“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). What does it mean to you to be “fatigued and burdened”? (Allow people to answer if desired) We might be tired of trying to live up to our own expectations. We might be tired of trying to live up to the expectations of others. We might be burdened by guilt. Or by shame. Or by fear. We
Sermons
Our Gospel reading this week is a fast one, so I’m going to start by reading it once more: Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous;
Thanks to Bruce Epperly for the seed for this sermon. God is faithful and invites us to look beyond our own resources and self-interests to a larger vision of life. When trouble surrounds us, we are not alone; God is with us. Keep these thoughts in mind as we journey through today’s readings… I’ll repeat them. God is faithful and invites us to look beyond our own resources and
Matthew’s Jesus journeys to built-up areas as well as the villages we hear about in Mark. Matthew’s Gospel is for those who live in towns as well as farmers and those who fish. In other words, Matthew’s Gospel is for the well-to-do pillars of society as well as for those who are on the wrong side of the tracks. If we make and administer policies centrally, we must be mindful that those who
Being a Christian involves believing that certain things are true – especially, and most importantly, that God was incarnate in Jesus Christ, and that God raised him from the dead for us. But faith is something quite different from belief – it is not just a matter of “believing that…” or holding that certain things are true, but rather a matter of “believing in…” or trusting the