SSJE Sermons

“How are you aware of God’s presence in the cell of your heart? How is God in your thinking? Or rather, how is the Spirit of God praying in you? Your answer, or rather your prayer, is a response to that awareness. It is there that Jesus is waiting to consummate his love for you in the intimate adoration of prayer.” Br. Jim Woodrum explores the spiritual implications of heart-thinking, inspired by a Sarum prayer and his own experience of intimacy with Jesus.

“I'm sure I'm not the only one here who has at different times and in different ways been moved to pledge my total allegiance to God, only to find the initial enthusiasm and zeal fading away -- sometimes within weeks or even days.  It's not easy to sustain such commitment, just like it's not easy to keep New Year's resolutions, and most of us, most of the time, will find our good resolve fading with time. What's the answer to this?” Br. David Vryhof encourages us to drop the shame and guilt and simply offer ourselves to God anew.

“We read, “Jesus put before them another parable…” Yet another parable… I can imagine some people in Jesus’ crowds holding their heads and saying under their breath, “Oh dear, another parable…” I wonder if some of Jesus’ mixed reception was because of his steady stream of parables. Parables are not straight talk.” Br. Curtis Almquist ponders the power of parables and invites us to consider, personally, these timeless treasures which Jesus gives us to unpack.

“Mary Magdalene is, especially for John, the prime example for us of being a Christian. First, Jesus chose Mary and healed her. She followed along and witnessed his teaching. Jesus continued to come, surprise, and reveal including amid deep grief. Jesus sent Mary to share what she knew, first to a small group of men huddled in fear. Mary was apostle to the apostles.” Reflecting on the witness of Mary Magdalene, Br. Luke Ditewig invites us to consider how we have been chosen by Jesus to be witnesses.

“We must be about justice-making as followers of Jesus. None of us here has the power of the President to sign a proclamation on behalf of the nation; however all of us have some power within our reach, not just to love justice but to do justice.” Br. Curtis Almquist reminds us that God's justice requires our help.

“This idea of going to God with a question, a genuine question, open-handed, neither clinging to something as an expectation nor closed to new things that we might receive and might surprise us, going to God open-handed, genuinely with a question, whatever that is, big or small, presupposes a God who is alive, who communicates, and has these desires and wills, and wants to share them with us.” Br. Lucas Hall encourages us to free God from our tidy philosophical concepts and engage actively with the Living, life-giving God.

“What is God calling you to today? How does saying yes to God unsettle your life, your sense of security? What are you afraid to risk? Hear Jesus’s words—“have no fear”—and know that he will be with you, always.” Br. Lain Wilson reflects on fear as our natural human response to the risky call of God.

“Being chosen to follow Jesus is a shocking and amazing journey. What’s your experience? How has following Jesus surprised and changed you?” Br. Luke Ditewig offers, the voice of the disciple James, son of Zebedee, a meditation on Jesus' call.

Matthew 9:14-17 Jesus is using rich metaphors, but very mixed metaphors when talking about the value of what is old and what is new in life. Jesus speaks of life being like new wine, needing to be saved in new wineskin. Jesus came to do a new thing, to make all things new, to give us…

“The crucified and risen One liberates me from the illusion that I am God—or at least that I am my own god. The eternal presence and action of the Good Shepherd is saving me. He is saving my life, all our lives, by transforming us in his own image and likeness that we may become the beloved of God’s fold, now and for ever.” Br. Jonathan Maury extols both the challenge and the invitation we receive from our Savior Shepherd.