SSJE Sermons

“May we be spared shedding our blood as a martyr; nonetheless, there will be countless occasions to give “witness” to Christ. There will be more than a few opportunities for us to “lay down our life” for someone, another child of God, probably even today.” Br. Curtis Almquist considers the mundane, everyday ways that we are called to the witness of martyrdom.

“Following Jesus, walking by faith is so often more like walking around the house at night when there's a power outage holding a tiny candle. At first it's quite fun, but it soon gets frustrating because the candle only lights up a small area around it, just enough to take the next step forward, but most of the rest of the room is still plunged in darkness.” On Candlemas, Br. Geoffrey Tristram invites us to walk by faith as we follow the Light of the world.

“Next time your heart sinks, your stomach flips, you strain at the oars battling the wind and waves of life, don’t be afraid to cry out, as did the disciples, ‘Teacher, do you not care that [I am] perishing?’ And then open your ears. You might just hear above the noise of your fear, Jesus speaking words of peace.” Br. James Koester invites us to join the disciples in the storm-tossed boat and listen for Jesus' words of peace.

“Sin is not unlike kudzu on an untended stretch of highway. A simple stroll and a lingering glance in the direction of the unknowing, innocent Bathsheba prove fatal. So much harm grown from a single, tragically misguided decision... David’s sin rapidly multiplies in a sequence of events leading to worse and worse consequences.” Br. Keith Nelson marvels at how even our sin can be transmuted – in God's time, by God's mysterious ways – to our good and our glory.

“Blessed, we are to be a blessing. Loved, we are to love. Receiving reckless generosity, show up and shine. Don’t hide or keep it to yourself.” Br. Luke Ditewig encourages us to let our light shine.

“God is no ordinary gardener. God is reckless with generosity, sowing love everywhere, including in the face of rejection. My guess is you, too, have loved like this.” Br. Luke Ditewig calls us to remember love, given and received, with reckless generosity.

“God is always more. God’s revelation is ongoing and continues into the future. We must keep our minds open to God’s ongoing revelation. There is always more.” Br. Curtis Almquist invites you to follow the example of Thomas Aquinas and put your head into your heart.

“Jesus offers us a path back to interior freedom. This path, though, is counterintuitive in its simplicity, especially in our culture of extreme busyness, productivity, and the need to always be doing something. The way of Jesus, it turns out, is mostly about doing nothing.” Br. Nicholas Bartoli invites us to discover the freedom that Jesus offers, when we become in the world, but not of it.

“What did Jesus see as so special in Peter and Judas? Were they charismatic? Were they eloquent? Were they passionate or articulate or extremely bright? Were they, like Jesus, riled by hypo­crisy and injustice? Did they have a whimsical sense of humor, a hearty appetite, nerves of steel, the wis­dom of a serpent, the innocence of a dove, a love for children, a certain way with the erudite or with the poor? They must have been impressive, both of them.” Br. Curtis Almquist peers into the unlikely pairing of Judas and Peter for a lesson in waiting on God's grace.

Mark 1:40-45 There are many words in Scripture that, as it were, set my teeth on edge. True, some words or concepts in the pages of scripture are supposed to make us uncomfortable, meant to make us squirm in our seat, posed to turn us from our self-regard. Yet there is one word, which never ceases to…