It is possible that I am about to preach the most boring sermon you’ve ever heard. If you have been reading through Matthew with us, I imagine you have seen themes emerging. There are many themes in Matthew. Today, I’m going to walk us through one theme: Jesus’ conflict with church and community leaders, a […]

Asking for all of us Peter inquired, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Seven times?” Seven forgiveness “credits” is a generous allotment,  far exceeding the transactional arithmetic most of us apply to giving, forgiveness, or goodness. We keep a tally, “You forgave me, I forgave you, […]

It was raining and cold that December Friday night, when I answered a call from one of my son’s friends. Blake wondered if the high school marching band might shelter in the church as they waited for the Christmas Parade to begin. Without much thought, I told Blake I would head that way to unlock […]