, that we’ve lost sight of what the night itself was ...
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Questions God Asks Us, Part 9: Why Are You Crying?

  Friends, we’re now in part 9 of this 10 part sermon series that I put together based on a short study book titled Questions God Asks Us by pastor and author Trevor Hudson. In every chapter of this book, Hudson takes a question that the Divine poses to humans, either from the voice of our Creator in the OT or from the voice of Jesus in the NT, and then unpacks why that question is so important, what we can learn from it, and how we can faithfully respond. Now you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, we’re almost done. These last two chapters revolve around Jesus’ last week, death, and resurrection. This morning’s question comes from John chapter 20, an Easter story. Mary Magdalene, one of the few people left who hasn’t abandoned Jesus, goes to the tomb to tend to Jesus’ body, to make sure her beloved friend has the most reverent burial she can possibly give him. When she gets to the tomb, she discovers, to her horror, what she assumes to be a cruel act of vandalism–someone...
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Questions God Asks Us, Part 8: Do You Want to Get Well?

  Friends, we’re now in part 8 of 10 of this sermon series I put together based on a short study book called Questions God Asks Us by an author and pastor named Trevor Hudson. In every chapter of this book, Hudson has us take a look at a question that God poses to people in the Bible–either through the voice of our Creator in the OT, or through the voice of Jesus in the NT–and then he unpacks how we might faithfully respond. We’re getting very close to the end of this book. The last two chapters are both about Jesus’ death and resurrection.This week we’re in John, chapter 5, taking a look at one more miracle. Jesus is in a place called Beth-Zatha, or Bethesda, depending on spelling, and it’s a Hebrew word that’s used with a purpose, because it means “house of mercy”. The house of mercy has a watering hole that has become the preferred hangout spot for the ill, injured, and disabled folks of the area. A safe place, with constant access to free water. And not just water, SAFE water,...
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Questions God Asks Us, Part 7: Who Do You Say I Am?

  Friends, we’re now up to part 7 of this 10 part sermon series based on Questions God Asks Us by a pastor and author named Trevor Hudson. In every chapter of this short book, Hudson takes a question that the Divine asks people in the Bible–either from the voice of our Creator God in the OT, or from Jesus in the NT–and unpacks that question, and looks at how we can respond to it faithfully.  Today’s question is one that Jesus asks his disciples at a critical turning point of Mark’s Gospel: “who do you say I am?” It’s right at the halfway point in Mark. Before asking that question, Jesus just miraculously fed 5,000 people, and performed several healing miracles. After that question, Jesus starts trying to prep his disciples for his death on the cross. When he asks the question himself, the disciples have several takes on what kind of important person Jesus might be: one has him confused with his cousin, John the Baptist. One thinks he might be a reincarnation of the Old Testam...
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Questions God Asks Us, Part 6: Wha tAre You Looking For?

  Friends, we’re now in part 6 of this 10 part sermon series that I put together based on the book Questions God Asks Us by pastor and author Trevor Hudson. In every chapter of this book, Hudson takes a question that is posed to humans, either by our Creator God in the OT or by Jesus in the NT, and then explores how we might faithfully respond. This week’s question is the first that Hudson is taking from the New Testament, and it’s in John chapter 1: What Are You Looking For? Jesus doesn’t waste any time, y’all. What we’ll find with all five of the questions that Jesus asks in the second half of this sermon series is that Jesus has no patience with anyone doing anything “just because”. He wants to know what motivates you, what you really care about. Try holding that up against what brought you in the door of the church this morning. What are you looking for? “Oh, I dunno, I just wanted to go to a service, the schedule says we’re here this week.” But…what are you looking for? “Uh, ...
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