SSJE Sermons

“Every year on Maundy Thursday, I ask myself why, why did Jesus do it? Why did he wash feet at his own Last Supper? Every year I come back to the same answer. Jesus knew what he was doing. He knew this was it. This was the Last Supper. This was going to be one of his last chances to teach us something.”

Br. Jack Crowley finds in Maundy Thursday a deep reminder that what we do here matters.

“Step forward into the observance of Holy Week. It’s more than an invitation; this is the stuff of our very lives, as individuals and as the Church. It will not look the same in every person or place. It’s not a neat and tidy category. But the phenomenon will grow and persevere, the offering will erupt forth, the trees will grow, in whichever heart they find purchase. And from there, Christ beckons, reigning from that very tree, as he always has been, and ever shall be.” As we hinge from Lent into Holy Week, Br. Lucas Hall encourages us to come as we are, knowing that Christ will meet us in our offering.

“Giving our life in love is not without suffering. Passion – Jesus’ passion and our passion – is both about love and suffering. ” In Holy Week, Br. Curtis Almquist contemplates the great mystery of life: how love and suffering coexist and inform each other.

“We may not limit the work of Christ to a particular people or organization, such as the Church, but instead must ask ourselves, “Who are the scattered people for whom Christ died in order that they, too, might be reconciled with God?”  John does not limit the scope of God’s saving grace, and neither must we.” Br. David Vryhof prays that we will open our eyes to discern the height and breadth and depth of God's saving grace in our world.

“Even when all options are bad, God is here, with us, closer to us than our own selves, with us in our frustration and desperation and bitterness. God is here, with us, the source and object of all our desiring. God is here, with us, mighty to save, and salvation itself.” Br. Lain Wilson opens the scriptures to the words of Jeremiah and finds deep reminders of God's presence, God's proximity, to us in it all.

“A covenant is not the same as a contract. A contract is a transaction; a covenant is a relationship. A covenant presumes a transformative change can and will happen in all parties if we respect our common heritage and listen to one another. And for the world today, the stakes are so very high, don’t we know? Christians, Jews, and Muslims do not share the same faith; however we do share the same fate.” Br. Curtis Almquist turns our eyes toward the Holy Land and prays for peace.

“What are you expecting from God? Don’t cling too tight. Listen and look for surprises, invitations which will stretch you to something more. We need not be afraid.  God is good and saving. Our actions speak loudly. Like Joseph, may we keep growing, keep living our yes.” Looking to the life of Joseph, Br. Luke Ditewig urges us to keep our ears open, ready for God to speak a life-changing word.

“Amid His suffering, Jesus fervently prays from the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." He doesn’t wait for an apology before seeking God’s forgiveness for His persecutors. Aware of the breadth of God’s mercy, Jesus intercedes on behalf of those who show Him no mercy—those unaware of the mercy inherent in their being as God's children, blind to it and unable to embrace it.” Br. Jim Woodrum considers the scene of the Crucifixion as he ponders how wholeness can come from brokenness, even for us.

“Is God urging you further down the well-worn path of a calling confirmed years ago? Is God inviting you to step forth from a way of life you have largely outgrown into larger life? Is God beckoning you toward a sacred purpose you are only now discovering? If we are following Jesus, all paths lead toward a troubled soul. It is how we pray from the center of that trouble that opens the way for God to meet us and carry us through every death, into unbounded Life.” Br. Keith Nelson recalls those pivotal moments in his own calling which drew him beyond his own small self, toward the purpose for which God had made him.

“Our identities may harden into binaries—the us-versus-them that we so frequently find in the psalms, and in our world today. But the promise of our rich, complex individuality is that our identities are dynamic and responsive, and we can choose to lean into all that makes us unique, all that can put us into relationship with countless and unexpected others.” Br. Lain Wilson encourages us to stay complex in our identities, and maybe even to embrace the adventurous, less-well-known parts of our profile.