Again and again, Jesus enters the messy places of human life—the places of suffering, confusion, and unanswered questions—and he begins the slow work of restoration… How different might this man’s experience have been if the people around him had listened with curiosity instead of suspicion? What if they gave him… Continue reading
This is one of the truths the gospel keeps revealing. The places we think of as wilderness—the places of isolation, uncertainty, or shame—are often the very places where God meets us most honestly. March 8, 2026 (Lent 3A; John 4:7-29, Kildonan Community Church) There are seasons in life when we… Continue reading
This Lent, I’ve been reflecting on the Gospel stories where God encounters people in wilderness places—those in-between spaces where something new has not yet fully emerged. As I consider both my own wilderness seasons and the one the church seems to be navigating, I’m trying to resist the instinct to… Continue reading
And in that space, Jesus expands his imagination: God’s love is not narrow or conditional. It is wide. It is generous. It is for the world. We often interpret in-between seasons as examinations. Prove your faith.Prove your devotion.Prove you’re growing. But Lent is less about proving something and more about… Continue reading
We know what it’s like to be in the wilderness and experience the temptation to question our baptismal identity. We know what that’s like…and it’s not fun. It leaves us famished and exhausted. Matthew 4:1-11 (Lent 1A. Diaconal Sunday, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church) I have to admit that when I… Continue reading
Ash Wednesday (and sermon prepping) brings me back to the wilderness. Each year, Lent begins with an invitation into the wilderness — in the reminder that we are dust and with a reflection on the story of Jesus being led by the Spirit into the desert. Jesus’ experience in the… Continue reading
Sermon—March 11, 2018 Numbers 21:4-9Ephesians 2:1-10John 3:14-21 Today’s gospel reading begins with a reference to an obscure story from Numbers that is probably not in many children’s Bibles, and doesn’t have a fun chorus with cheesy hand-motions that go with it. It’s just…odd. The Israelites are in the wilderness on… Continue reading
One of the things I love about being part of a liturgical church is that the rhythm of the church year teaches me new stuff about the ongoing life of faith. In the context of writing a sermon recently, I was reflecting on it again. This is the bit that… Continue reading