Sandhills Lutheran Ministry Podcast Series

The title of this sermon based on Mark 9:38-50 is “A Cup of Cool Water.” The text is inviting us to be drawn into the very life of Christ — both as the redeemed child whom Christ has raised from death and as the agent of Christ’s love into this world.

Where is true hope revealed? Is true hope revealed in goodness? Is it revealed in success? Society esteems the morally pure and “good people” (as it’s currently and popularly defined in the new morality observed) or the powerful and wealthy and capable people and puts them on the top. However, Jesus reveals the true hope that lies hidden in his suffering, death, and resurrection and in the sufferi...

The father in our text prayed, “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief.” Jesus didn’t wait until the father’s faith got stronger, immediately he saved his child. Jesus has conquered all our foes, even our own foolish and wavering hearts, and delivered us into the hands of his and our loving Father. Are you ready to take the “Only by Prayer” adventure with Jesus?

Jesus has all the power of God at his disposal. Why does he not get what he wants in today’s text?   We have heard these stories so often that we might have forgotten to be shocked at this.  Is my Lord unable to get what he wants?  Have I just misunderstood this?  Do I need to be more cynical or be more realistic?  This is a sermon about the inexorable progress and presence of God’s Kingdom in thi...

The local police department puts out the dire warning about a fugitive from justice: “Armed and Dangerous.” Paul speaks of arming oneself against the evil one. Members of Christ’s body are best described as “Armed and Safe.” Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians strong, with a powerful martial image of a Christian wearing the armor of a Roman legionary. 

What shall we do with the opening line of this text?  Let's acknowledge that there's a bit of a misinterpretation minefield about submission in the marriage sphere that we need to deal with first, and then we can turn to what holy submission looks like and what it doesn't look like.

Lurking in every human heart is a problematic lover who loves the darkness.  Our culture has defined the best life as the life which always gets to do what it wants-a life lived without limits.

Paul makes use of a favorite image here- our life as a walk; a journey from here to there, one step at a time.  

In today's sermon, Paul continues with the metaphor of life as a walk, but contrasts the Christian walk with another walk- the world exerts a strong pull on us, but the path of worldly success is a cruel and demanding idol.

How are you doing?   Although we might answer this question with "I'm fine", in our "inner being" we feel beaten down, beaten down by our own sin and by the world.  

How will I discern the truth from a lie?  I'm not able to navigate the simplest aspect of my life without getting made into a fool.  How will I navigate heaven itself?