Preaching For Your Drive Home

On Trinity Sunday, we spend too much effort trying to understand the Trinity and explain the Trinity, when the Trinity is actually about experiencing the love and grace that is Godself. The unfathomable love and grace of the eternal, almighty God was poured out for the world and can be experienced personally by you in lavish richness that must be shared, that's the Trinity. Ephesians 1:3-14

The Holy Spirit comes upon us at our baptism to constantly, day in and day out, remind us who we truly are. We are children of God, saved by grace and empowered to write a story and sing a song every day in praise of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:9-17

Society wants "normal" to be without struggle, a false sense of self-sufficiency. But God uses our struggle and suffering to help us see our dependence on him - on grace. And God's grace is enough. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

So often we don't talk about things that are uncomfortable or too powerful for us. But God loves us as whole persons and Jesus wants us to bring all of our struggles, physical, spiritual, social, and mental, into his light for healing. Luke 8:26-39

The difference between Jesus and all the other wannabe "Messiahs" is that Jesus was raised from the dead. His bodily resurrection, really a living, breathing, eating, solid new body, is the source of our hope, the most important foundation of the Good News, and the reason we can live in the ways Jesus called us to live without fear of death, but with confidence that we to will share in a resurrection like his. 1 Corinthians 15

Jesus gives us what we need to believe. John 20:19-31

Jesus was raised from the dead and that changed everything. The Good News of the new life that is possible spread one by one, from Mary to Peter and John, across the world. The new life Jesus gives us is the power to spread God's love, peace, and justice through acts of kindness and mercy, one by one. John 20:1-18

Nevertheless, Jesus persisted in teaching, healing, and loving as the powers of the age and the changing currents of the people aligned against him. Nevertheless, the women disciples persisted, all the way to the foot of the cross. Our call is to bear each other's burdens, endure when all seems lost, persist when everything looks wrong, and witness to the truth of God's sacrificial love. Nevertheless.  Matthew 27:55-56

You can be a hero every day when you have the courage and trust to join God's mission by simply doing unto others as you would have them do to you.

Gideon is a lot like us, not too heroic, not too bad, just a normal guy who makes some mistakes and doesn't understand why God is not helping his people. The trouble is that Jesus didn't die for "mistakers", he died for sinners. Until we realize that we are sinners, that the things we do affect our relationship with God, we are not ready to accept the grace of God. Judges 6-8

God's strength is love and God's power is grace. God comes to Jacob in his darkest moment to try again to lead him. Jacob won't submit and doesn't change his ways, but God still won't let him go. Grace looks like losing to the world, but to the recipient it leaves a mark and gives a new name, child of God.  Genesis 32:22-32

Like us, even the great heroes of the Bible have times when they lack faith and make poor choices. We all have a hero and a regular sinner inside of us, and God still chooses us to work in and through, using all of us, even the broken side. Genesis 21:8-21

One of the hardest barriers for us to overcome is the one created by our own ideas, plans, and schemes. Mary shows us the way. When we live in and appreciate the moment, being mindful of Jesus' presence and what he has done for us, we can trust God's plan of love, sacrifice, and grace. John 12:1-11

Pressure of life, whether from expectations or from sickness and pain, can bend you over and weigh you down. Jesus wants to free you from the pressure by letting you know that before you have done anything or failed to do something, you are a child of God, beloved of the Lord. Luke 13:10-17

Jesus wants to free us from all our anxiety that is causing us great distress and creating barriers between God and our neighbors and us. Luke 10:38-42

Jesus is saying that drawing lines between us to shame sinners is not the way to hold each other accountable for our sin. Jesus draws a line around the whole crowd and says you are all sinners, all in need of God's grace and mercy, the mercy Jesus is offering to this woman. 

When we engage in Jesus' mission to the poor, imprisoned, and oppressed, it is our blind eyes that are opened to new truth about his love. Luke 4:16-30

In his conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus crosses boundaries founded in past prejudice, ethnic division, misogyny, and personal shame to overcome personal and societal sin. The living water of grace overflows the boundaries we try to erect to invite everyone into a relationship with Jesus the Messiah.  John 4:3-6

Jesus crosses social and cultural boundaries to engage with women during his ministry. At a wedding in Cana, his mom trusts him to use the opportunity of the wine running out to present his first sign. The miracle transforming of the water to wine at the wedding shows that Jesus is overcoming our ritualistic and procedural boundaries to offer grace for everyone and invite us to the all-time greatest wedding party ever. John 2:1-11

Fruit of your God-inspired and God-empowered life will live on forever. Life that takes advantage of relationships based on power and privilege for selfish gain will be burnt up. Luke 3:7-17, 21-22