 First Sunday in Lent
1 Samuel 17:40-51 March 1, 2020 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL In the name of + Jesus. Bigger is better. That’s the unwritten principle of our age. Business lives on growth. The story of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak building Apple into the global giant of technology that it is today is the stuff of American legend. Mark Zuckerburg got a movie made out of his humble beginnings with The Facebook, and is there any area of life that Amazon has not grown into? (If you’re listening, Alexa, I’ve got an order on the way).
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 Ash Wednesday
Mark 14:1–9 February 26, 2020 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL Our Lenten meditations this year will focus on eyes, that is, how we see things—correctly or not. As He makes His way to the cross, all eyes are on Jesus but what do they see? Only through the cross can we see clearly to see Jesus our Savior. 
Quinquagesima
1 Corinthians 13:1–13 February 23, 2020 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL In the name of + Jesus. [Gong!] I was at the Jewels on Friday and witnessed two grown men engage in a preschool level argument at the checkout. Apparently, there was a disagreement about one of the men butting in line. It was a ridiculous conversation that just went on. The amusing part was that one fellow kept yelling, “Have a good day, sir!” I suspect he wasn’t really wishing the other fellow would have a good day. [Gong!]  Sexagesima 1 Corinthians 12:9 February 16, 2020 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL In the name of + Jesus. We’re spending a little time with the Corinthians this Gesimatide, and man, were they a hot mess of a congregation. In Paul’s first epistle to them (which wasn’t even the first time he had to write to them) he had to address over a dozen different problems ranging from divisions, to factions, to winking at sexual immorality and affirming incest, to taking each other to court, to conduct in worship, to the abuse of the Lord’s Supper. If there was ever a church problem, Corinth probably experienced it. I wonder what St. Paul would have to write to St. John’s. Would he see divisions and factions? Would he find people winking at sexual immorality or affirming it? Would he find lawsuits or pettier squabbles among our members? How do you think he’d address the way people behave in worship? Or how we treat the Lord’s Supper? What might he commend? What might he condemn? 
Septuagesima
1 Corinthians 9:24–10:5 February 9, 2020 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL In the name of + Jesus. St. Paul compares the Christian life to an endurance race. And endurance requires discipline. The top athletes of our age hone their bodies to do amazing things; and they do it to receive a hunk of metal and sometimes a pile of cash. But so often their discipline doesn’t extend to their possessions, and once successful athletes end up destitute.  The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord
Luke 2:22–40 February 2, 2020 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL In the name of + Jesus. Psalm 116 asks, “What shall I render to the Lord, for all His benefits to me?” This should be the same question you ask yourself when you open your checkbook or wallet, or pull up the giving page on our website or mobile app, to prepare your offering. You do prepare and plan your giving, right? While we are grateful for all contributions, and God accepts such offerings given from a posture of faith, the mature Christian sees giving as a discipline, something that doesn’t catch you off guard. Like other financial matters, planning helps you control your money and other possessions rather than letting them control you. 
Advent 3
Matthew 11:2–11 December 15, 2019 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL In the name of + Jesus. If you’ve been a Christian for a minute you can testify that life doesn’t necessarily improve once Jesus is a part of it. In fact, most conversion testimonies—the kind that tell the story of a person inviting Jesus into their lives to put away drugs or alcohol or some such thing—are usually premature. For most Christians, your biggest failure still lies ahead of you.  Advent 2
Luke 21:25–36 December 8, 2019 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL In the name of + Jesus. Did you see the fireball in the sky the other night? Some folks got it recorded on their doorbell cams, but when I checked my log, I only found the regular foot traffic going up and down Montrose. Years ago I got to see something like that. Coincidentally, it was on the Fourth of July as I and some friends were getting ready to watch fireworks. It was still fairly light out, and there was a greenish flash across the sky. We thought it was the fireworks started early, except it was way too fast and above the clouds. For a long while I thought I had seen a UFO. I guess it was, technically speaking.  Advent 1
Matthew 21:1–9 December 1, 2019 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL In the name of + Jesus. Only Christianity can have a season called Advent. 
Last Sunday of the Church Year
Matthew 25:1–13 November 24, 2019 St. John’s Lutheran Church—Chicago, IL In the name of + Jesus. It’s hard to tell a fool that he’s a fool. They don’t tend to take that sort of criticism very well. In fact, most fools think that they’re quite wise. A good chunk of internet traffic is precisely this: fools pretending to be wise. So the question that is begged is, are you really as wise as you think you are? Assuming that you’re wise, perhaps you’re making a fool out of yourself, and no one is willing to tell you because fools can’t be told that they’re fools. |
