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Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 17—July 28, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Genesis 18:20–32 | Psalm 138 | Luke 11:1–13
Summary: In today’s Gospel Jesus tells a strange story about a man who is unprepared when a guest comes, so he asks his neighbor for bread. Jesus says that even though the neighbor doesn’t want to help, he will do so because the man is persistent. We are tempted to think God will do anything if we ask persistently, but Luke’s message is different. Jesus teaches the disciples to pray by first knowing who God is, then praying that God’s dominion will come on earth, asking for our daily bread, asking that God forgive us so we can be grateful for all, and finally asking that we not be brought to the time of trial. It is easy to forget how powerful prayers can be. Prayer means doing something, so it changes everything.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 16—July 21, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Genesis 18:1–10a | Psalm 15 | Colossians 1:15–28 | Luke 10:38–42
Summary: Today’s Gospel is about Jesus visiting Mary and Martha. We like to pigeon hole people this way, but Jesus has something more in mind. Mary breaks the convention of her time by sitting at the feet of Jesus like the man of the house, while Martha does exactly what is expect by providing necessary hospitality. Earlier in Luke, after instructing the disciples, Jesus sends them out to minister. Jesus makes both Mary and Martha of us all. We are called both to think on the words of Jesus and understand the world and to do what is necessary to minister to our neighbors. Where head and hands come together, we have the very heart and body of Christ.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 15—July 14, 2019
Preacher: Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Deuteronomy 30:9–14 | Psalm 25:1–10 | Colossians 1:1–14 | Luke 10:25–37
Summary: Today’s first lesson tells us to love God and one another. It’s usually easy to love God but much harder to love each other—especially when the other is different. The lesson tells us that God’s commandment is not hard, but it seems hard because we worry about what the future will bring. We know that God is doing amazing things with and through and around us, but we still ask what is next. This is my last Sunday with you all, and I relish not knowing what is next for me; I cannot wait for the opportunity to love and work with another congregation. Like Paul in Colossians, I give thanks for the way you have loved me. We area all part of God’s kingdom and ministry is shared among us. I will carry the LCH ‘ohana with me as I move forward to provoke and challenge me in ministry.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 14—July 7, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Isaiah 66:10–14 | Psalm 66:1–9 | Galatians 6:1–16 | Luke 10:1–11, 16–20
Summary: Today’s Gospel continues from last week when the people rejected Jesus. So this week we hear that Jesus sends out the 70 apostles to prepare the way. It’s remarkable that they take nothing more than one pair of sandals. Jesus asks them to trust that their needs will be provided for. These days we often feel unprepared for our mission to tell people about God’s love. The future of the church depends on us as active participants in the faith, but what are we willing to put on our sandals and to work for? Jesus tells the disciples that they have been given authority over the world, and we too have authority that is built on the trust that God is with us and will provide for us as we carry out this prophetic work. There is much that is worth putting on our sandals so that justice, hope, and love may live.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 13—June 30, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: 1 Kings 19:15–16, 19–21 | Psalm 16 | Galatians 5:1, 13–25 | Luke 9:51–62
Summary: In today’s Gospel, Jesus is among the Samaritans, and they don’t respond to him. The disciples want to call down fire on them, but Jesus has a very different approach. We can be very much like the disciples, and these days our society focuses more and more on retribution and empathy is in decline. Jesus rebukes the disciples for losing sight of Jesus’ core message of love. In Galatians, Paul reminds us that real slavery is being turned in on ourselves and that our freedom is to turn outwards towards others and live in the Spirit. Of course, the Spirit is unpredictable. It can consume us with God’s love for the world.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 12—June 23, 2019
Preacher: Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Isaiah 65:1–9 | Psalm 22:19–28 | Galatians 3:23–29 | Luke 8:26–39
Summary: In today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters a man possessed by a demon and kept in chains outside the city. More than chains, he was bound by theology that said he was unclean. Bad theology kills by putting limits on people, degrading our planet, and putting conditions on love. When we recognize that all people are of God, it frees us to do God’s work of liberation and love in the world. Unconditional love of all people and all creation is good theology that brings love.
The Holy Trinity—June 16, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31 | Psalm 8 | Romans 5:1–5 | John 16:12–15
Summary: Today is Trinity Sunday, but I rarely preach about doctrine. We too often try to figure God out in our heads while we should be using our hearts. When we feel God through the tears the people about to Jerusalem or through the joy of creation, we are more likely to love one another. We live better when we understand that God is one and we are all God’s children. While we worry about doctrine, God is busy finding us.
Sermon not recorded due to technical issues.