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Christ the King—November 26, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Margethe Kleiber
Lessons: Ezekiel 34:11–16, 20–24 | Psalm 95:1–7a | Ephesians 1:15–23 | Matthew 25:31–46
Summary: Today’s parable of the sheep and the goats can be scary because we all know that we are each a mixture of good and bad. In the parable, both the sheep and the goats show ignorance of what they have done, but the sheep have already been transformed by Jesus’ life and teaching of the kingdom which they will enter. We pray that God’s kingdom come to us and God’s will be done in us. May we continue to pray this way throughout our lives.
We expect this sermon to be available soon.
Thanksgiving—November 19, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Margethe Kleiber
Lessons: Deuteronomy 8:7–18 | Psalm 65 | 2 Corinthians 9:6–15 | Luke 17:11–19
Summary: In our Gospel lesson, Jesus heals ten, but only one returns to give thanks. Jesus commends him saying, “Your faith has made you well.” Faith is the belief that love and compassion are the foundation of the cosmos, and this belief transforms us so we see the world in beautiful color and not just black and white. God wants us to experience the world this way and rejoice. May we all believe and give thanks for God’s love.
We expect this sermon to be available soon.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 32—November 12, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Margethe Kleiber
Lessons: Amos 5:18–24 or Wisdom 6:12–16 | Psalm 70 | 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 | Matthew 25:1–13
Summary: Everyone has a part to play and responsibility in a wedding, and in today’s parable, the ten women would light the way. We’re all taught to share, but the five wise women could not share because they had to fulfil their responsibility. Each of us has our own light that bears witness to Jesus, and we must shine that light. This requires us to have the wisdom to respond to the demands of life and say yes to light and wholeness, not injustice and death. In the same way, each congregation must respond to its own call.
We expect this sermon to be available soon.
All Saints Sunday—November 5, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Margethe Kleiber
Lessons: Revelation 7:9–17 | Psalm 34:1–10, 22 | 1 John 3:1–3 | Matthew 5:1–12
Summary: Like the recent hit movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the book of Revelation is a confusing tale that paints a picture of multiple realities and ends in hope. John, the author of Revelation, denounces Roman domination and contrasts it with heaven where the multitudes, who have made it through the suffering of the physical world, worship the Lamb and God is seated on the throne. Christ offers mercy and forgiveness, hope overcomes despair, and life conquers death. We can all take heart in this promise where the dominion of God brings the reality of the Beatitudes, where folks from every people, language, and nation are all children of God.
We expect this sermon to be available soon.
Reformation Sunday—October 29, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Margethe Kleiber
Lessons: Jeremiah 31:31–34 | Psalm 46 | Romans 3:19–28 | John 8:31–36
Summary: Today we remember Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses and the beginning of the Reformation. Among those theses was a critique of the church selling indulgences, which claimed to sell forgiveness from sins. Luther saw this as replacing God’s abundant mercy with an economy of merit, replacing self-reflection and spiritual growth with monetary transfers, and replacing the truth of God’s love that sets us free with fear. In a culture where greed is good and money is supreme, grace frees us to hold our possessions lightly because the kingdom is forever. We can live in God’s liturgy of abundance or be slaves to scarcity. The truth of God’s unconditional love sets us free to love.
We expect this sermon to be available soon.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 29—October 22, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Margethe Kleiber
Lessons: Isaiah 45:1–7 | Psalm 96:1–9 (10–13) | 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10 | Matthew 22:15–22
Summary: Our relationship to money is never just about money; it encompasses power, relationships, love, and more, so conversations about money can be tricky. In our Gospel, Jesus has just overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple, so the religious authorities set a trap by asking if it is OK to pay taxes to the emperor. Jesus responds by asking whose image is on the coin. He is not being evasive but pushing us to a radical understanding of God’s claim on our lives. The coin bears the image of the emperor and may be used to pay taxes to the emperor. But Genesis tells us that we are created in God’s image, so God has a claim on our lives. We are God’s money to be spent on God’s purposes.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 28—October 15, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Margethe Kleiber
Lessons: Isaiah 25:1–9 | Psalm 23 | Philippians 4:1–9 | Matthew 22:1–14
Summary: It is not easy to be sane in this mad world with war abroad, political gridlock at home, climate change all around, and stresses in our personal lives. In this context, Paul’s exhortation to rejoice in the Lord always seems insane or naive. But few knew the harsh realities of the world better than Paul. Paul is grounded in the reality of Christ, and we are to find our peace in Jesus. We do not ignore the suffering in the world, but we also do not give up on making the world better, bringing our concerns to God in prayer and being transformed in prayer. We refuse to be dominated by evil and injustice and meditate on what is true, pure, and just.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 27—October 8, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Margethe Kleiber
Lessons: Isaiah 51:1–6 | Psalm 138 | Romans 12:1–8 | Matthew 16:13–20
Summary: There is lots of violence and judgement in today’s lessons, but as Lutherans we look at scripture in terms of law (bad news, which reveals the truth that prepares us to hear the good news) and gospel (good news). In our Gospel, the bad news is that the tenants terrorize the representatives of the owner and are punished. Realization of this violence shows Jesus’ questioners that they are in need of repentance. The violence of our modern world shows us that we too need to repent. This shows us the truth of God’s mercy and grace. God’s love continues to bless us and calls us to be good stewards of God’s grace.
Time after Pentecost • Lectionary 26—October 1, 2023
Preacher: Pastor Margethe Kleiber
Lessons: Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32 | Psalm 25:1–9 | Philippians 2:1–13 | Matthew 21:23–32
Summary: Change is disruptive, and many of us resist change, so it’s not surprising that the religious leaders in today’s Gospel were suspicious of Jesus’ new ideas. In response, Jesus tells the story where one son says he will do what his father asks but he doesn’t, and the other son says he won’t do it but he does. It’s easy to make the religious leaders into villains, but they lived in complicated times under Roman domination. We too live in complicated times where it is easy to say yes and do nothing. But Jesus holds out the possibility of change. We may fail again and again, but God never closes the door. There is still time to say yes and do the right thing.