Lessons: 1 Samuel 16:1-13Ephesians 5:8-14John 9:1-41Psalm 23 Click here to watch and listen to the sermon. Jesus heard that they had driven the man out, and when Jesus found him, he said,Do you believe in the Son of Man?The man answered,And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him. Jesus said toContinueContinue reading “Fourth Sunday in Lent by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
Tag Archives: The Rev. Martin Elfert
The First Sunday in Lent by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 Psalm 32 This is the story of the man, the woman, the snake, and God. God has set up this garden, this paradise. In it, there is everything a human being could need, everything that a human being could want. The weather is so pleasant and theContinueContinue reading “The First Sunday in Lent by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
The Last Sunday after the Epiphany by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Exodus 24:12-18 2 Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 Psalm 99 The mountain is one of those places where the real and the metaphorical intersect. You climb towards the summit, sometimes the switchbacks taking you back and forth, sometimes the path leading you straight up, the rocks and the dirt skating under your feet. With everyContinueContinue reading “The Last Sunday after the Epiphany by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37 Psalm 119:1-8 It is very near the end of the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, very near the end of the forty years that the twelve tribes have spent wandering and searching, now lost and now found, always somehow guided by God. And the aged Moses, 120ContinueContinue reading “The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
Second Sunday after the Epiphany by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Isaiah 49:1-7 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 John 1:29-42 Psalm 40:1-12 If you have ever taken an acting class – maybe in high school, maybe in university, maybe somewhere else – then you will likely have done the exercise of selecting a short line of text and seeing how many different ways that you can sayContinueContinue reading “Second Sunday after the Epiphany by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
The Second Sunday after Christmas by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Jeremiah 31:7-14 Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 Psalm 84 A remarkable number of Christmas carols and Christmas songs and Christmas hymns have a wistful, melancholic, plain-old sad side to them. In the Bleak Midwinter and The Little Drummer Boy are both sung in the voice of one who knows poverty: What can I give him,ContinueContinue reading “The Second Sunday after Christmas by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
The Third Sunday after Advent by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Isaiah 35:1-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 Canticle 15 In 1989 I obtained my driver’s license. And then then partway through the next year, I became a full-time bicycle commuter. These two changes – the driver’s license and the vastly expanded understanding of where all a bike might take me; suddenly my bikeContinueContinue reading “The Third Sunday after Advent by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
The First Sunday of Advent by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44 Psalm 122 Many of you, most of you, will know the famous prose-poem or, if you prefer, the famous confession by the Lutheran Pastor, Martin Niemöller. It’s about his time in Nazi Germany, and it goes like this: First they came for the Communists And I did notContinueContinue reading “The First Sunday of Advent by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Jeremiah 23:1-6 Psalm 46 Colossians 1:11-20 Luke 23:33-43 It is the end of the church year and, as is always the case, we bring these liturgical 365 days to a close with the Feast of Christ the King. Now, what is unusual about this particular Feast Day, about this particular “always,” is thatContinueContinue reading “The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King by The Rev. Martin Elfert”
Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert
Lessons: Malachi 4:1-2a Psalm 98 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19 One of the themes that recurs throughout Jesus’ teaching is: Be ready. You don’t know when the bridegroom is coming, you don’t know when the owner of the house is coming, you don’t know when the thief is coming. So stay awake. HaveContinueContinue reading “Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost by The Rev. Martin Elfert”