Lent 1: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

February 21, 2010

You don't have to go far to be reminded of how strong and dangerous temptations can be today. Just pick up the newspaper and read.

"MAN CRASHES PLANE INTO IRS BUILDING IN TEXAS!! UPSET OVER TAXES!!

"UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR SHOOTS 3 COLLEAGUES TO DEATH AFTER SHE IS DENIED TENURE."

No one likes taxes, but it doesn't make sense to kill yourself about it as well as others who are innocent bystanders. And no one has absolute job security either. Many lose jobs when the factory closes, the economy goes into recession, or when they get sick and are unable to work. But the vast majority don't start killing about it.

These are extreme examples, but the roots of these desperate acts go back to small beginnings, perhaps to a general unhappiness about life nurtured over a long period of time. They go back to thinking that the value of your life is what you earn and what you achieve. How many sleepless nights are...

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Joel 2:1-2; 12-17; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Feb. 17, 2010

 

Lent – A time of self-examination, penitence, new life

    Lent is a season of 40 days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on the Saturday before Easter.

    Why is Lent 40 days? The number 40 occurs several times in key events recorded in scripture. Some these are:

It rained 40 days and nights during the flood recorded in Genesis when Noah and company were saved on the arch. (Ge 7) Moses was on Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments for 40 days. (Ex 24) The spies appointed by Moses spent 40 days investigating the land of Canaan to understand if they were strong enough to conquer the inhabitants there. (Nu 13) Israel wandered in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years between their escape from bondage in Egypt and crossing the Jordan River into Canaan. The prophet Elijah fled from his persecutors to Mt. Horeb for 40 days and nights....

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Transfiguration: Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36

February 14, 2010

    The name of the mountain is unknown where the appearance of Jesus was transfigured one day and Moses and Elijah appeared with him. But it was a very radical and revolutionary change that begins to take shape on that mountaintop. Moses and Elijah were predecessors who helped prepare the way for Jesus, but now he supercedes them. It's not that they were wrong, but that their glory was partial and imperfect while the glory revealed through Jesus of Nazareth is complete and perfect. "This is my son, my chosen," the voice from above says, " Listen to him!"

    Sherman UMC has been "listening to Jesus" ever since it organized itself as a new church 158 years ago in 1852. It was born in the days when Lincoln was riding through here on horseback. During its history many pastors and members have come and gone. It has sent sons and daughters off to war several times, weathered through multiple recessions, a great depression, narrowly missed another one and physically changed its location twice from its original site. Through all the ups and downs, joys and sorrows SUMC has gained wisdom and strength to make new disciples by "listening to Jesus."...

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Epiphany 4: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30

January 31, 2010

It's lonely to feel like an outsider. As a child I attended the church my grandparents attended. My mom and dad were married in the same church. But despite this I never felt at home there. I attended school in a different district than most of the kids at church. They never knew me very well, nor did I know them. I always felt like a stranger intruding on someone else's party, shunned and on occasion made fun of. The fellowship there was like a clique and I didn't belong. I never really enjoyed the church in which I grew up.

Any church can feel like this. The atmosphere between people who know each other well can feel very warm and friendly. But to visitors it may feel like a clique where some are in and some are not. Groups within a nation can become like this. If you are not of the right religion or race or economic status, then you're not as important. You're looked upon as an outsider. You don't really belong. Religions can...

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Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21 - Epiphany 3

Jan. 24, 2010

    When I first heard this song, it made me think of Jesus. And it still does even though the one who wrote it probably did not have Jesus in mind, but his lyrics sure fit.

    When you're weary, Feeling small, When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all     I'm on your side, When times get rough And friends just can't be found    Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down

    Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down    When you're down and out When you're on the street

    When evening falls so hard I will comfort you    I'll take your part When darkness comes And pain is all around    Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down    Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down        (Simon & Garfunkel, vs. 1-2, Bridge over troubled water)

    These lyrics are very comforting and reassuring especially in times of great calamity and...

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Second Epiphany - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11

January 17, 2010

    Turning 150-180 gallons of water into fine wine would be a big hit in many places today. But in the Old Testament an abundance of wine was taken as a sign of God's promised salvation being fulfilled. The prophet Amos speaks of this time when "the mountains shall drip sweet wine and all the hills shall flow with it."(Amos 9:13) And the prophet Joel also: "In that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine…" (Joel 3:18) In the Jewish Passover wine is served as the sign of God's Kingdom to come.

    The symbolism of the wine and its abundance form a sign that reveals the glory of Jesus and the extravagance of God's salvation that is present in him. This sign of God's generosity is also demonstrated when Jesus multiplies a small quantity of bread and fish to feed over 5000 people. God's salvation bestows abundant life, abundant mercy, and abundant gifts upon those who are saved. "I came that you may have life," he...

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1st Epiphany - Luke 3:7-17, 21-22

Jan. 10, 2010

We were in New Ulm, Minnesota on vacation after Christmas. I knew we were in trouble when I got up on Saturday morning and the weather channel said it was a minus 32 degrees. This was not the wind chill, but the temperature. I waited until it warmed up to a -17 before trying to start the car. But it was a no go.

The next morning it was minus 26 when I got up. This time I waited until it was -11 before trying to start the car. But after a couple of cranks the battery was officially dead. Fortunately my insurance has a help line which I had never used before. I dialed the 800 number and answered all the questions some of which seemed kind of ridiculous. Like "Will you be at the vehicle when assistance arrives?" I felt like saying: "Well, I won't just stand out in the cold until help arrives. But on the other hand, you can bet I won't be too far away either!" I held my tongue though.

A man in a SUV arrived within the hour and hooked up the...

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Dec. 24, 2009 - Christmas Eve Service

Luke 2:1-18                                

    We were Christmas shopping in the Mall where we bought our wedding rings. And as we walked along out of over 100 stores I could count only 5 that were there when the mall opened in the mid 1970s. How things come and go. Is there anything that endures in this world? I wonder if other shoppers have stopped to think about this?

    We spend so much time trying to find something to fill the appetite for a better life without realizing that everything "in style" today becomes a collectible tomorrow. In fact I noticed 2 collectible stores in this mall now where you can buy back the things you used to have but threw away. No fooling. And you get to pay even more for your stuff now than the first time you bought it.

    Finally we came to the place where we had bought our wedding rings and remembered how the salesman told us that they had a life time guarantee. But now the store is gone. We never...

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Luke 2:22-40

Dec. 27, 2009 – First Sunday after Christmas

    A column by Dave Bakke who writes for the State Journal Register caught my attention recently. He tells the story of Jay and Pat Landers and their son Ryan who was killed in an auto accident in April 2007. A program about organ donation was presented at Ryan's high school shortly before he died and he was inspired to sign up as an organ donor. As a result Ryan's organs and corneas were donated along with authorization for all tissue, bone, and vein recovery that could be done. "Overall," Jay Landers says, "Ryan has either saved or improved the lives of 49 people in 11 states" with one receiving both a kidney and pancreas from Ryan.

    Nothing can ever completely take away the pain of losing a loved one. Yet this is a story of hope that shows how grief can be redeemed and turned into something positive so that in the end others are helped to live. It's not a huge story, but it is a good story, a moving story which reminds us of Jesus. ...

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Dec. 6, 2009 – Advent 2

Philippians 1:3-22; Luke 3:1-18

    For farmers the growing season this year has been a puzzle and very frustrating. It started with a wet spring and late planting followed by a cooler than normal summer and a late start for the harvest. Several inches of rain this fall delayed it even more. In spite of all this the USDA reported this week that the harvest is roughly 75% complete compared to 95% in a normal year.

    Though the season has been unusual no one has ever questioned whether or not there would be a harvest. Though it is taking longer than expected, still the good work which began in the spring is coming to an end both for better as well as for worse as the case may be.

    This sounds similar to something Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, a church he had founded years before. "I am confident that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ."(Phil 1:6) He is referring, of course, to the harvest of righteousness which began with the word of Christ planted like a seed in the hearts and minds of the Philippians. The growing of this spiritual harvest also faced adverse weather – persecution, ridicule, disappointment, even death. Yet Paul is confident that what God started to do in Christ he will finish....

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