Home of the Darkwater Author
This is an adapted version of the sermon I preached on Sunday, January 8, 2023, The Baptism of Our Lord. The gospel text was Matthew 3:13-17. The video of the sermon hasn't yet been posted to YouTube -- when it is, hopefully I'll remember to replace this sentence with a link to it. This is … Continue reading It Begins with Water and Promise (Sermon)
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached on the Second Sunday of Advent, December 4, 2022. The gospel reading was Matthew 3:1-12. To view this sermon on YouTube, click here for the whole service (the gospel begins at 20:29, followed by the sermon). Before we talk about today’s gospel reading, I want … Continue reading On Podcasts and Repentance (Sermon)
This is an adapted version of the sermon I preached this morning, the Second Sunday after Epiphany. The gospel text was John 1:29-42. We meet John the Baptist again, and he’s pointing to Jesus. John was always pointing. If you look at artwork of him over the centuries, you will find that quite often he … Continue reading Come and See (Sermon)
An image in words based on Matthew 3:13-17 Soon. So soon it comes. So soon silently a torrent rips across the sky. A wrenching rending thunderstorm cataclysm in reverse. Silently. So silently. The waters bubble and shimmer, hydrogen and oxygen quivering in homage to the one whose cells and humors descend into the darkwater abyss. … Continue reading The Watery Theophany
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached yesterday, the Third Sunday of Advent. The gospel text was Matthew 11:2-11. I also began a two-month period of leading the congregation in talking and praying about "pastoral care." You may see this theme appear in many upcoming sermons. When you’re in school, sometimes you … Continue reading The Smartest Kid in School (Sermon)
This is an adapted version of the sermon I preached this morning, the Second Sunday of Advent. The gospel text was Matthew 3:1-12. Oh, here we go. It’s the second Sunday of Advent, two and a half weeks until Christmas, and so of course whom do we meet? Mary and Joseph? The angel Gabriel? Nope. … Continue reading You Bag of Snakes (Sermon)
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached this morning, the Third Sunday of Advent. The gospel lection was Luke 3:7-18. John gives some surprisingly practical advice in today’s gospel. It’s surprising to me, anyway. I mean, John is out there in the desert, shouting at those who come to him, calling them … Continue reading Share. Play Fair. Don’t be a Bully.
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached on Sunday, July 15. The gospel reading was Mark 6:14-29, the story of John the Baptist's death. Way back in the end of May, I told you that I would be preaching a sermon series throughout the months of June and July, a series called, … Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid to Go Back On Your Words (Sermon)
This is an adapted version of the sermon I preached this morning, the Third Sunday of Advent. The lectionary reading was Matthew 11:2-11. I think that normally, John the Baptist is pretty hard to relate to. It’s hard to put ourselves in his shoes, hard to connect with his story. Here’s a guy who spent … Continue reading Dear John
Scholtes-Blog 