Fifth Sunday in Lent, Year C

Early on in my preparation for ministry, I learned a valuable lesson when it comes to creating a sermon–that it has to come from my heart. In what was probably the second worst sermon I’ve ever given, I had very little creative input into what I said. I was working as an intern for the […]

Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year C

One of the greatest challenges in a Gospel reading like ours today is to try to say something fresh and relevant with a story that’s as familiar as ours is today. I would assume that many, many of you could tell this story and summarize it to me without needing to refer back to what’s […]

Third Sunday in Lent, Year C

Do you remember the cartoon Dilbert? I remember as a kid, taking my father’s newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal, and digging through to the Green Sheet—that was the cosmics section which they printed on green paper. It was easy to find, it was the only thing during the week that wasn’t black and white. And, being […]

Second Sunday in Lent, Year C

Following last week’s services, I spoke briefly with a parishioner who said that, in spite of what I thought was a good sermon, they had a tough time listening and following about observing a holy Lent when there were images like what they shared with me of a bombed out apartment building in Ukraine. Talk […]

First Sunday in Lent, Year C

I like Lent. There’s so much about Lent to truly appreciate and enjoy. The solemnity, the austerity, the self-examination and repentance, the fasting… this is a glorious time to be part of the church, isn’t it? And I know that several of you are ready for the punchline, for the grand reveal of the joke… […]