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The Cross: Solidarity and Forgiveness

First preached online on Friday, April 10th, 2020 on Good Friday for an online service of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square. Relevant lectionary texts here.  He saw it coming, the way a lot of slain revolutionaries do. He knew how this would go.  He saw the way that John was snatched away, imprisoned, executed. […]

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The Quarantined Christ

First preached for at online, social-distancing service at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Logan Square. Relevant lectionary texts here. With gratitude to John Stendahl for his post on the etymology of “quarantine.” The Spirit drove Jesus into quarantine for 40 days and 40 nights.  He was socially distant from everyone. He didn’t go to the […]

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Jesus Gets Ready for the Revolution

Readings are from Lent 1, and can be found here. St. Luke’s, Holy Family, and First Trinity decided to share preachers this Lent. Each of the five preachers brought one sermon to each place, which is why you might notice that the lectionary is out of the traditional order. This sermon was first preached at […]

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Ash Wednesday

Originally preached on February 26, 2020 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square. You can listen to a podcast recording of this sermon here.  And check out relevant lectionary readings here.  This day is a peculiar one in the church calendar.  Today is the day where Pastor Erin and I will look at each […]

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Recognizing Jesus

First preached on Transfiguration Sunday, February 23, 2020, at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Logan Square.  Relevant lectionary texts here. I don’t know how many of you are familiar with it, but I grew up on the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.”  My mom introduced it to me and my siblings when we were pretty young […]

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Decolonizing our Thinking to Build A Movement

First preached on February 16, 2019 to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Logan Square, Chicago. Relevant lectionary texts here. I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live. Today we continue on in the Gospel of Matthew with Jesus’ sermon on the mount.  […]

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The Land Tells a Story

First preached at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square on 1/26/2020 Relevant lectionary readings here. About this time last year I was just returning from my first trip to the Holy Land. As part of a J-term class with LSTC, we visited Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt.  At the end of the trip, my […]

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Here Comes that Dreamer

First preached at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square on 1/19/2020. Relevant lectionary readings here. “They said to one another, ‘Behold, here comes that master dreamer.  Come now, let us slay him… and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’” A version of these words of foreboding is inscribed on a memorial […]

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Beloved Bodies

First preached on December 24, 2019 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Logan Square. Merry Christmas!  We are so glad to have you here at St. Luke’s tonight.  Maybe some of you have been feeling the build up during Advent and this time of preparation, and you have butterflies in your stomach and your toes […]

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A Sign

Originally preached at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Logan Square on December 22, 2019. Relevant lectionary texts here.  We have spent quite a bit of time with the prophet Isaiah in this season of Advent.  Besides a visit during our special children’s message on Advent 1 from the prophet Isaiah himself, four of our first […]