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Showing posts from August, 2025

Sermon - Trinity VI, 2026 - Matthew 5:17-26

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Moses Descends from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, Ferdinand Bol, 1622 The Law of God is His Eternal Will God’s Law is: His good and gracious will for human flourishing Broadly all that He speaks Narrowly ceremonial, civic, and moral The ceremonial was fulfilled in Jesus The civic partially fell away with the exile/captivity/destruction of Jerusalem The moral law continues for eternity God’s Law does: Curb: Dissuade us from evil Mirror: Reveal our sins Guide: Direct our path forward God’s law is wholly fulfilled in Jesus’ active obedience to the Law “ Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ” Sometimes it’s tempting for us to think about the law negatively, to think of God’s Law as a bunch of stodgy rules, and we don’t like stodgy rules, and therefore we like to think ...
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Sermon - Proper 17, Year C, 2025 - Hebrews 13:1-17

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Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and Saint John , Jan van Eyck, 1435 The Holy life of a Sanctified Congregation The blood of Jesus sanctifies us, and therefore We are united in Jesus as a Sanctified family As a sanctified family, we mutually live holy lives We had a phenomenal celebration a few weeks ago to celebrate our 75th anniversary. Lots of memories from the past few generations of Christians who have been a part of this congregation. The stories and memories of the events and activities are absolutely delightful! I love learning more about what makes this congregation what it is and what has been done. But the trouble about memories is that they’re in the past, and while it can be fun to engage in nostalgia, you can’t bring it back.  However, the incredible thing about celebrating a congregation’s anniversary is it’s not just about the memories of bygone days, but it’s a reminder of why our forefathers built this congregation from the bus barn up, and why this congregatio...
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Sermon - Norm Prins Funeral

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Agnus Dei, Stained Glass at Saint Columbkille Church, Wilmindton, Ohio Dear Ruth, children, grandchildren, brothers, family, and friends of Norm; Norm has died with Christ, and since he has, he also lives with Christ even now, and shall riase again with Christ on the final day. As you mourn and grieve today and in the days to come, remind yourself of that fact. Norm, your husband, father, grandpa, friend, will rise from the grave to live with all the saints in the kingdom of light. God has promised it, so trust His sure and certain word, dear people of God. Let your grief be tempered by hope. I’ve only known Norm for a year, but I see his daughter Sue most days of the week since she’s our talented secretary at church here, so I’ve heard countless stories about Norm. I’ll spare telling you any of the stories now, since I want you to tell your own stories of Norm with each other during lunch. Ruth has the stories from their past 69 years together; decades of rich stories of a powerful ma...
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Sermon - Proper 14, Year C, 2025 - Luke 12:22-40

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The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence , Jose Juarez, 1650 Be faithful, so that you may obtain a better treasure Faithfulness under trial Example of Lawrence The better treasure we are looking forward to What it means to be faithful today “ Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ” Take heart, brothers and sisters in Christ, and do not be anxious about the cares and worries of life. Trust me, I’m fully cognizant that there are many things which make us anxious, and for good reason. The Lord knows about all of these things as well, which is why He speaks as He does; the Lord, knowing your griefs and worries, encourages you to be faithful in the midst of so many sorrows, so that you may obtain a better treasure than could be found on earth. Jesus admonishes us: “ Stay dressed for action. ” Or quite literally, He says: “Let your loins be girded.” This is battle language meant for a soldier, or instructions for someone about to engage in hard physica...
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