Christ’s promises of mercy, comfort, fullness, and love are here for us. The Kingdom is near. It can be glimpsed. Christ is coming and the Kingdom will come and God’s will be done.

Today is Reformation Sunday. It’s a special day for Lutherans. It marks the anniversary of when Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, an act that sparked the Protestant Reformation!

As faithful people, we strive not to fall into the same trap that was set for Jesus in our reading today. We remain people who are struggling to honor the gift of our citizenship in both the earthly kingdom and the Kingdom of God.

In being washed of our sins God has freed us from the shackles of the law as a burden to follow to perfection and to see the Law as a guide for service to the neighbor,

Unlike prosperity gospel televangelists who promise you that if you love God you’ll be blessed with lots of money and be free of pain, Jesus tells us different, that if we follow him we’ll suffer greatly. And if we’re not suffering, we need to go out and find someone who is and help them. That’s how we live out our Christian calling. That’s how we manifest the Kingdom. That’s how we transform the world.

Christian author CS Lewis used the example of a toddler learning to walk as an example of how God looks at us as we grow on the spiritual journey and learn to walk the walk of discipleship. He says, I paraphrase, “every parent is delighted when they witness their child’s first steps. But every parent hopes and expects their child to grow into a healthy, fully walking adult.”

God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and ready to relent from punishing. God’s grace is also for the ones who sin without shame, who are mean, rude, arrogant, self-serving, and all the other evil things. And it turns out, after all, the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are the SAME. God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Jesus describes what it’s like to build our lives on a sure foundation. Jesus says that one who hears his words and acts on them is like a builder who builds on a deep and secure foundation. Jesus Christ himself is that strong foundation. Dedicating our lives to growing closer to Christ and to deepening our relationship with God is the sturdiest way to build our life

When he says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” it’s important to notice that Jesus didn’t say “I will be there” as if we gather and then he might show up a few minutes late – like every movie with a parent running behind to catch their child’s baseball game – I’ll be there, I promise! No, Jesus said, where two or three are gathered in my name, I AM THERE. I am. It’s definite. That is the promise I cling to.

Perhaps what it means to take up our cross is to invite Christ into our low places, to acknowledge that Christ is there with us in the lows. Because the One who meets us at the cross is also the One who meets us at the empty tomb.

Let us invite the Holy Spirit to fill us with the gift of faith and insight, spiritual curiosity and wisdom. Let us trust that it is the Holy Spirit’s work to transform our hearts and minds. And let us follow the Spirit’s lead in sharing the faith that is in us. In a way that is genuine, life-giving, and liberating for all who hear it.

The lesson here is that God doesn’t reject us when we feel rejected. And God doesn’t reject those others who we think are rejected. Whether it’s a Canaanite woman in first century Palestine or a 21st century man from Honduras, God cares deeply for them and calls us to care too. We are called to follow Jesus in welcoming all people, embracing the outcasts, and making sure everyone gets more than crumbs.

When there are troubled waters in your life, be of good courage for the Triune God comes to you and says, “Take heart! It is I.” The presence of God is accompanying you through the troubled waters calming perhaps just enough so you can sail to the other side.

The miracle of Jesus feeding many people, 5,000 plus women and children as Matthew records, is the only miracle story that shows up nearly identically in all four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Teaching others to see the Kingdom and to be the Kingdom, to recognize its presence and to live in alignment with it, was the major thrust of Jesus’ ministry. What Jesus is saying in these parables is that even before that day of God’s kingdom come, the Kingdom is still present. Present like a little mustard seed, you may not see it buried in the ground but you see what it does: producing a shrub so large that birds perch on it like a tree.

Christ calls us to into a tough space. A space of compassion and care for our enemies, perceived and real. In the midst of a cultural environment that constantly calls for us to raise up heroes who will root out these enemies, we stand with Christ, the Son of Man, who tells us to compassionately tend to the weeds and the wheat together.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Growing up I loved to play baseball. One summer when I was about 12 or 13 I was old enough to play in the Babe Ruth League, a step up from Little League. I knew I could make the team and wanted the chance to show my stuff. But for whatever reason, the coach was gracious enough that we didn’t even need to try out. Everyone made the team without having to earn it. This would have been good news for me if the sport had been soccer or

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Smack in the middle of the summer growing season, we get this parable about a farmer – specifically, about one who sows the seeds – “The Sower.” I know many of you have grown up or lived for a long time here in the Farmington Valley where there are many farms dotted around our landscape – both big and small. I grew up in the Midwest, a region renowned the world over for its massive

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Well, Happy Father’s Day! Don’t you think this text just perfect for Father’s Day? “I will set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother.” … “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me!” Doesn’t that just make you want Father’s Day brunch! Yes, this text is most certainly jarring. Especially today as people around our country celebrate fathers an

Gospel Reading: Matthew 9:35-10:8 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. In the towns and cities the crowds are gathering. They are jostling and tussling for access to one man who is apparently overwhelmed. He is moved with compassion as he sees their desperate need. He seemingly mutters to himself, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers few! Lord, send out laborers!” He has a flash of insight! He turns to his 12 di