Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

Today, we had a special musical performance of Waiting For Bethlehem's Light by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir with a flute solo from Gwynne Kadrofske at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Advent 4 – December 21, 2025

Pastor Megan Floyd

Matthew 1:18-25

Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, our savior, who is God with us. Amen.

***

There is this beautiful portrait of the Holy Family by Matt Chinworth… it's called Newborn King. I saw it for the first time a few years ago… and it was so different and gorgeous, it took my breath away.

Instead of the typical depiction of Mary and Joseph looking clean and serene, both gazing down at the child Jesus between them… this one is more real.

In Chinworth's Newborn King, Mary is exhausted… and resting in the background… She is not the main subject of the image. This portrait… is of Joseph… calm and steady, gently holding the newborn Jesus… and loving him, the miracle that he is.

In his face, you can see amazement and awe…

…It is the look you have when you are overcome with love.

Joseph's quiet devotion… and his attentiveness… is such a pure expression of love… love for a child that he had chosen to accept as his own.

And yes, it was a choice… a very difficult and complicated choice… for this righteous man.

If he had called attention to Mary's pregnancy, she could have been stoned to death… that is, after all, what the law prescribed.

And if he dismissed her quietly, she could have been shunned and left to beg – or worse – just for her and her child to survive.

And yet, even the choice to marry her is not without complication, for in doing so, his reputation could be marked by scandal. Her child would become his heir, and he would relinquish his lineage to a child who is not his blood.

So, he decides the most righteous thing to do is to dismiss her quietly, but then God shows up… and turns his life upside down.

The angel of the Lord appears to him and says…

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife… you have a role to play in God's plan, so have courage and trust in God's word.

What is a righteous, God-fearing man to do?

Given the circumstances, I think his trust and faithfulness to God are remarkable… he is the model of quiet obedience and commitment.

And yet, it must have been terrifying, despite the angel's opening instruction not to be afraid.

Being a new parent is scary enough… but to take on the parentage and protection of God's divine presence in human form… well, I expect that adds to the pressure.

But Joseph is steady, and he obeys God's command, even though he only knows the next step… and not where it will all eventually lead. He trusts God.

It's easy to trust the process when you know the end of the story… but Joseph… kind, supportive… righteous Joseph… is a model of courage and strength in the face of the unknown… in the face of the preposterous.

But Joseph, this compassionate, earthly father of Jesus… only gets a few mentions in our Bible, and he never speaks a single word.

He is there with Mary at the birth of Jesus, and later, under Herod's threat of violence, he takes his family, and they flee to Egypt as refugees… ever the protector.

His last appearance is in the background when Jesus is 12 years old and has wandered away from his family, only to be found teaching in the temple.

That's all we ever hear about Joseph… but it is enough to know his character, and to honor him for his steadfast and faithful support of his wife, Mary, silently supporting her in following God's call on her life to bear the child of God.

And in that moment… in a dream… in humble obedience, he chooses to trust in God's word and call for his own life… to stay with Mary… to claim and name the child Jesus, meaning, God saves.

He chooses to claim the child as his own, adopting him into his family lineage and thereby fulfilling what was foretold.

The Salt Project commentary said this:

"The angel calls Joseph to a love that doubles as a kind of courage. Courage to commit – though the neighbors may whisper and judge. Courage to nurture – though the child you raise is from the Holy Spirit. And courage to love – though the child you love is none other than Love personified, none other than 'The God Who Saves is With Us.'

We often think of Christmas as a time to celebrate Love becoming incarnate in Jesus. But the season is also a time to celebrate how love becomes incarnate in Joseph, acting with compassion, courage, and grace.

And what is the source, the wellspring of such courage, in Joseph… or in us, today? …It's none other than God's love… the love made flesh, the love that came to dwell with us, and save us… and love us back to life."

This righteous man from the line of David trusted in the whispers of God's holy word and allowed those words to alter the course of his life… to take on the holy and challenging task of being a father to Jesus…

a choice that continues to shape our lives today… through a love that endures forever.

Joseph's trust in God inspires us to trust in God… he teaches us to listen to the whispers of Love in our lives, calling us to seek the good and to allow our lives to follow paths of righteousness…

Meaning… allowing our lives to follow along paths that lead to being in "right-relationship" with God and with all of Creation, paths walked in humility and marked by God's justice and mercy… that is righteousness.

And Joseph chose to adopt Jesus as his own… to embrace him as his own child, doing for the Christ child what God had first done for us, indeed, for the whole world… embracing us… and claiming us all as God's beloved children.

This is the holy family to which we belong… a family bonded by God's love and trust… the kind of love that casts out hate and fear.

This is the love we, who are followers of Christ, have the joy to share, even though we do so imperfectly… when we get it right, this love changes the world around us.

So, hear now the angel's words for yourself…

Do not be afraid, for you are children of the most holy, and the God who saves is with us, now and always. So have courage, like Joseph, to love others as Christ loves you. Amen.

____________________________

View Matt Chinworth's work, Newborn King, here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/mattchinworth/newborn-king/

Commentary citation from the Salt Project Blog: www.saltproject.org

Today, we had a special musical performance of Carols Around (And a Round) by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Advent 2 – December 7, 2025

Pastor Megan Floyd

Matthew 3:1-12

Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who invites us into repentance, so that our lives may bear good fruit. Amen.

***

You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

That's such a great line… it's one of my favorite lines… you brood of vipers. John doesn't really mince words, does he?

But I get where he's coming from – he's calling out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders who are just showing up to cover their bases.

You see, John the Baptist, who proclaimed in the wilderness that the Messiah was coming and that God's glory would be revealed… he was very much like the prophet Elijah… with his camel-hair clothing and leather belt… and his diet of locusts and honey.

…a bit eccentric, if you will, but very popular!

Isaiah's vision was that a voice in the wilderness would proclaim the coming Messiah, and John shows up on the scene like a new Elijah! …and the people are coming from all around to hear him preach.

So, I can't blame the religious leaders for being curious… they know their scripture, so it is possible this guy might be the real deal… and if he is, they'd want to be sure they kept their place of privilege among the religious elite.

And yet… John calls them out. You brood of vipers… who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Judgement is coming… you think you can avoid it by going through the motions of baptism, even though you remain unwilling to live lives that reflect God's love?

To our ears… we hear the words judgment and wrath and fire… and it conjures up images of Hell… at least, Hell according to Dante's Inferno.

I won't go off on this tangent now, but most of our ideas of Hell come from Dante, and not from the Bible.

And yet, there are so many in our modern day who, like the Pharisees and Sadducees… they cling to ideas of wrath and judgment as some kind of cosmic punishment for not going through the motions… for not checking the boxes for all to see.

…wrath and judgment that will come to others, of course… certainly not them.

I'm thinking of those who claim the name Christian in one breath… and then with their next breath… turn away the stranger, the refugee, and the immigrant…

how easily they forget that our Lord and Savior was himself, a stranger and a refugee, and we are commanded by God to welcome them as one of our own.

And those who sing about God's love for them in one breath… and then turn around and spew hate and spread violence against those whose love they disapprove of… how easily they forget that God shows up, again and again, on the side of love.

Or those who feel so satisfied in their eternal future because they have stated publicly that Jesus Christ is their personal Lord and Savior, but have never considered that becoming a follower of Jesus means actually following the actions of Jesus…

namely feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and causing a right scene by turning over the tables of greed and injustice…

How easily people claim a personal and individual salvation… while forgetting that Jesus came to save the entire world…

forgetting that a true life of faith can only be lived in community with others, working to make sure everyone is provided for… that no one is forgotten…

So yeah… John the Baptist… doesn't have much patience for hypocrisy… and truth be told… neither do I. …and I doubt you do either.

But there's a lot of it in our world today. And yet… here's the thing… John is harsh… but he's still offering them… the brood of vipers… he's still offering them good news.

…Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance… John says… don't rest on your heritage and your position… What God wants from you is for your life to bear good fruit.

He's not turning them away… he's inviting them in… his words are harsh, but he presumes that they, and we, have the capacity to rise up and meet the challenge… to bear the good fruit that God created us to bear.

It's not about going through the motions so others can see how holy you are… it's about what's in your heart. Do you truly want to be a follower of Jesus Christ?

When you come to the waters of baptism, are you ready to die every day to your sin, and to rise every day, washed clean and ready to live according to God's will?

When you come to the waters of baptism… are you willing to confess the times you have fallen short of God's will… to release your sins and repent… and receive God's forgiveness so that you can start again?

When you come to the waters of baptism… are you willing to let your life be shaped by Christ?

Jesus longs for you to say yes… yes to all of it… so that you might be part of the joy that is living in the light and love of Christ.

John invites his followers to be baptized with water… just as we still do today…

A tangible sign of being washed clean and renewed… paired with the eternal promise of Christ's forgiveness and faithfulness.

The action of baptism is only needed once, but the remembrance of baptism is a daily practice… a daily practice of confession and repentance… a practice that re-aligns our lives back to God and Christ Jesus.

Repentance means to literally change your mind… your heart… your direction.

John, in the wilderness, says he baptizes with water for repentance, but the one coming after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit… and with fire.

"His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor …he will gather his wheat into the granary, and the chaff he will burn with… unquenchable fire."

To quote Deb… Daaaannnng.

There's that fire again… judgment and unquenchable fire… mixed with images from Dante.

It's terrifying… but let me swap out those images from Dante… for something different.

So, my friend Paul is retired, and his passion is working with conservation efforts and protecting the environment. One of the things he does… is he helps with controlled burns.

Controlled burns are fires that are intentionally set and managed, and they actually improve ecosystem health by reducing the amount of hazardous fuels like dead and dried undergrowth, which reduces the risk of extreme fires.

They also restore habitats, control invasive species, and promote native plant growth by mimicking the natural fire cycle.

We think of forest and prairie fires as bad things… but they are actually necessary for clearing away the stuff that accumulates and harms the ecosystem… they are necessary for clearing away the chaff… if you will.

When we hear John the Baptist preaching of the coming judgment that will separate the wheat from the chaff… and that the fate of the chaff is to burn in an unquenchable fire…

We are inclined to think that the wheat are those people who are right with Jesus… and the chaff are those who aren't… those who are going to Dante's hell.

Except… We might forget that wheat and chaff are all part of the same plant. (x2)

The Salt Project commentary states, "What the wind and fire remove are the husks that get in the way: the anxieties, self-absorption, apathy, or greed that make us less generous, less just, or less respectful of others.

There is a line between good and evil, but it doesn't run between groups; it runs through the heart of each person. What each of us requires is restoration, liberation from whatever "husks" are holding us back."

So yes, indeed, through Jesus, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire… not a fire that destroys, though, but a fire that purifies… that cleanses us of our junk… a fire that restores us to good health…

This is not a fire that we should fear… this fire is a gift… a gift that we receive when we open our hearts to confession and repentance for our sins.

When we step into the fire of the Holy Spirit, it cleanses our hearts, washes us clean… and makes us new… it makes us capable of producing good fruit!

John's invitation to fully and truly receive the gift of repentance is the key to his challenge that our lives bear good fruit. …and this invitation is open to all.

And Christ longs for all people to accept.

John's language and mannerisms are harsh… but his message is sound. Repent! For the kingdom of heaven has come near! Christ has come near!

Repent… and allow the fire of the Spirit to cleanse your heart.

Take comfort in the promise that the winnowing fork is in Christ's hand… Christ, who is full of mercy and grace… and with wind and fire, Christ will not destroy… but refine… restore… and empower you as a child of God, to bear fruit worthy of repentance.

Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Sing of the Lord's Goodness by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir and Bruce Williams and Megan Nyquist on Piano at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Sermon 11-16-25, Lk 21:5-19

Pastor Megan asked me to lead worship and preach this Sunday while she's attending the youth gathering, I checked my schedule and agreed.

Later when I read the text I thought "ugh… I don't like this one"

It's hard to preach on something I don't particularly like

And maybe that's actually the key to today's Gospel message

Similar to the disciples,

We don't like what Jesus has to say sometimes

/ / /

I love the Gospel of Luke and his focus on social justice

And when I zoomed out of this particular passage to what's happening in Luke's narrative, it clicked for me

So let's zoom out together / / /

Jesus has been sitting in, teaching and preaching in, the temple since the end of chapter 19 when he entered the temple, caused a scene and said "My house shall be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers"…

This disruption inspired the leaders to continue to look for a way to kill Jesus

And he remains within the temple through the rest of chapter 21 until chapter 22 when the Passover begins, starting his journey to the cross

We're in the midst of Jesus' speed round to get his point across before he's gone

And he's intense about it

Jesus' focus in the temple is one of redirection

Stones and destruction aren't unique to his warning today

Back in 20:17 He said "the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone… everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces"

The religious leaders' desire to kill Jesus fueled their questioning of him

They kept challenging Jesus, trying to trip him up on technicalities about taxes and marriage

Jesus continued to warn and redirect the people

Toward issues he saw as more important

Beware of the scribes who dress all fancy and look powerful

Look at this poor widow giving all she has to this oppressive system

But the disciples get uncomfortable and attempt a redirection of their own

They say – oh, but look how pretty and incredible and awesome this temple is!

Let's take a break from all of these hard conversations and admire the centerpiece of our community and place that honors the one true God

Surely Jesus will agree with us on this topic!

Jesus doesn't falter -- and says: well, guess what, it will be destroyed! so let's focus on something lasting

/ / /

Jesus' message reminds me of the Buddhist teaching of impermanence, and releasing attachment

The Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Chah, said:

"You see this goblet? For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it. I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on a shelf and the wind knocks it over, or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, 'Of course.' When I understand that this glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious. Every moment is just as it is, and nothing need be otherwise."

The glass is all ready broken

The temple is all ready destroyed

/ / /

But the disciples are alarmed and want to be prepared for this horrible destruction

They cling to the temple and the comfort and security it offers

So they ask, how will they know it's coming?!

What can they do?!

And Jesus doesn't answer them directly, as he never does

But he instructs them to: "Beware"

"Do not be led astray"

"Do not be terrified" and leaves them with

"By your endurance you will gain your souls" / / /

The Jesus we see in Luke is not cozy or comforting

He's on a mission

He's provocative in the way he is trying to make us see the ugliness of the world and human nature

He's frustrating in the way he keeps pointing out the things we'd rather look away from

Like the impermanence of the solid places where we rest our assurance - like these stone buildings

Like the uncertainty of societal structures of power and wealth that we benefit from

Like the particularities of taxes and marriage that distract us from the real focus of loving God and loving our neighbor

Like the cruel and violent actions of powerful leaders masked by the fancy veneer of wealth and beauty

Like the oppressive systems that benefit from the poverty of others

/ / /

The disciples want to escape this doom and gloom

Don't we?

They attempt a distraction, admiring the awesomeness of this enormous and gorgeous temple that is dedicated to God

At least we have this common ground, right?

But Jesus won't give them a break

He's on a mission – then -- and now

To challenge our view of the world and guide us toward seeing clearly

Whatever you see will be destroyed

The glass is all ready broken

/ / /

I wonder about the metaphorical "temples" of beauty and distraction today?

What are our "temples" of escape?

What are the places in which we find reassurance that will eventually crumble?

What are the "temples" to which we're attached that are actually impermanent?

/ / /

I'm sure we could compile a long list…

I think of the saying "my body is my temple"

How preoccupation with a body too large or too small distracts from loving that body as a gift from God

And adorning that body – with clothes, jewelry, tattoos, -- can be consuming of our precious time, energy and resources

I think of the ways we resist acknowledging and embracing our aging bodies / / /

I think of our places…

Our homes and even this sanctuary and the amount of energy we expend maintaining and improving our spaces

/ / /

I think of the "temples" within our minds…

The striving and achieving parts

The protective and defensive parts

That prevent us from resting and loving our whole selves

And render us unable to fully love and be loved by others

/ / /

This is hard. . .

We could go on, but that's not really Jesus' point, is it?

It's not Jesus' point to identify our faults and distractions

No, we do that well enough ourselves

The disciples did that themselves

Jesus' point is to redirect us toward God and what is everlasting

Jesus' point is to remind us of what we can really cling to

/ / /

Jesus' message is "Beware"

"Do not be led astray"

"Do not be terrified"

Jesus calls us to focus on what's real and true

/ / /

He says these messages today in the negative sense

But within these warnings I also hear:

"I am the truth"

"The truth will set you free"

"Come, follow me"

"Set down your burdens, I will give you rest"

"My yoke is easy, my burden is light"

These messages of Jesus' love and healing and safety are directly connected to the warnings we hear today

It's all the same message

/ / /

All that you see

All that you count on

All that you take comfort in

Is destroyed

The glass is all ready broken

But what remains?

When the literal and metaphorical temples crumble

When the glass is broken

What is left?

Where is the good news? / / /

It comes only from remembering the truth that we worship a crucified God who loves and knows us completely and continues to remain with us in the midst of destruction and even death.

God's love is permanent

God's redemption is permanent

/ / /

We have a big task in supporting one another in remembering this

And in being witnesses to this truth in this world

/ / /

Restoration comes after destruction

This is a truth we so desperately need to cling to

Remembering that new life will come after death

Knowing that God is bigger than all of it

This promise isn't just enough

It's the main thing

God is always making us new!

/ / /

By our endurance we will gain our souls.

Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Down To The River To Pray by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 22nd Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 32 – November 9, 2025

Pastor Megan Floyd

Job 19:23-27a

Psalm 17:1-9

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Luke 20:27-38

Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, in whose promise of eternal life we trust. Amen.

***

A mailbox… should not leak.

And while this is true, it was not my first thought on a certain day, many years ago, when our mail carrier brought our outgoing mail back into the church.

The mail was soaking wet… dripping water everywhere. He'd brought it back to us because he couldn't mail it in such a water-logged state.

It seemed that there was a hole at the top of the mailbox, and during the long, torrential rainstorm we'd just had, the water had dripped into the box from the top, but had no way of exiting the otherwise secure box…

So, when the mail carrier opened the box… the water poured out… along with our letters.

Most of the mail just needed to be laid out to dry… but included in the stack was a letter that I'd written to a member whose husband had just died.

It was a consoling letter… one that I had written from my heart…

acknowledging her sorrow and sharing that space with her, so she wouldn't feel so alone. She was important to me, and I shared her grief.

Except now… my letter was no longer a letter, but an abstract puddle of blue ink… like a watercolor painting… with only the hint that there had once been words on that page.

I was upset. Understandably, I think.

But then… a man who happened to observe this exchange, and my now-erased letter, started criticizing my choice of pens.

Clearly, I should have used a ball-point pen because then it would only need to dry out… obviously, I hadn't thought this through when I'd written in a gel pen, or whatever it was I used.

He carried on like that… on and on… and I just stared at him… because… like my now soggy letter… I had no words.

Until I did… Mailboxes should not leak. …he stopped talking after that.

We could have debated all day about the best pens for writing, but the pen was not the point… that thinking was too small… mailboxes should not leak.

I admit, I was annoyed… but I know I have fallen into the trap of narrow thinking before. It's human. And in our gospel today, that kind of narrow thinking is what has the Sadducees stuck.

Now, of course, they don't think they are stuck… they think they've landed Jesus in the perfect rhetorical trap.

They are angry at Jesus, and probably a little afraid of him… I mean… he showed up at the temple and started flipping tables and driving out the merchants, causing a huge disruption… and then every day he was teaching there…

and every day, they were looking for a way to kill him… but they knew they needed to be cautious because the people were so spellbound by his teaching.

So, they kept trying to trap him… to trick him into saying something that would turn the people against him… and today, we heard their attempt to trap him with a debate on the resurrection.

You see, the Sadducees only acknowledge the Torah as authoritative – that's the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures… Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy – and they don't believe in resurrection.

So, their example of the childless woman being married to each of the seven brothers, and still dying childless, for them, proves that the idea of resurrection is ridiculous…

Because if resurrection were really a thing… then whose wife would she be? To which man would she belong? Which man in the afterlife gets to claim her as his property?

The practice of a widow marrying the next brother was an ancient patriarchal custom known as levirate marriage. If a man died childless, his brother would marry his widow and have children with her, and the firstborn son would be counted as the dead man's child and carry on his name.

It is true… that in a culture where a woman had almost no rights, this practice helped to ensure her protection and future… but it did so by effectively treating her as property, passed from brother to brother.

The Sadducees think they've trapped Jesus… because, if resurrection is a thing, then which man gets to claim this woman as his property? When they all have an equal claim, whose wife will she be?

Jesus shuts down their narrow thinking… she won't belong to any man… because she already belongs to God… for she is already, and always has been, claimed as a beloved child of the one who created her in love.

Unlike her earthly life… her vulnerable, earthly life that is dependent on men… her resurrection does not rely on who she is to others… it's only about who she is to God.

So, Jesus responds to the Sadducees using the Torah as his evidence… that Moses himself experienced evidence of the resurrection… when God said I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" …not I WAS, but I AM…

"…for to God, all of them are alive." …alive in the presence of God.

Resurrection is not about a continuation of earthly life… It's not just… more life in the same roles we played on earth… that is narrow thinking… it's too restrictive… and it misses the point.

Resurrection is ultimately a promise… that after we die, we will rest in the presence of God.

And the truth is… the finer details of our resurrection will remain a mystery until we get there… but the promise of God with us… is assured.

From Job, we hear… for I know that my redeemer lives… and after I am gone, I know that I will again see God. (paraphrased)

And from 2 Thessalonians, we hear that God chose you… and called to you through our gospel so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord. (paraphrased)

God chose you… you are already God's beloved.

And from our Psalm, we hear this language of being known by God… "Show me your marvelous lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand… Keep me as the apple of your eye, and hide me under the shadow of your wings…"

You are fully known by God, who loves you just as you are… and God's promise to us is that we will eternally rest in that love, because… God is love.

Even so… as I think about the resurrection, and about God's incredible and wondrous love… I think about the people here on Earth, in my life, whom I love.

I am very fortunate to live thousands of years after the time of levirate marriage, and I am certain that my husband does not consider me his property…

Without getting too mushy, we might say we belong to each other… a belonging that has grown through decades of mutual love and respect.

And so, because God is love… and God is very clear throughout scriptures that God is on the side of love… then I anticipate that, of all the emotions… the love we have shared on earth will be with us in our eternal life.

This is my hope… of course… and I know I share that hope with so many others. And given the larger picture of God's relationship with us, and what we know of God, I don't think we'll be disappointed.

I think love will persist.

But I also suspect that being in God's loving presence when all else of my earthly life has fallen away… will be even more than I can imagine with my limited, human perspective. And… I'm ok with letting that be a surprise.

But truthfully, we know that God is with us now… so thinking about the resurrection, and of the promise that we will be in God's presence after we die, is still thinking too narrowly.

Resurrection is something that we can only know through hope and faith in the living God… and the living God… is the one who meets us in the baptismal waters… and in the shared meal of bread and wine.

The living God is the one who is faithful and true… and is continually inviting us back into a shared relationship.

The living God meets us in our joy and celebrates with us… and the living God meets us in our sorrow, and ministers to us through the consolation and compassion of our community.

Our living God… is not waiting until after we die to be with us!

We are in God's loving presence now, just as we will rest eternally in God's loving presence in the resurrection.

And yes, the promise of resurrection matters because it reveals and reminds us of our primary identity as God's beloved children… and that God will never let us go.

But the afterlife is not the point… because the heart of resurrection is the same now as it is in our eternal life with God.

The heart of resurrection… is God's promise to be with us always… now and forever… no matter where we are or what we are going through.

For our God is not God of the dead, but of the living, and to God, we are and always will be… alive.

Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Praise His Holy Name by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir with a solo by Bob Nelson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Megan Floyd

Year B – All Saints Sunday – November 3, 2024

Luke 6:20-31

Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who calls us into holy living for the sake of the world. Amen.

***

We are gathered here today on All Saints' Sunday… the day the Church sets aside to remember those we have loved and cared for, who have died during the past year.

We gather to celebrate them… even though it may stir up the grief within us… we know… that our grief honors their place in the story of our lives…

And we take comfort in the promise that our dear ones are resting in the embrace of our Lord.

We, as a community of faith, trust in the Good News that Jesus has defeated death… so that death is no longer the end…

And we trust in the Good News… that we are a forgiven people, called and claimed by God and redeemed through God's love.

We trust this Good News… this promise for us as disciples… as followers of Christ… because we know that God's enduring faithfulness is forever and ever, Amen.

And yet we know… that while the goodness that God offers is free to all people… we know that being a disciple… a follower of Christ… still comes with a cost.

The cost of discipleship… is that it must change your life… it must change how you live… how you love… how you treat others, especially the poor and hungry.

The cost of discipleship is that it transforms your whole being… when you allow your life to become one with the life of Christ…

It's not a change that we make so that we can receive the promised goodness of God… those promises are already ours.

It's a change that comes in response to what Jesus offers when we take seriously what he calls us to do…

It's not easy… this life of discipleship… which is why we need God's grace and forgiveness every day.

It's not easy… but this life of following Christ… this challenging and difficult life… this holy and beautiful life… this is the life that Jesus calls us into.

Because this kind of life… this way of living… is what brings closer the kingdom of God and allows us to be co-creators with God in the ever-unfolding new creation.

We hear this call today into a holy and loving, yet challenging and difficult way of life…

We hear it in the blessings and woes… and in the call to love those who are against us, and to turn the other cheek.

And these words from Jesus today might make us uncomfortable… and that's ok!

My friends… the truth is, if the Gospel of Jesus doesn't make you uncomfortable, at least sometimes, then you aren't reading it closely enough!

I know these words make me uncomfortable… but I know that they are still Good News, and so I stick with them because I trust Jesus.

Presiding Bishop Curry once said that Jesus is always on the side of the poor and oppressed, and so whenever we read scripture, we should strive to hear it from their perspective…

because when we do… we can't help but to hear Christ's words as Good News.

And what sounds like Good News for only the poor… and only those who are persecuted… really is Good News for all people.

This way of life that Jesus calls us into, for both the rich and the poor, calls us into lives of equality, dignity, and love…

It disrupts the social hierarchy that those on top cling to with fervor, and it demands that they fully recognize the inherent value and worth of all human life… but again… especially the lives of those who are on the margins.

This way of life calls us to overthrow systems that depend on the suffering and struggle of many to support the few…

And Jesus is not preaching about theoretical concepts… he is calling us to recognize the real human lives of those around us who are hurting… and to understand that we are connected.

This way of life… this life of discipleship… it calls us to be accountable for our actions… it shines a loving light onto our sin, so that we might repent, and be reconciled with those we have harmed.

Listen… We know that Christ lives in us, and so when we honor the light of our God that is present in all people… then working to repair broken relationships also reconciles us back to God… and puts us back into right relationship.

And I know that I want to be right with God, and I'm sure you do, too. This really is Good News for all people!

Jesus calls for a reversal of the usual way of responding… and instead calls us to the more difficult path of making room for repentance, forgiveness… and reconciliation.

This is most certainly… Good News! …it's so good, and so important, that it actually comes up multiple times in our lectionary.

During our Bible Study this week, I thought I was having déjà vu, until I realized that I preached on this same text about loving our enemies and turning the other cheek back in Epiphany, on February 23…

But for today… we are hearing this call into a loving, yet difficult way of living… under the shroud of All Saints' Day…

And, given the day… these seem to be a strange selection of readings to hear as we remember our loved ones.

Except that this Good News… is not only good for all people living… it is good news for those we have loved and lost.

Because this difficult life that Jesus calls us into is full of grace and forgiveness, and it is marked by the ever-present opportunity to turn back…

to hold each other accountable… in loving and non-violent ways, for the purpose of healing the relationship and restoring the community.

…and it is marked by the continual invitation to be reconciled with God. And I believe God will succeed in God's promise to reconcile all of creation.

Because God's desire for us, more than anything… is that we get this right… because love… is so very important.

This life that Jesus calls us to… this holy and beautiful, challenging and difficult… life of discipleship… is so important, because it is a foretaste of the kingdom to come.

And the joy that we have as disciples… is that we get to live in this glory now… and celebrate all the ways that God's love shines through us.

And so, as I hear these words from Jesus today, I know that God's desire for us to be reconciled in this life is also… only a foretaste of the full reconciliation with God that will come after we die.

After all… that is God's promise to us… for ourselves… and for those we love.

That death no longer has the final word… that we, who set our hope on Christ, are claimed and redeemed as beloved children of God, in this life and beyond,

…and that we will be raised anew with Christ on the last day.

And so, the hope and celebration of All Saints' Day lie in our trust that this life Jesus calls us into… this beautiful and difficult life, grounded in God's enduring promises of renewal…

…will be for the praise and glory of Christ now and always, forever and ever. Amen.