Claimed, gathered and sent

  This is the sermon I preached Sunday at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The gospel was John 2:13-22 .  Have you ever wondered if Jesus really felt what you feel when he was living on earth? How human was he? Any of you? In this week’s gospel, we see that he certainly experienced anger. It seems that Jesus needs an intervention in anger management. Did Jesus let his emotions get the best of him? Is Jesus overreacting? Is John's purpose of including this story to emphasize Jesus' humanity? There are lots of questions we should be asking about this passage of scripture. In our series of being Altered by the Spirit, today we’ll look at being Altered by Disruption. Jesus delighted in disrupting business as usual. John writes, “…in the temple he found people selling” (v. 14). Can you imagine what it would be like if we found our sanctuary full of loud people, smelly animals and merchants making a profit off of those who came to worship? Wouldn't we be incensed at such inappropr

  Gospel: John 2:13-22 13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that h

This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy's and St. Mark's . The gospel text is John 2:13-22.              Last week we talked about grumpy Jesus and his exchange with Peter. Today in John's gospel, we see Jesus and he is beyond grumpy, he's downright angry and aggressive. Last week it seemed like he needed an attitude adjustment. This week, Jesus needs an intervention in anger management. Did Jesus let his emotions get the best of him? Is Jesus overreacting? Is John's purpose of including this story to emphasize Jesus' humanity? There are lots of questions we should be asking about this passage of scripture.           One very important question is, why would Jesus do this? What is Jesus really up to?"...in the temple he found people selling" (v. 14). No wonder Jesus reacted in the way he did. Can you imagine what it would be like if we found our sanctuary full of loud people, smelly animals and merchants making a profit off of thos

Something I have really been enjoying is preparing an emessage for each Thursday for St. Timothy Lutheran Church . Each week it's about one of Sunday's upcoming lessons. This exercise has helped me to focus my thoughts regarding the text. This Sunday it is John 2:13-22.  This is what I shared today regarding the above gospel reading. John 2:13-22 The Message 13-14 When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. 15-17 Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “ Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father ’ s house into a shopping mall! ” That ’ s when his disciples remembered the Scriptu