First United Church of Christ (Bremen, IN)

The sheep and the goats.

Jesus' parable of the talents.

We come to the end of the exodus. Israel stands at the shore of the Jordan as Moses lays out for them what living in the land in covenant with God must look like.  After that, he dies. On the one hand, this feels tragic and maybe even unfair. On the other, his death speaks a profound truth about what faithfulness requires.

Moses and God talk like friends. And sometimes friends have to have hard conversations. This hard conversation doesn't give Moses what he asks for, but God does provide what he needs. 

The ten commandments! We tend to think of them as a series of statements chiseled on stone. But before they were that, they were a sermon. God's first sermon. What difference does it make when we think of them as such? It helps understand their purpose and may even help us know how to keep them.

A story with lots of parallels to last week's text, Israel has Moses in fear for his life. How will God respond to the fact here again Israel demonstrates a lack of trust?  In a profoundly surprising way. And one that helps us understand how we might deal with our own frustrations-- regardless of who they're with. 

There is the glory of Pharaoh which is demonstrated in the fertility and wealth of Egypt. Then there is the glory of Yahweh which overpowered Pharaoh at the Red Sea. When that Glory leads Israel into the wilderness, it leaves Israel longing for a return to Egypt. They can't imagine anything other than death. But Yahweh's glory is one that transforms even wilderness into a source of life. 

Israel leaves Egypt "boldly," but then Pharaoh's heart hardens yet again. It appears he's less interested in taking them back to Egypt than leaving them dead in the wilderness. What a terrible turn of events! It leaves Israel wishing they'd just been left alone. Indeed, sometimes the disappointment that follows the experience of joy makes you regret the joyful experience. But the challenge of this story is to remain hopeful because we were made for more. Here's a printable version. 

Why does it require ten plagues for Pharaoh to finally "Let YHWH's people go?" Why does he keep hardening his heart? How do we learn to avoid the same fate?

Moses manages to land himself in the house of Pharaoh. But he loses all that power and privilege when he kills the Egyptian taskmaster. He flees to the middle of nowhere-- which turns out to be exactly where God meets him. 

After having investigated Genesis for six months, the transition to Exodus is rather jarring. It's as if Pharaoh is trying to wrestle control of the story. Of course, his efforts turn out to be rather ironic-- Divine irony. For a  printable version click the link.

Jesus was confronted by Pharisees and then a Canaanite woman. He's not particularly interested in what either of them have to say. The former take offense, the latter remains persistent. She is rewarded for doing so.  In the process, we learn what faith is and what it isn't.  Here's a printable version.

In response to seeing Jesus walk on water, Peter gets out and attempts to do the same. It's an act of faith, an attempt to allow the reality that Jesus opens up to inform Peter's own life and actions. That isn't an easy thing to do-- regardless of what our faith calls us to do. In fact, whatever else Peter does here, he illustrates the challenge of living in faith.

The Psalms are often referred to as the church's prayer book. Here, the psalmist curses their enemies, calls on God to pour out wrath on them AND their offspring. Why would we pray a psalm like that? Here's a printable version.

Jesus is content to speak primarily about what the Kingdom of Heaven "is like" rather than declaring what it "is." Maybe that's because words themselves can't capture it, they can only point the way.  Seeking the Kingdom is therefore an exercise in "deep play," with treasures to be found both in the past and in the present. 

The lectionary has been pairing passages from Romans with parables from Matthew. Paul talks about the crying out of the creation. Jesus talks about an enemy sowing weeds among the wheat. Together they help us understand how we are to confront all that stands in opposition to God's intent for creatures and creation.  A printable version.

Jesus often talks in parables. This one, like many of them, contain elements that are surprising. Take the farmer, for example-- sowing seed here, there, and everywhere. The big question, of course, is what does it mean to "good soil"?  Is it possible to remove everything around us and within us that keeps a seed from sprouting? A printable version found here.

The lectionary assigns these two passages to this Sunday despite the apparent contradictions. Paul presents faithfulness as a struggle involving regular failure. In Matthew, the gospel is an invitation to the weary to find rest. Is it possible that beneath both passages is a greater coherence? 

Books have been written with titles like The Hard Sayings of Jesus. Verses from reading assigned to this Sunday include a number of them. But because they are difficult is no reason to avoid them.  In fact, they may just get at what is the heart of the matter. 

This is a passage about "evangelism"-- the business of declaring good news. That's often something that makes us a little uneasy. Maybe part of our dis-ease is the fact that we've been misrepresenting what it involves. It's not about getting people into heaven. It is about heaven getting into us.

This passage which cuts from one thing to the next has a through-line-- one you might better understand if you're a fan of Rocky movies. 

Resurrection does not merely refer to what Jesus did but to what Jesus is doing-- what Jesus is doing through us. In places of uncertainty and doubt, we discover his presence with us. Entering into Pride Month gives us an opportunity to consider a very specific way we might pursue "the Great Commission." A printable version. 

The primary Pentecost text is in Acts 2-- the story of the Holy Spirit pouring out during the festival of Pentecost. This reading from John occurs the evening of Easter. It is however a Pentecost text about the coming of the Holy Spirit. It also gives us important insight into what that means for us. 

Joseph, the Man with a Plan, finds himself confronting his brothers for the first time in over a decade and seems to be at a bit of a loss. Dealing with families is messy. Forgiveness is messy. But we find in this story (and a story with striking parallels to it) a truth that gives us hope in our efforts to forgive our families, ourselves and anyone else.

After being forgotten for two years, Joseph is called upon to offer interpretations of Pharaoh's dreams. Joseph not only provides the interpretation, he provides a plan for addressing the future anticipated by those dreams. In the process, he offers a remarkable example of what it means to live out a calling while living in exile. 

Joseph's life is a series of unfortunate events. Certainly among the most trying of those years had to be the two he spent in jail wondering if the cupbearer would remember him or whether he'd be stuck there forever.  The consequences of being forgotten can be devastating on people. And yet, when Joseph emerges after those two years, it's his greatest hour. How can that be? A printable version. 

Joseph is not particularly likeable when we first meet him.  He's spoiled and full of himself. But here we have a story of someone of remarkable industry, integrity and loyalty. How do we make sense of that change? A printable version.

Jacob's family is a mess. In other words, the House of Israel is a mess. Full of shame and violence and hubris and, well, just bad parenting skills. What does God do? Makes it worse.  At first. But, eventually, it is what makes the story of Joseph an Easter story. Here's a printable version.

Last week the text described Jacob's flight from home and his encounter with God in the dream. This week's his return home. Once again God shows up. Not in a dream but in a wrestling match. The Trickster endures a wound and owns up to who he is-- but hold on, there's a blessing in doing that. A printable version. 

Jacob flees the life he'd known with only a blessing. It must have been a pretty lonely feeling. But a dream reveals that there's more to this than he realized. Printable version.

God declares that two nations war in the womb of Rebekah. Is God merely predicting the outcome? Or is God orchestrating it? Certainly, God could have enabled it so that Jacob was born first. One would think that so much of the conflict could have been avoided had he been. God doesn't. Is there anything about this that is helpful in our own efforts to live faithfully?  A printable version.

Genesis 24 is the longest single narrative in the book. Its main character isn't Abraham or Isaac. It's Abraham's servant. It is in many ways a rather sweet, simple story. And it offers some insights into what it means to seek God's will.  Here's a printable version. 

We're taking two weeks to look at this troubling but well-known passages of Scripture. This week we are examining it under the assumption that Abraham passes the test, that his willingness to offer his son as a sacrifice is, in fact, a demonstration of a profound faith in God and God's covenant. The quality of recording is a little weak. Apologies. A printable version of the sermon. 

Abraham pushes back against God's decision to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. The pushback is less a defense of Sodom as it is a challenge to God's honor. Is not this covenant God has made about blessing? Blessing Abraham and, through Abraham, the whole world? God is not threatened by the challenge. God knows more than Abraham, more than any of us, how dependent we are on a God operates by mercy. Printable version.

Why does Sarah laugh? It's actually a complicated question. We laugh for lots of different reasons. The meaning of laughter is critical to this story as it is the story of Isaac-- which means "Laughter." What's that about? A printable version of this sermon.

Once again God comes in to clarify business surrounding this promised offspring. The timing isn't great. After all, Sarai's had thirteen years to get used to the idea that the promised child wouldn't be hers. Why is God so difficult?  Here's a printable version. 

The lack of a baby proves again to be a source of tension in this week's chapter.  Bringing Hagar into the mix is supposed to relieve the tension. It does the opposite. It seems this plan simply veers the story off course. However there's something about it that speaks to what is at the heart of the story. A printable version of the sermon.

After a couple of weeks with technical difficulties, we return to our series on Genesis with an investigation of Genesis 15. Abram's become a wealthy man. However the  big promise-- the promise of an heir-- has yet to be fulfilled. How is Abram supposed to believe? First, he needs to step outside the tent.  A printable version of the sermon can be found here. 

As with the story of the flood, the Tower of Babel story shows God dealing with humanity in its entirety. If God wanted to keep intervening in that way, what God does here makes it far more complicated. God confuses their language and causes them to spread over the Earth. As we find out in the upcoming chapter, God zeroes in and promises to intervene on a very small scale. What do we make of this shift? Why would God complicate things?

Murals on nursery walls give us a false impression of what happens in these verses. This is not a cute story. It is a story of judgment. What do we make of the death toll here? More importantly, what does God make of it?

Genealogies tend not to make for compelling reading. But this one is odd. First of all, folks die in their 900s. What do we make of this? And then there are these "sons of God" who marry "the daughters of men." Who are they? A passage like this raises larger questions about how we read the Bible. How do we understand how God communicates with us? 

Why is it that God rejects Cain's sacrifice? The fact that the text offers no clear answer suggests that maybe that's not the point. Cain knows what the issue is. But rather than addressing it Cain turns against his brother Abel. It's a win for "the seed of the serpent."  But there is hope in this chapter. In fact, there's evidence of God's secret weapon.

After describing the consequences of Adam and Eve's disobedience, God does two things: bars access to the Tree of Life and dresses the couple in clothing made from skins.  But these aren't just actions in response to what's been done, they offer insight into where things go from here.  There is a strange and profound grace here. 

After Adam and Eve make their excuses for eating the fruit, God lays out the consequences of their actions.  Given how interconnected the earth is, the impact of what they've done is felt in all aspects of life. Life will be a struggle. However, it will not be a hopeless struggle. Here's a printable version of the sermon.

The account of creation and fall in chapters two and three make a point of highlighting the nakedness of the human protagonists. It's not the nakedness itself that's important. It's the awareness (or lack thereof) that gives us a clue as to the nature of paradise and the consequences of the fall. Here is a printable version.

By eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve undermine the whole of the creation. They hit the self-destruct button, of sorts. Why would God even make that a possibility? Why put that tree in garden at all-- let alone smack dab in the middle? It turns out that what it represents is central to the whole operation. 

Our failure to fulfill our role as "bridge creatures" in ways that consider the land and its needs has had devastating consequences. Today we take an opportunity to consider one very particular way to bear witness to a different way of living. A way of loving the land and our neighbors-- both human and animal. 

This second creation account underscores the connection between living things. They are formed out of the earth. But how is the Creator connected to it all?  The passage gives us two ways indicating God's profound commitment to the earth. This is actually the audio of a video that was played in the service since Pastor Mark had COVID. The video is posted on YouTube.

Too often the main takeaway from Genesis 1 is that God created the universe. Certainly that is there. But to stop there is to miss what the structure and rhythm-- not to mention the language itself-- strives to tell us.  

Genesis One bears a striking resemblance to the Enuma Elish. This is not likely a coincidence, given that the Enuma Elish is Babylonian. In other words, it is the Creation Myth of Israel's captors. But it isn't the similarities that are the most striking difference. It's the differences-- and what those differences say about God and the creation itself.