The Secret Wireless

“John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”   Oh man, here it comes.   It is the repentance sermon.   John is telling everyone who rotten they are and we’re going to get it too.   Yes you are, because you need it.   I need it.   And God will not leave us without it.                 There was a man named Hosea, whom God commanded, commanded mind you, to marry a prostitute.   Her name was Gomer, not a nice name-especially for a woman-but it is what it is.   Hosea chose a wife, not from among the many young women from the families around him, women who were prized for their beauty and virginity, but a woman who had been used and abused, who had sold herself to the night and embraced many men.                 Hosea marri...

  There is a big move these days for people to be prepared, believe it or not, for the “zombie apocalypse”.   It is not that they really believe in zombies, but they are preparing themselves to live in a world devoid of electricity, government assistance, and general modern convenience.                    They call these people “preppers”.   They are prepared, prepped, for a dark and unknown future.   They have a year’s supply of canned food and bottled water in their basement and enough guns and ammunition to defend their home indefinitely.                   That is a little bit to the extreme, but we are a society of people who like to be prepared.   How many of you have been prepared for the next great stock market crash since the 1940’s?   How many have a little nest egg sav...

Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind me Satan!  You are a hindrance to me.  For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."  Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."  (Matthew 16:23-24) In front of Jesus is the wrong place to be.  Likewise beside him. You are not supposed to be leading Jesus.  Nor are you his partner, walking side-by-side through all of life. You don't tell Jesus what to do, how to act, where to go.  You don't tell Jesus how to save the world, nor how to bring that salvation to the world today. But this is what we all want to do.  "Jesus, the church would grow if you stopped being so stubborn, if you overlooked sins rather than forgiving them, if you stopped being so exclusive, if you would just listen.  Let me help you!" But Jesus does not want your advice.  He does not really want your help either...

I am going to do something that I will probably never do again.   I am going to tell you to do something that I have never told you to do, and will hopefully never say again, and if I do you forget about me.   But for today, and for today only, it is completely appropriate.                 I want you to do the opposite of what Jesus says.                 Matthew 16:20: “Then [Jesus] strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.”   I want you to ignore that.   And here is why.                 Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.   And upon the confessing of this Truth is founded the Christian Church and all our hope.   That Jesus is the Christ must be confes...

(Photograph from bigfoto.com) Matthew 14:22-33 Why didn't Jesus just get into the boat?  That would have been easier, safer, quicker, less messy. When the weary disciples wondered who (or what) this was walking upon the Sea of Galilee, Jesus could have simply hopped into the boat and said, "Ta-da!  It's me!"  But He didn't. Instead Jesus announced His presence from the middle of the lake as He stood upon the waves.  And to prove Himself as the real deal He called Peter to join Him out there upon the sea. To show His power, to prove His identity, Jesus calls Peter from the comfort and relative safety of the boat into the chaos and danger of the wind and waves.  When they were all back in the boat there was no more debate: "Truly you are the Son of God." These past two Sundays the Gospel readings have come from Matthew 10 where Jesus sends His disciples out as sheep a midst the wolves.  He warns them of the dangers they shall face, the rage ...