Sermons of Pastor Rob Myallis

After fasting for 40 days and nights in the wilderness, Jesus is tempted by the devil.  (Matthew 4:1-11)Is this time in the wilderness a test or a trial?  (... and what might the difference be?)A test is something that assesses what we've learned and whether we are ready to advanced to the next stage.A trial is something that is designed to teach us what is necessary for the next stage.Pastor Rob reflects on how understanding this wilderness temptation as a trial can help us do two things:First, it can deepen our appreciation of fasting as preparation for the trials of life.Second, it can deepen our connection to Jesus as one who prays with us during the trials of life.The artwork is Christ in the Desert by Vasily Polenov, 1909

You are the salt of the earth (Jesus, Gospel of Matthew, Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:13)This winter has been all about snow, cold and SALT!When Jesus declares that we are the salt of the earth, this is a word of Gospel:  We are valued.  It is also a word of challenge:  we are called to work hard for others.So far, so good. But wait, Jesus also says salt might lose its flavor.  What might that mean?  Hint:  It has to do with foolishness.  

 "Blessed are the Peacemakers."  Jesus Christ, Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew (5:1-12)"Blessed are the Peacemakers" is a word of great challenge to us -- peace is not the norm.  What it mean for us to be peacemakers in our lives, in our communities and even in our world?"Blessed are the Peacemakers" is a word of great promise for us -- peace will be the norm in Kingdom come.  Jesus promise of peace invites us to see the world, not as our eyes see it, as it is, but how it can and one day will be -- reconciled through and to him.The image is from a basketball game that tells the story of what it might look like when we begin to see what the eyes cannot!

 Jesus hears terrible news:  John the Baptist has been arrested (Matthew 4:12-23).   He is sad for his friend, the world and himself.Soon afterwards, he is proclaiming good news and healing everyone.  How does Jesus do this, that is, metabolize the hearing of tragedy into the sharing of love?And, what, if anything, can we do, to metabolize the hard and even hateful news that we hear into love and compassion?The artworks is a relief "The Arrest of John the Baptist" by Lorenzo Ghiberti

1000 Days -- that is all Jesus gets from the time of his baptism until his ascension.  One might expect and urgency that would mean Jesus is counting and optimizing how he spends each and every moment.Yet on day 1, Jesus chooses to hang out with a person he hadn't yet met, Andrew, and another future disciple.  He doesn't teach, exhort, impress or anything -- he just spends time with them.What gives here?  Why is Jesus just spending time with Andrew?  And why might Jesus want to spend time with us?The image is from "What the Saints did Next" Photography blog.

As we turn the calendar, many of us make lists of goals or even resolutions for the next year.  Often times, we skip the necessary step of asking ourselves:  Is this goal something that God intends for me? Working with the story of the magi visiting Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12), Pastor Rob reflects on how we can discern God's purposes and will in our lives.  It turns out that it isn't about a formula, but more like a recipe for a slow cook sauce, one that has a number of ingredients and takes some time. 

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas continues to capture the imagination years after its debut.  Might it be that the problem for the grinch -- that is heart is too sizes too small -- is something we fear might happen to us?  Not only might our hearts be smaller, but as humans it is quite hard (impossible?!) to grow our own heart.  We need a love outside of ourselves.Fear not though, for love has come!  As the Gospel writer Luke tells of the story 1)  The love our hearts need has come into the world in Jesus Christ.2)  This love is for the world and also for you!

Joseph is, Pastor Rob offers, the Patron Saint of the Unappreciated.Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25; parts of Matthew 2) is called to play a vital role in the Christmas story.  Pastor Rob offers that each of us has a role to play - a holy calling - in the Christmas story in our lives this year.Unfortunately, Joseph is not thanked in the Bible (or in some ways, in history) for his efforts.  At the holidays, we can often feel unappreciated as the Christmas story plays out in our lives.Joseph perhaps offers a way through the bitterness that can come when we are not thanked.  For Joseph's story reminds us that although we have a role, the story is not about us.   This can free us to serve in love, worship in joy and give thanks for those who have gone before us in faith.

 "Your mercy is from generation to generation to those who fear you" Mary, in the Magnificat, from Luke 1Today we have three generations meeting and interacting :  Elizabeth, Mary and John.  Each generation brings a different gift.  Elizabeth brings the patience of one who has life's disappointment turn into celebration.  John brings the joy of a child, simply enthralled with the birth of Jesus.As Mary draws on the joy of John and the patience of Elizabeth, she breaks forth in a song of praise.  This is a song that acknowledges the brokenness of life, but also the gift of the redeemer in our lives.  This is a song that is not dependent on the circumstances in the world.  This is song for you too, as you join with the generations: "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior."The Artwork comes from Grace Church, Dupage, IL.

 “How can this be?” Mary asks.  (Luke 1:26-38)Mary has been asked to do the seemingly impossible:  Become pregnant, suffer rebuke from her family and have the Messiah in her womb!The angel gives her two things to equip her to move forward.  First a friendship with Elizabeth. Second, the word promise that nothing will be impossible with God. As we say to ourselves “how can this be?”, when asked to do the seemingly impossible, the angel of God points us to friends in faith, and offers us the same word of promiseThe artwork is by African-American artist Henry Tanner, 1898.

The Prophet Isaiah has a vision (2:1-5) that is compelling millennia later - humanity streaming to the house of God, where they learn and are transformed into agents of peace.This vision is so compelling that it brings into immediate contrast the world in which we live, where there is a constant stream of violence.  What do we make of this disparity, this chasm between vision and reality?Some Christians develop a way of understanding where Jesus becomes much like an alien who takes us away from the bad place of earth and puts us in the good place of heaven.  But this vision from Isaiah suggests that God isn't in the business of getting people out of earth, but renewing it through Jesus, in the power of the Spirit.  As Christians, we celebrate that love has come in Jesus, but we acknowledge that love must return to finish the work.A reflection on how the Bible points toward the renewal of all things instead of the escape of people...and what this might mean for us this Advent, as we prepare for the coming of Christ.

We praise Christ as King today.   Should we?  This is rather strange for us as Americans, who typically don't like kings.  The pilgrims, in fact, were fleeing England because they were upset with the king's interference in religion.Turns out the rest of the Bible also has some pretty negative things to say about human kings too.So why do we praise Jesus Christ as King?  It turns out that Jesus is not like other kings.  The way in which he revealed to us his kingship on the cross casts judgment on all other kings and teaches all of us something about power. The kings of this world use their power to create their own paradise, come what may for others.  Jesus uses his power to create a paradise for others, come at the cost of his own life.   And the power he uses to create that paradise, as it turns out, is mercy.  And for this mercy, we can give thanks!Art credit, Wikipedia, The Embarkation of the Pilgrims, an 1857 portrait by Robert Walter Weir now housed at Brooklyn Museum

 What events in your life made you say: The world as I knew it has ended!For Pastor Rob, one of these events was the fall of the Berlin Wall; the other was when his sick grandmother moved into their home.Jesus today readily admits that the world we live in has many cataclysmic events and challenges that make us say, my world has ended!  Yet life moves on.  Jesus reminds us that the Christian life requires endurance.For many of us, the way that we endure tough situations is to hunker down and put on the emotional armor.  Yet Jesus calls us to a non-defensive endurance, one in which we are open to his provision, including his provision through other people.

 Our church hosts the community food bank.  This week, the bins were empty because so many people have needed food these past few weeks.We hear a story in the Bible of God responding to great human need by sending Moses.  As we consider the suffering of those around us, are we also called into action?When Moses hears the call, he protests, thinking that he is not enough.  Like Moses, we may feel that the problem is too big and too complicated for us to address. Yet God has called us, with others, to give what we can; which, in this case might literally be a can a can of food. Pastor Rob offers us that the "Holy Ground" is the place where we recognize our "empty", where we experience God's fullness as something greater than our sin, and where this resolves itself in a "I can."

We all have a "River Jabbok" in our lives, a place where the past, present and future collide with a whirlpool of anxiety and anticipation.  Today we heard the story of Jacob coming to the river Jabbok, where he must comes to terms with the demons of his past, navigate the present and look forward to the future (Genesis 32:22-31)Here Jacob wrestles with someone else, but it is not clear who it is.  Often in life, when we are wrestling at the banks of the River Jabbok, we struggle even to figure out against whom we are wrestling, but we definitely know we are wrestling. Ultimately, it is revealed that Jacob was wrestling with God.  A reflection on what prayer looks like in the midst of this kind of wrestling.The artwork comes from artist Chris Cook. who tells the story of his art.

"Increase our faith" the disciples cry out (Luke 17:1-7)When we read the news, when we struggle with health diagnoses, when we worry about the next generation growing up, we feel overwhelmed and pray, like the disciples, "Increase our faith."In our series on What Matters, we reflect on the power of faith and our culture's need for faith to confront the challenges it faces.Unfortunately (fortunately, really) we cannot gain faith from Jesus.  Rather, we recognize that it is not about what we have or don't have, but that all Jesus has and has given to us is sufficient.  And so, we get to work, invited by Jesus, to use what little faith we have to move mulberry bushes!The artwork is "The Mulberry Tree" by Vincent Van Gogh, currently on display at the Norton Simon Museum.

In the middle of the Gospel of Luke (16:19-31), Jesus tells a haunting parable about a rich man, a poor man (Lazarus) and a heavenly messenger (Abraham). It would be easier if the parable simply spoke about ultra rich, but the more we ponder it, the more we realize it is about us, our money and the people in need around us.  The parable makes abundantly clear, that in God's eyes, Lazarus and others in need are in help and in need of care.  Which makes us wonder -- do we do enough for the Lazarus's of our lives?  Are we like Abraham (or even Jesus), who show unending compassion for those in need?The more we ponder the parable, the more we realize that we too are in need of help, help that only Jesus can give.The artwork is by James Tissot and is housed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

Love your neighbor.  Turn the other cheek.  Go the extra mile.  and ... when you are gonna lose your job, cheat your boss by making side deals with his clients so you can get a future job.  What???Jesus today tells a bizarre parable (Luke 16:1-13) that highlights the reality that this world isn't one that is full of mercy and honesty.  How do we as Christians navigate this, where we know we are supposed to live as Christians in a world that isn't very Christian?It can be tempting to compartmentalize -- but Pastor Rob offers another way.  When we live in our daily life we inevitably have to make hard decisions.  We cannot escape real life and its problems.  Nor can we decide we don't have to be Christians with this decision.  Instead, we decide, confess the sin inevitably embedded in the decision and then trust that the Lord can make good out it.

 Jesus is locked in!  (Luke 14:25-33).  As he turns toward Jerusalem, where he will be crucified, he is no longer interested in drawing crowds, but his interested in making disciples.  To winnow out those not focused, he challenges his disciples to pick up their cross. Pastor Rob reflects on what it means to pick up our cross.  This does not mean to die for the sins of the world like Jesus.Rather, carrying our cross means doing challenging things, even sacrificial things, for others. But with this command also comes the pitfall of thinking that every person's suffering and challenge is ours to redeem.  It is not.  Following Jesus also means entrusting others and situations to his cross, not ours.This is a hard thing to figure out - when to carry the burden and when to entrust it to God.  For this reason, we must follow Jesus, because working through this decision involves time with Jesus, in prayer, holding to the promise that in the cross of Christ, there is finally redemption.

"Where do I sit?"This is the question that most students ask the first day of school, especially at lunch.  This involves more than simply convenience or even friendship, but the question of "coolness" and the reality of social status and rank.Ultimately, this question isn't simply for first day high school students, but for all of us, as we face the lunch rooms of life, those situations where we have to figure out our social status.  In a parable today (Luke 14:7-14), Jesus takes us the reality of social status and the question of "Where do I sit?"  He first teaches humility but then goes deeper, turning the whole status game on its head.

When Jesus heals a woman in today's Gospel reading (Luke 13:10-17), the first step is that he sees her.  There is something powerful in life when we are seen by another person.  In this case, "to be seen" does not mean "to be noticed" by others, but when somebody else understands what we've been through and where we want to go.  The other person sees in us the pain and the possibility of our lives. We yearn to be seen.Yet, we often make it difficult, if not impossible for others to see us.  Shame around illness and the way in which illness becomes our identity cuts others off from seeing us.  Jesus, as savior and Lord, does see us, and therefore can heal us.The artwork is done by Artist Barbara Schwarz, a Dominican Sister.  Her gallery is found here.

August 17, 2025"I come not to bring peace, but division..."  Harsh words from Jesus (Luke 12:49-53), especially because he talks about division in our families.Jesus knows the gap between the way the world should be and the way the world is.  He grieves this.  He also knows that he alone can bridge this gap, hence the fire and hence the passion.As disciples of Jesus, we are blessed with passion, a holy fire to work towards a better world.Yes as disciples, we must also learn this passion must be met with humility.  For we ourselves have a gap between the people we should be and the people we are, a gap bridged by the cross of Christ.

When was the last time someone really listened to you?For many this is a matter of weeks and months, not days.  Listening is a lost art!Reflecting on the story of Jesus visiting the home of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), Pastor Rob reflects on Mary listening to Jesus.  This passage not only uplifts listening as a love language, but reveals ways in which we can be a better listener, to each other and ultimately, to Jesus.Given how hard it is truly to listen, especially to one who lived 2,000 years ago, we dare ask the question:  Who is this one who summons us to listen to him?Photo Source:  Case Kenny, https://cheezburger.com/19582213/36-wholesome-love-languages-for-singles-and-those-who-are-in-relationships

In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), a stranger has compassion on an injured man and heals him.  Not only is the extent of care surprising, but Jesus pushes the ancient world's buttons by surprising his listeners that the one who showed mercy was a Samaritan, definitively "the other."We continue to live in a world, much like Jesus'  time, when there are all sorts of division and boundaries that exist, which make it challenging for us to become neighbors to each other.But this happens -- at the holy cross-section of wounds and compassion.The artwork is a sculpture by artist Daniel Borup

What is on your packing list?Jesus sends out his disciples on a mission trip (Luke 10).  He begins by warning them that he is sending them out as sheep among wolves.  Then he gives them a very strange packing list - no bags, no sandals, insteadFaith, Hope and LoveA reflection on how each week, Jesus sends us out as his disciples, into a weary and broken world with simply this:  Faith, Hope and Love.

For Freedom, Christ has set you free! Paul to the Galatians (5:1)We love our freedom as Americans and later this week will celebrate our independence.Yet, freedom can go awry, as Paul warns; in fact, he tells us not to use our freedom for our own self-indulgence.  How shall we live then?  Relish our freedom or discipline ourselves against it?  It can often seem as if we live (and especially try to raise our kids) caught in between a Scylla and Charybdis, between a "Do whatever I want-ism" and a "Legalism that becomes exclusiv-ism."Paul offers a different way of thinking and moving forward: focus on how Christ has set us free FOR loving and serving our neighbor.

 Jesus heals a man possessed by demons (Luke 8:26-39).The healing begins with the naming of the demons.  Naming demons has the power to begin the freedom from them.  This is especially true when we name them ourselves.Yet...The disciples never learned the name of the man; they simply referred to him as the demon possessed man.  A reminder that we can demonize other people, ignoring their name and identifying them by their demons, their trauma, their sins and all the ways we don't like them.  This demonizing people is always the first step away from peace and reconciliation.  On the other side, learning someone's name is the first step toward peace.In Baptism, we discover the power of Jesus both to give us the name that drives away the power of evil, but also the name that gives us back our humanity:  beloved child of God.

Holy Trinity Sunday (June 15 2025)"Suffering produces endurance; endurance produces character; character produces hope" (Paul to the Romans, 5:3)In light of this passage, Pastor Rob asks two questions:Where has God been in your life in the midst of suffering?Where has God called you into the sufferings of others?Given how crazy our world is, the second question turns out to be quite difficult.  For an answer, we need to turn further to the words of Jesus. 

Pentecost 2025Jesus promises us peace (John 14:27)  In a world of anxiety and conflict, we yearn for this peace from Jesus.What might this peace look like?  Maybe its like a walk home with friends.Yet...a reflection on peace makes us realize the church's need again for Pentecost (Acts 2), to have the Spirit push us through the boundaries that block people from the peace of Jesus.What might this Pentecost look like today?  Maybe its like an inflatable bounce house on a warm summer evening.The image comes from the website "Why do Christians celebrate Pentecost", a Welsh church website.

 Ascension (June 1)We are swimming in information today, but this hasn't made the truth easier to find.Today's sermon is intended for all people, but especially the 8th graders being confirmed.  (They were making a public confession of faith, saying yes to the promises made to them in their baptisms).  Where can we -- above all young people -- find a truth to build our lives on?This issue of truth is brought to the fore this particular Sunday, when we celebrate the Ascension (Acts 1:1-11), because Jesus sends out the disciples "to by my witnesses."  To be a witness means there is a truth we are called to point to in our lives.Pastor Rob offers that in the ancient proclamation of faith -- Christ has died, Christ is Risen and Christ will come again -- we find a truth we can stand on and one we can witness to all the days of our lives.

Easter VI (May 25, 2025)"Do you want to be made well?" Jesus asks the man who has been sick for 38 years!The obvious answer should be "yes", but it isn't.  In our lives too, we often fall into cycles and situations in which we are not well, but we aren't quite capable of rising above the situation.Into this situation comes Jesus, willing to offer compassion and challenge beyond anything we've experienced before.The art is by Nathan Greene.  You can purchase it here.  I am sensitive to images of Jesus in which Jesus looks European instead of middle Eastern, but I loved the combination of compassion and power in this artist's rendition.

 "A New Commandment I give you:  Love one another.   As I have loved you, love one another."How can Jesus command love, something seemingly impossible to command?  And what might it mean to love others as Jesus has loved us?To get at these questions, we look at the setting of Jesus giving this new commandment, namely, when he washes the disciple's feet.  As we ponder this act of service, we discover not only the depth of challenge in Jesus words to love as he loved, but also the word of grace and promise contained in them.This is a screenshot of an artwork by Alida Bothma.  You can view the Etsy site to purchase the print.

 Easter IV (May 11 2025)What is your “full name” — the thing that people say after your name that completes their description of you? For example, “That is Jane, she is a great teacher” or “That is Sam, he is an amazing basketball player”Today we learn the full name of an early believer in the book of Acts (9:36-43):  Tabitha, aka Dorcas, “was always doing good and helping the poor…”  What a beautiful full name!Pastor Rob offers a word of challenge today:  In your quest to make a good full name for yourself, have you focused on the right things?  It is very tempting to focus on the “resume” virtues instead of the “obituary” virtues!There is also a profound word of grace today in today's reading, a reminder that ultimately, God has the last word on our name and not our mistakes, failures or bad things that have happened to us.Note:  I do not have permission (yet) to post this artwork by a Christian artist named Sarah Beth, but I found it so beautiful!  You can purchase the art here.

Easter III (May 4, 2025)The story seems like comfortable at first:  The disciples go fishing, they eat breakfast with Jesus and then Peter tells Jesus he loves him. (John 21:1-17)But once you start digging, you realize this is a story about the power of shame.  Peter is ashamed of his denial of Jesus and this manifests itself in all sorts of typical shame behaviorAvoidingCovering UpFocusing on self and past mistakesHow then can Peter move forward?  How can we move forward in our shame?It turns out that nice guy Jesus isn't going to cut it.  Instead, we need the son of the living God to redeem us from sin and shame.The painting is by Tissot.  It is on display at the Brooklyn Museum of Art

Easter 2025Easter is a time of memories, including memories of our loved ones who have died.The first Easter, in fact, began with a trip the place of memories — the word for tomb in Greek is memory!A reflection on memories and how the resurrection changes everything, including how we understand our memories.The image comes from the Kid's Corner Bible site.

 Good Friday 2025Where you there?  It is a more haunting question than it sounds.  (Based on the passion of John, found in chapters 18-19).In the end, yes, yes, you and I were there. 

Palm Sunday (April 13, 2025)What does it mean to have power?The Roman Empire displayed a type of power we know:  The ability to get what you want, when you want it.  Their imperial parades were the example of power, as the leaders rode in on majestic horses.  You could call this horse power.Jesus offered a different vision of power: The ability to help others.  His parade, as he rode on donkey, showed what this power looks like.  You could call this donkey power.  Helping others through acts of love, humility and service.  Definitely not as glorious in the eyes of the world.  (I mean, really, look at the picture of the donkey.  Not the most inviting!)A reflection on Horse power and Donkey power. Hint: Horse power isn't all bad, but it finally takes the back seat.The donkey comes from a blogpost called “Donkeys, Kings and Outcasts“

 Lent V (April 6, 2025)Who are people with whom you can share your joy and happiness? In our world of work, school, activities and even family, this kind of friendship and community is surprisingly rare.  Too many relationships have competition, jealousy and shame for this to happen readily.As we wrap up the book of Ruth, we encounter a rejoicing Naomi.  She is holding a grandson.  Admittedly, it is not directly her grandson, but after the chaos, grief and loss of her life, she is rejoicing at this baby in her arms.  She is also surrounded by the women of the village, who rejoice with her.A reflection on how the community of Jesus, the community of the cross and empty tomb, can provide this community of rejoicing for a hurting and lonely world.The artwork comes from Gospel Images, https://www.gospelimages.com/paintings/115/naomi-receives-a-grandson  It was chosen because it emphasizes the whole community around Naomi and Ruth.

 Lent IV (March 30, 2025)We know well the look of the older brother in the painting.  His whole body shouts:  “It's not fair!”He is not wrong.  As the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-35) plays itself out, the story is unfair.  Which justifiably angers the older brother.As humans, we all protest when we don't think things are fair.  In order to make life together work, we need their to be fairness. Yet…  It turns out in life that we encounter situations in which we need more than fairness.  Sometimes the wounds and situations call for compassion, an unfair extension of mercy, an intentional bending of the rules to help someone.A reflection on when life together needs compassion and where to go for the at compassion.The painting is by Rembrandt, The Return of the Prodigal.

Lent 3 (March 23, 2025)Life Together — our Lenten theme — sounds great, but what about the times we found ourselves as an outsider?Pastor Rob reflects outsider-insider dynamics by looking at the book of Ruth, as Ruth begins her new life in Bethlehem (Ruth 2:1-7).  As we work with the story, we see that at certain points in our lives, we are like Ruth, an outsider; at other points, we are like Naomi, a bridge builder; at other points, we are like Boaz, the insider.  As it turns out, each role can be a sacred role.Perhaps though this story isn't just about our lives though, but also foreshadows the work of Christ, who becomes an outsider for us that we might become an insider with him.The image comes from a leadership website about insider/outsider dynamics.

Lent 2 (March 16, 2025)Naomi, Ruth and Orpah are three women who are grieving (Ruth 1).  The deaths they have encountered force them to make tough decisions that include both separation but also deeper connection.When we experience loss, through death, break-ups or illness, it often impacts our relationships.  Some come to an end; others are new or renewed in a profound way.We find that even in the face of death and loss, God is still the God of easter and resurrection, who gives us life together.This painting is likely actually a poster by Veronica McDonald.  You can find it here.

 Lent 1 (March 9, 2025)Two truths and a lie – a game we've probably all played.Today, the devil plays a far higher stakes version of the game, sowing a lie amidst the truth as he tempts Jesus.This Lent we are focusing on Life Together; there is nothing more toxic to life together than lies.  And while lying has always been part of the human story (the prince of lies is always at work!), our modern world's technology makes it so hard for us to figure out how to distinguish between truth and lies.A reflection on what it means to build a community of truth.

Eat Less Fear; Behold More GloryWe eat a LOT of fear in daily lives.  This works disease in our souls, blinding us to God's glory and blocking us from living as disciples.In the Transfiguration of Jesus (Luke 9:28-38), we learn another path of dealing with fear and beholding the glory of God:Going to the mountain, praying and listening to Jesus.What might it mean to go to the mountain?  One example:  Watching children at the church's early learning center fascinated by a visiting dog.A reflection on how to eat less fear and behold more glory; wrapping up with the promises of Jesus, who listens to us, prays for us and gives us his glory. 

 February 23, 2025“Love your enemies… Turn the other cheek.”  (Luke 6)   Does Jesus know how the world works?Turns out that Jesus knows very well how the world works:  He knows our world needs mercy.In fact, he invites us into the heavenly family business of mercy.A reflection on the possibility and even necessity of loving our enemy.

 February 9, 2025Jesus calls Peter and his fellow fishermen to push out their boat a little and then cast their nets into the deep.In the same way, Jesus calls us.  Sometimes this call is for something small; other times for something that seems riskier and harder.Peter laments this call of Jesus, saying that he is worn and the fish aren't moving.  Peter doesn't believe this his actions will make a difference.In our lives and in our world today, we can also often feel like our actions will not make an impact.But we are not called to figure it all out.  Instead, we are called to obey our call and let go of the results. This as it turns out…is also a challenge, not just for us, but for Jesus to take on.

February 2, 2025Love is patient and love is kind.Yet the people want to throw Jesus off a cliff (Luke 4:18-30)!  Where is the love?  Pastor Rob offers that the people in Jesus' hometown do have love, it is just misguided and blinding. We struggle with this today as well as our love can be misguided and blinding.  Our love of one person or one group can block our loving another person or another group.   As humans, we have a strong inclination to love “us” and not “them.”A reflection on Jesus' patience and kindness toward our misguided love that finally breaks down the “us” and “them.”

 3 Epiphany (Sunday, January 26, 2025)Today we hear Jesus' inauguration speech as he gives his first sermon (Luke 4:11-21).  In this sermon, Jesus lays out the fundamental direction of his ministry:Uplifting the poorBy…opening the eyes and hearts of the rich to share what they haveso that… all may live in a “body” that loves God and loves neighborIt turns out this message was fundamentally different than the way the world worked 2,000 years ago.  The message continues to be different from how our world works today.  Then, and today, the culture's moral foundation was a trinity of the self:  self-expression, self-achievement and self-pleasure. Which brings us the image for the sermon – bubbles of potential college majors.  Pastor Rob invites us to a different way to talk to young people about their futures, one that would be less pagan and more focused on Christ's teachings.

 January 19, 2025Today St. Paul celebrates the confirmation of five adults.  (Confirmation is a public affirmation by a teen or adult of their baptism, which typically happened at a younger age).The story of Jesus turning water into wine at Cana (John 2:1-11) provides a framework for thinking through:  What then are we confirming?We are confirming that God is a God who turns water into wine.We are confirming that we are not gods who can turn water into wine, but we can fill the cup to the brim, trusting that God in Jesus Christ will make water into wine, for God's glory.

January 12, 2025 (Baptism of Jesus)Today we have a special event at St. Paul — the Baptism of five youth/older children.It gives us an opportunity to reflect on the question — what do we want to pass along to the next generation about faith?  What is most important to know about our Baptisms and our life as a disciple of Jesus?Pastor Rob offers three things You are lovedOthers are loved too…well, you will have to listen to find out 🙂

 Christmas II/Epiphany (January 5, 2025)What are your resolutions, dreams and goals for 2025?Are they about your star rising or orienting your life to the one who causes the stars to rise?Pastor Rob recommends “S.T.A.R.” goals, reflecting on the journey of the magi (aka wisemen)

 Christmas Eve 2024How do you measure time?  Luke's Gospel offers us a number of waysBy who is in powerBy months of pregnancyBy grass growth in the fieldsBy beginning relationships and births within familiesThese are all familiar in our lives.  So far, so good.But the angels point toward another reality though, that somehow Jesus life is beyond time; that all of time hinges around him. What does this mean that the eternal entered into a human timeline?  How does this change how we measure time in our lives?This image comes from a blog page -- where it is not cited, but seems like it originally is a creation of Olga Ptashko.