Taking the Sermon Home

--Reflections for the week ahead

Scriptural Reference:  Genesis 15:1-12; 17-18

Reverence: an expression of respect, veneration, and awe—for something that lies beyond our control.  We can revere aspects of creation—the wonder of Yosemite; the intricacy of a flower—and as people of faith, we are called to revere God.

With a deeper connection to our Lord, comes a more profound expression of reverence.  What is it about God’s nature that stops you dead in your tracks?  What brings you to your knees in gratitude, as you recognize the blessings in your life that you scarcely deserve, yet take for granted?  What are the deep yearnings of your heart, that you recognize only God can fully understand and address?  It takes humility to admit that there are things about our existence that we neither control nor understand; and it takes reverence to honor the God who gives us life and breath and holds creation in being. 

The lessons of Lent: humility, and reverence.  Practice them, and awaken your sense of God.-

Rev. Kathryn Carroll
Christ the King Lutheran Church

Miami, FL

Taking the Sermon Home

Scripture focus:

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

Luke 4:1-13

On this First Sunday of Lent, we are challenged to think about what draws us away from God.  Though we might want to believe that only evil things or scandalous behaviors lead into temptation, truly, even good things—food and sustenance; reputation; protection—can divert us from keeping God’s word and will central in our lives.  Indeed, it is often said the biggest temptation from what’s most important, is that which is next in importance.   In a phrase, temptation comes in a variety of ways.

This week, consider: what keeps me from “worshiping the Lord your God and serving only him?”  Is it the pressure of too much activity?  An excessive focus on your job?  Complacency?

Upon being tempted a third time, Jesus utters, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”  During your personal reflection, confess to God those things that cause you to switch places with God, and put God on trial.  Perhaps it is a prayer you offer, that insists upon a specific outcome.  Or, maybe it’s an overdeveloped worry about the future, or growing old.  Humble yourself to trust that the Lord can indeed hold you in the palm of his hand, and that God’s grace, is, truly sufficient.

Pastor Katie

Christ the King Lutheran Church

Miami, FL

Taking the Sermon Home--Feb. 3, 2013

Taking the Sermon Home

--Reflections for the week ahead

Today we saw how Jesus’ message of radical, inclusive love did not sit well with his hometown of Nazareth: the people did not appreciate Jesus’ emphasis on non-Jews.  We also learned that the prophet Jeremiah felt unequal to the task ahead of him.  As he contemplated the difficult message he had to bring to the nation of Judah, teetering on the edge of destruction, he complained to God that “he did not know how to speak.”

As you carry today’s readings and sermon into your week, I invite you to consider:

~What difficult message does the gospel compel you to proclaim…yet out of reluctance to take a stand, fear of rejection, or outright complacency, you are sitting on the sidelines?

~Like Jeremiah, God knows you, and has consecrated you to be a prophet—that is, to speak and live the Word of God.  This week, spend time in prayer, considering the ways God is calling you to proclaim God’s word in a new, or perhaps challenging way.  Then, step out in faith, and speak that God-infused word, recognizing that it might upset the status quo.  Being faithful, does not necessarily mean being comfortable…it means taking seriously our call live the gospel.