St. Matthew Lutheran Church- Rocklin, California

It must have been a terrible scene. The haters “hurled insults at him” and made fun of him in the midst of His suffering as He bled from His wounds and struggled for each breath; as He was dying. Tonight is about them…and Jesus as their Savior … and about Jesus as the Savior of all the haters, even when we are among them.

The children of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness. Jesus spent 40 days there. John the Baptist rotted in prison until the time he was beheaded. Paul wrote much of the New Testament from prison. Where are you in a desert? Where are you in the dungeon of a prison? Right in these places is where the love of God intersects with our lives. It is what we focus on today.

The other day a friend of mine who used to be my neighbor, a professional painter, dropped by to answer some questions I had about a job I want to do myself. He was great and very helpful. As we talked, he shared how he was struggling over how hateful people are to each other – especially when they don’t agree on something. He even gave me a colorful bumper sticker he had designed and had printed...

God is love. He dwells in perfect love “together” as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created each one of us to be happy and whole only as we do “together” with Him in this perfect love. He is the master of this “together” lived in love for He created it as a gift for us. What keeps you from doing life “together” in love? Only as we live “as His” can we grow in this gift of “together” with each ot...

Grace is God’s undeserved love. It is by grace that we know and receive by faith our “togetherness” with God through the forgiveness of sins. Today, we focus on what it means to be grace-filled; to live grace filled in our relationships as we do life “together.” Imagine, we really can give others what Jesus has given us. Grace.

Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? If we want to “be together” and “do together” well, we have to be present – really present – for one another. When we don’t feel like it. When we are tired. When life’s a mess. When life’s going great. Bottom line. We need to show up. Be present. How are you tempted not to be present? And where are you not sure how to “be present?” Today we focus on God’s wisdom and p...

God’s people have been here before. The enemy has been too great. What do we do?…We find out by seeing what they did.

We crave Affirmation. Everywhere we look, people are searching for affirmation. Sports programs and events have moved to rewarding people for participating or finishing. Digital Platforms (in particular Social Media) are powerful because they offer affirmation in plentiful doses. But deep down, we know this kind of affirmation doesn’t mean much. We crave recognition and interaction because we are...

The Other Christmas Story by St Matthew Rocklin

The Best Year by St Matthew Rocklin

A baby tends to turn our lives upside down. We sleep less - sometimes a lot less. Our schedules are often turned upside down. And we are caring for another little person 24-7! Yet in the midst of it all there is a transcending peace. In Isaiah, Jesus is called “The Prince of Peace.” This baby also will turn our lives upside down but in the midst of it He brings THE Peace of God which transcends al...

We tend to live impersonal lives. We can go weeks never setting foot in the neighborhood as we go from garage to car and back to garage again - and even more so with the COVID 19 reality. We listen to or watch or read the News about struggles of people all around us, but we rarely connect personally with their struggles – am I right? At times we are even surrounded by people in close proximity, ye...

When I was a coach, you could always pick out the kids who were certain they wanted to be there. Being certain gave them focus, energy, drive, and purpose. Have you ever been in that place where you are unsure of your direction or what you should be doing? …where doubts are eating away at you, sapping your focus, energy, drive, and purpose? Are you perhaps carrying some doubt with you right now ab...

Have you ever wished you had someone wise and understanding to whom you could pour out your heart and thoughts? One who would lovingly listen and then give you perfect wisdom for your life? Have you ever longed to have such perfect wisdom that you could lovingly speak into the life of another? Jesus is THE Wonderful Counselor…and He is here for you and for all for He is Emmanuel.

Do you know who named Jesus? It wasn’t Mary or Joseph. It was His Heavenly Father, God Himself. Tonight, we examine the name and the title that Jesus’ Heavenly Father gave to Him. It was no accident. And yes, it has great meaning for us.

We all long for things to be different, even as we hope to be difference makers. How about you? Jesus came to make a difference not just by what He did but through what He would do in each of us. Christmas is meant to make a difference both in you and through you. This is our focus today.

“One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.” Can you relate to these words? They were sung by the band “Three Dog Night.” There are countless ways to experience loneliness – physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually. But at the root of all of them is the feeling that you are utterly alone. Christmas means it’s not true. It means that we are not ever alone. Today, God whispers thi...

A Clearing of the Eyes; A Matter of the Heart- Thanksgiving 2020 by St Matthew Rocklin

As with the Children of Israel, God has brought us to this point to go into a new land with a new Vision as we continue to walk with Jesus. The Children of Israel, with joy and thanksgiving, being miraculously led into the new land, proceeded to make sure they never forgot as they committed to the new mission before them. And so it is with us. With joy and thanksgiving, we are led into a new land...

Traditionally, the last Sunday of the church year – which this year falls on November 22nd, is called “Christ the King Sunday.” So why are we taking a break from our series to celebrate it today? Today marks the first day after the elections. Your preferred candidate may not have won but one thing we know; Christ is still the king of all…and we are His!

Moses had led the Children of Israel to the brink of entering the Promised Land. But God had said He would not be able to enter it. However, God, in His grace, took Moses up on a high mountain and showed him the whole land. He saw the Vision but was not able to enter. Today, we see the Vision! And then God, in His grace, would invite us to enter.

I remember my first year of playing little league football. It was like “wandering in the wilderness.” I remember the flutter kicks until you thought your stomach would burst. I remember the running. I remember how I didn’t even know how to get into a stance. I remember even having to be shown how to put on my pads. And I remember a coach that was right there with me from running the sprints to ch...

Does God have anything to say about politics? Our nation is in a time of great uncertainty. An upcoming election divides us between polarized political camps that struggle to have meaningful dialogue with one another. When asked an impossible political question Jesus’ response amazes both sides, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17) We can trust that as we f...

Still another symptom of trauma is a feeling of hopelessness that lasts more than a few weeks. (Note: Hope is a belief that “things will get better sooner or later.”) How are you doing with this one? With all that is swirling around us, do you still believe that every day can be better than the last? While we can certainly experience the feeling of hopelessness attached to trauma, the truth is tha...

Yet another symptom of trauma is the feeling of helplessness and because of this, symptoms of anger, irritability, and aggressiveness. While these feelings may be there, the truth is that we are not powerless. Rather, what we do can and does make a difference through Him who controls all things. This is our focus today.