Beneath the Steeple with Pastor Hans Becklin

Only turning toward God can turn us around. In Jesus Christ, ALL PEOPLE, whether they are long-time believers or long-time disregarders of God, are given the opportunity to repent. Matthew 3:1-12 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voic...

Advent is all about knowing the promise, and yet waiting for its fulfillment. Isaiah 2:1-5 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach...

What is this King's name? The LORD is our Righteousness. He is the personal manifestation of the Lord's righteousness-of God's righting every human error. Jeremiah 23:1-6 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my fl...

Malachi Chapter 3 grounds the vision of today's Gospel reading in a concrete political discourse. There we find that the wicked who are overthrown in this passage are the religious and political elites who shortchange God and prey on the least powerful of society. Luke 21:5-19 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said,...

Today's gospel invites us to live not out of fear or self-protection, but to love our neighbors as ourselves. Luke 20:27-38 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to [ Jesus] and asked him a question: “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were...

Jesus tells us what to do "But I say to you who are listening" love your enemies, do god, bless them, pray for them, give to those in need-do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:20-31 Then [Jesus] looked up at his disciples and said:  “Blessed are you who are poor,   for yours is the kingdom of God.  “Blessed are you who are hungry now,   for you will be filled.  “Bl...

By the Grace of God in Christ, we are set free, but not for self, rather for others. Filled with the love of God, we are blessed to share it. John 8:31-36 Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves...

Jesus shares this parable as a teaching that we too are to be persistent, prayfully putting our requests before God. Luke 18:1-8 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice agai...

Our strength and hope rest in the love and grace of God manifest in Jesus Christ's life, death on the cross, and resurrection for the salvation of the world. Luke 17:11-19 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, ha...

Habakkuk had faith in that God not only hears human laments, but makes room for human anger - even anger at God. Habakkuk had faith that speaking out anger at God is part of what it meant to be righteous and faithful. Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,  and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!”  and you will not save? Why...

Jesus invites us to examine our own life choices and actions in light of the reality that we have limited time in which to live well. Luke 16:19-31 [Jesus said:] “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s ta...

In today's parable, Jesus challenges us to consider who or what we serve in our daily lives. Worldly wealth is limited and temporary, while in Jesus God offers the true and lasting riches of the kingdom. Luke 16:1-13 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said...

When people look at Jesus lifted on the cross, they are looking at a mirrored representation of their own destruction. When we truly see what Jesus' death represents, that recognition of the truth will be enough to start healing humanity. John 3:13-17 [Jesus said:] “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent...

Taking up the cross is not about personal comfort and individual salvation. Carrying the cross is about transformation. Committed to ongoing way of living and serving. Are we prepared to be challenged and changed? Luke 14:25-33 Now large crowds were traveling with [Jesus], and he turned and said to them, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sist...

How do we see ourselves in relation to others? Followers of Jesus are exhorted to live in humility. How concerned are we about how others perceive us? Luke 14:1,7-14 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely. When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you a...

In Jesus' eyes the purpose of the sabbath is to commune with God, for the renewal and transformation of life. Luke 13:10-17 Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Wo...

The fire Jesus wants us to kindle is a fire of change, for individuals and communities. Jesus' message of fiery transformation is the for the healing of the world. Luke 12:49-56 [Jesus said:] “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have...

As God's family we share a birthmark, the sign of the cross made on our brow at baptism. This illustrates what it means to worship one who was crucified as a lowlife and yet now reins as Lord over heaven and earth. Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that...

The folly of the "Rich Fool" was building ever-bigger barns, not just hoarding his abundance, but allowing it to become so abstract, that it became a symbol of identity, rather than a tool for helping people and feeding the world. Luke 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus,] “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set m...

When we are called to act on the basis of God's love, we are committing ourselves to the long term, a marathon, not a sprint, and that requires resilience. Luke 11:1-13 [Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” So he said to them, “When you pray, say:  Father, may your name be rev...

Jesus reminds Martha that ultimately our human work-even work done faithfully and meaningfully and importantly, cannot compare to the fact that God has come into our world to transform it with grace. Luke 10:38-42 Now as [Jesus and his disciples] went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listene...

Luke 10:25-37 An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given t...

"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." -Martin Luther King Jr. The Kingdom of God breaks through when we embrace this truth. Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intende...

Faith is what grants us eternal life - not anything else. Faith is what we can cling to when everything is going wrong, when our well-laid plans are turned to folly. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me...

In today's reading from Proverbs, we read about Holy Wisdom and the author uses feminine pronouns throughout for this Wisdom, adding that She was created by the Lord as the beginning of His work. Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 Does not wisdom call and understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entra...