The Word at Shalom

September 24, 2023, Pentecost 17: ”Make Hay, but Take a Day”

Many Americans have an unhealthy relationship with time. We're told that if we're not working or otherwise doing something productive at all hours, then there's something wrong with us. Despite Americans working more hours than much of the world, somehow the refrain, "No one wants to work anymore," keeps resurfacing. However, Scripture shows us a healthier way to live as an embodied being in a world marked by time. How does God's command to rest in Deuteronomy 5 and Jesus's reminder that "We must work [the Father's] works...while it is day," help us reset our relationship to time? And how can we live generously with the time we have? Pastor David preaches "Make Hay but Take a Day" based on Deuteronomy 5:12-15 and John 9:1-5. This is the first of a four-week series on living generously.

September 17, 2023, Pentecost 16: ”A Truthful Life”

It is common to harbor illusions about the church. Though we might expect Christians to live with abundant grace, mercy, and love, the truth is we can be just as selfish, deceptive, and unforgiving as anyone else. This is nothing new, but has been part of our sin problem since the Garden. So, how does the Elder of 3 John address this problem in the church of Diotrephes? What does it mean to walk in the truth? And how does one walk in the truth when there are lies and propaganda everywhere you turn? Pastor David preaches "Living Truthfully" based on 3 John 1-15.

September 10, 2023, Pentecost 15: ”The Fleshly Community”

In the early church, different ideas about Jesus abounded. Many teachers, influenced by Plato, could not stomach the idea of Jesus's full humanity. They said that he, being God, only appeared to be human, and that the goal of the church was to shed itself of its base human nature. The elder of John's Second Letter warns against welcoming such teachers, calling them "the deceiver and antichrist". What makes such teaching so dangerous for the church? Why is it important to affirm Jesus's humanity? And in a digital age, why is a flesh-and-blood Messiah necessary at all? Pastor David preaches "The Fleshly Community", based on 2 John 1-13.

September 3, 2023: Pentecost 14: ”It Is Well with My Soul?”

Trust can be hard to come by these days. Trust in institutions has been on a downward trend for over 50 years. Firearm sales reached a peak in 2020 and have remained high. Americans continue to silo themselves into different tribes based on ideology. With such a lack of trust on earth, how can we possibly trust God in heaven? Yet in these last two petitions of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus invites us to do precisely that. What does it mean to trust God when the world falls apart? How can the church be an example of trust to a skeptical world? And how does the Spirit make that possible? Pastor David preaches "It Is Well with My Soul?" based on the Sixth and Seventh Petitions of the Lord's Prayer.

August 20, 2023, Pentecost 12: ”You Can’t Game God”

Every system in existence, whether a code of law or rules for a sport, can be hacked or gamed in some way. For example, someone with a good lawyer can find ways around laws that otherwise apply to everyone else. However, no such gaming is possible with God. So, what makes our relationship with God different from every other relationship we have? What's the difference between receiving God's radical grace in Christ and "gaming the system"? And how does our daily bread fit into all of this? Pastor David preaches "You Can't Game God" based on the Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer in Luther's Small Catechism.

August 13, 2023, Pentecost 11: ”Radical Openness”

Psychologists have long noted that human attention is captured by negative events. We dwell on bad things that happened to us; we ruminate about the news; we even "doomscroll" on social media. We also do the same with our relationship to God, thinking more readily of the times God didn't answer our prayer like we would have hoped. We look at the world and we see scant signs of God's kingdom or will among us. However, what would happen if, led by the Spirit, we looked closer? Where might we find God's kingdom and will among us today? Or in our own lives? And how can we be more resilient when bad things do happen? In the second of a five-part series on the Lord's Prayer, Pastor David preaches "Radical Openness" based on the Second and Third Petitions of the Lord's Prayer.

July 30, 2023, Pentecost 9: ”Weird People”

At first glance, it may seem that the church is not so distinct from other voluntary organizations. We gather regularly, we raise money, and we do service in the wider community. However, something makes the church different from anything else--something that has helped it weather bad leadership, scandals, and poor decisions. How does Paul's list of greetings at the end of his letter to the Roman church shed light on this something? What makes the church the church? And how might we be the church today with our various backgrounds and worldviews? Pastor David preaches "Weird People" based on Romans 16:1-16, 25-27.

July 2, 2023: ”The Well-Equipped Citizen”

Paul's exhortation to submit to civic authority in Romans 13:1-7 is one of the most notorious passages in the Bible. Too often, it has been wielded against those opposed to or suffering under a particular regime. However, Paul's exhortation has another end in mind. Why does Paul write these words to a church that is beginning to attract unwanted attention from the Roman regime? What kind of love is it that Paul exhorts the church to have for their neighbors? And as we celebrate Independence Day, what can such words possibly mean for us contemporary Americans? Pastor David preaches "The Well-Equipped Citizen" based on Romans 13:1-14.

June 25, 2023, Pentecost 4: ”Holy Conformation”

The idea of conformation (as distinct from confirmation) turns most Americans off. After all, we're encouraged to be individuals, marching to the beat of our own drummer. But Paul encourages conformation to Christ, which is truly transformative. What does this conformation look like? How does it transform us? And does such transformation help us truly live free in community? Pastor David preaches "Holy Conformation" based on Romans 12:1-21.

May 28, 2023, Pentecost: ”Groans, Grace, and Greatness”

Even though an active persecution was a few years off, the church at Rome was no stranger to suffering. Some Jewish members of the church may have been expelled by the emperor Claudius some 15 years prior to Paul's letter. The hybrid reality of the church--Jew and gentile--may have led to conflicts both within and without. The church was not particularly large or influential. And there were the normal difficulties that came with being human. How does the Spirit, according to Paul, help them in their suffering? Does the Spirit just take it away? Or does God choose another way? For Pentecost, Pastor David preaches "Groans and Grace" based on Romans 8:14-39.