SAINT JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

6/18/2023

GOSPEL — MATTHEW 9:35—10:15
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Many of us are dumbfounded by instructions, even if we have the patience to read them. We may in fact ignore them, ripping open a cardboard box holding a new gadget, toy, or piece of furniture and launching into assembly without bothering to find the enclosed paperwork. In this story from Matthew, the instructions for the twelve laborers are clear: cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Having watched Jesus’ ministry of proclamation and healing, they are sent out on their own ministry to do the same.

DESPERATE MEASURES

6/11/2023

GOSPEL — MATTHEW 9:9-13, 18-26
SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

You’ve likely heard the saying “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Today’s gospel features a story within a story, both of women, both restored to life and community. And the actions—of the girl’s father and the woman with the flow of blood—are equal parts desperation and faith.

AUTHORITY AND ASSURANCE

6/4/2023

GOSPEL — MATTHEW 28:16-20
HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY

When the eleven disciples arrived at the mountain to which Jesus had directed them, they might have been surprised or overwhelmed by his commission to make disciples, baptize, and teach.

SPIRIT OF UNEXPECTED PEACE

5/28/2023

GOSPEL — JOHN 20:19-23
The DAY OF PENTECOST

Jesus, crucified and risen Lord of mercy, had a mission for his disciples: share the forgiveness they have received with all those longing to know God. He even had the promised gift of the Spirit to empower them. But first, he had to figure out how to get them out from behind locked doors. Jesus’ disciples were afraid that what had happened to Jesus would also happen to them, so they locked themselves away and hid.

GOD DOESN'T DO MAGIC

5/21/2023

GOSPEL — JOHN 17:1-11
The Seventh Sunday of Easter

It happens in the movies all the time: just as we are made to believe that all hope is lost and evil will triumph, suddenly the hero discovers a mystical phrase that will give him supernatural strength to defeat the enemy. Or the heroine finds a charmed sword that gives her the power to do the same. Believing in movie magic can be a welcome respite from the grind of everyday life. Knowing an enchanted word that keeps us impervious to harm sounds incredible—who wouldn’t want that? Those moments may work in the movies, but they don’t happen in real life.

MIND-BLOWING STUFF

5/18/2023

GOSPEL — LUKE 24:44-53
The Ascension of Our Lord

Why do you come to worship? Do you come out of duty or habit? Do you come to see friends and drink good coffee? Do you come for spiritual guidance, inspiration, or grounding? Do you come to gain strength, to listen to the word of God, or to hear the sermon? Do you come because you like to sing the hymns? Do you come to hear the words of forgiveness of sins or to receive the body and blood of Jesus? Do you come to worship because it satisfies your needs? Do you come because it satisfies God’s desires?

LIFE WITH THE SPIRIT

5/14/2023

GOSPEL — JOHN 14:15-21
The Sixth Sunday of Easter

What do we do when we feel abandoned by people we believed would always be there for us? When relationships end or coworkers betray us? When friends move or someone close to us dies? The impact of those losses can change our whole world. It can make us question our self-worth and make us wonder if we are really of any value. When this happens, it’s easy to ask if what we do actually matters.

ARE YOU NEW HERE?

5/7/2023

GOSPEL — JOHN 14:1-14
The Fifth Sunday of Easter

“You know the way to the place where I am going,” Jesus tells his followers (John 14:4), but they aren’t so sure. So he goes on, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), but they’re still confused. Finally, he asks, “Have I been with you all this time . . . and you still do not know me?” (John 14:9). It’s as if he’s asking them, “Are you new here?”

TABLES SPREAD FOR LIFE ABUNDANT

4/30/2023

GOSPEL — JOHN 10:1-10
The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Sometimes a table is spread in a generous fashion but still feels impersonal, like the buffet at a big conference. You can fill your plate as many times as you want, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re wearing a printed name tag because no one in the room actually knows your name.

ACCOMPANIMENT ALONG THE WAY

4/23/2023

GOSPEL — LUKE 24:13-35
The Third Sunday of Easter

Today’s gospel is a story of accompaniment. The two disciples are walking along, grief-stricken, trying to make sense of “the things that have taken place . . . in these days” (Luke 24:18), and Jesus simply joins them. He walks alongside them in their grief, he inquires about their questions, he meets them where they are.

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