SSJE Sermons

“Do you find it hard to imagine that good Christian people, that the Church itself, might put a stumbling block in someone’s path that would impede their way to God? How about the thousands of people throughout the world who as children suffered abuse at the hands of clergy, and who continued to suffer as the Church denied and covered up the awful things that had been done to them?  Or what about gay people who internalized the message they received from the Church that God hated them and that they had no place in the Body of Christ?  What of people of color who have been long been discriminated against and marginalized by the Church?  Or the poor who struggle every day simply to survive, and can’t help but notice how easy wealthy Christian suburbanites have it?  Or women, striving to live into the fullness of what God has called them to be in the Church, but still too often denied opportunities to lead?  Or disabled people who wonder if the Church cares enough to include them?” In this timely teaching, Br. David Vryhof challenges us not to dismiss as “mere” hyperbole Jesus' graphic and harsh teachings in Mark 9:38-50, or we may miss out on a truth that must be heard and must be taken seriously, in our current moment more than ever.

“Jesus is saying: You will see me. I am heaven opened. I connect you with God and the heavenly realms.” On the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, Br. Luke Ditewig invites us to join the angels in worshiping the One who is heaven opened, here among us.

“To hear these words spoken by Jesus, my Savior, my beloved, my Lord and my God, I must get out the steel wool. I must strip and scrub all the interpretive detritus from my memory and listen. I must listen long, listen deeply, and with the utmost humility.” Br. Keith Nelson confronts some challenging words from Luke's gospel and discovers in them an invitation to shake off our interpretive baggage, illusions, presumptions, and pain, as we entrust our fellow creatures to our Lord.

“We know this wisdom, even if only dimly. It is the long brew steeped in us by prayer. It is the food of our heart and mind in God’s word. It is the music of God’s symphony when diverse voices are joined in harmony, not boasting. It is the pilgrim’s shelter beneath the cross of Christ, well supplied with the alms of bread and wine.” Br. Sean Glenn compares the wisdom of the world to God's wisdom, which is expressed most fully in vulnerability.

“We’re all different from one another: different gifts and needs, which is what God uses to knit us together. Our distinctive gifts and distinctive needs are intended to complement one another, not intended for either competition or conflict.” Br. Curtis Almquist reads 1 Peter for a reminder in how our distinctive abilities allow us to come together as a whole, to God's glory.

“What labels have I used to describe myself?  What names do I secretly call myself?  In what ways do I criticize or belittle myself?” Br. David Vryhof challenges us to look past the labels we use, and instead to see the beauty in ourselves and others.

“In our modern culture, powerful language now reaches farther faster.  In as little as a ‘tweet,’ we see how speech can be used to create either thoughtful uplifting speech, or used to attack and denigrate those who would think differently than ourselves. How can we as Christians, who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ change this trend?” Br. Jim Woodrum urges us to harness the power of language for good, by using words that bless and heal, rather than injure and maim. He offers practical suggestions for how we can choose to put right words into right action.

“Jesus is not 'charging his batteries' so that he can be a more efficient pastor. He is not engaging in mindfulness meditation in order to generate more brilliant ideas or wow his board of trustees. And Jesus is not pulling an all-nighter so that he can ace the final exam. He is doing something for eight to ten hours straight with no obvious utility, in the dark, on a mountaintop. And this is where the imprudence, the counter-intuition, and the extravagance come in. Jesus is not saving up fuel or conserving energy for his big day. He is spending it with wreckless abandon.” Br. Keith Nelson paints a portrait of Jesus as a man who loses sleep for love of God; he invites us, too, to spend ourselves with reckless abandon, certain that God imprudently, extravagantly, counterintuitively, graciously fills vessels that are emptied of their own light, their own fuel, their own energy, and their own will.

“We live in a world, and in an age, and in a culture, that tells us lies. One of those lies is that there are people who are beyond Jesus’ love. And this story smashes that lie. And I love it.” Br. James Koester revels in a breathless seven-line story in Mark's Gospel, which powerfully smashes the lies we have been told about ourselves, our neighbors, and our God, whose loving and healing touch extends to everything and everyone.

“If Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love, Mary is the foreshadowing of that love. If Jesus has brought the fullness of God’s salvation for the world, Mary is its dawning.” On the feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Br. Curtis Almquist invites us to celebrate not just how unique Mary is, but also how much we have in common with her.