Category: Matthew
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Naming the Shadow
There is something unsettling about shadows. When I was growing up, our home on Oakland Avenue in south Minneapolis had a streetlight in front of it. The light would shine directly into my bedroom. And I remember sometimes waking up in the middle of the night, to see shadowy shapes on my wall. It might have been…
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Together for Good
When I was a kid, my family had one of those big, clunky console televisions. People of a certain age will remember them. They weighed as much as a small car. The screen was this big, but the heavy wooden cabinet was this big. Every so often the picture would get fuzzy or the sound would cut out. We’d…
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To Be Trinity
I recently read a story about a family that left their church one Sunday, and as they got into the car, the critiques started rolling in like they were filling out a review on Yelp: The list of pros and cons just kept coming. Finally, their eight-year-old piped up from the back seat and said, “Well, what…
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Holy Ground and Bare Feet
I want to begin this morning with a confession. Not a deep, dark, soul-wrenching confession… but just a light one. I hate walking barefoot outside. I do. I know some people love the feeling of grass between their toes, or the warmth of sand on the beach. I’m not that guy. I don’t know what…
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Pick it Up
Welcome to “Campfire Stories,” our summer sermon series. I want to think together about the power…and the importance…of stories for just a moment. Stories are central to who we are. Stories teach us important lessons…the stories we remember…the stories we tell…they say something about who we are as a people…they say something about our hearts. I have always…
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Mind the Gap
“Your kingdom come, your will be done. On Earth, as it is in heaven.” You know these words. You are familiar with these words. If you grew up in the church, you learned them…in fact, you were probably required to memorize them. And if you’ve been to worship at Trinity more than once, you may have noticed that here,…
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Know Your Name
According to the United States Coast Guard, Minnesota has the highest number of recreational boats per capita of any state in the country. By a lot. There are 143.6 boats in Minnesota for every 1000 residents. (Which leads me to one important question: Where’s my boat?) That’s roughly 35% more than the next highest state, South Carolina, with 108…
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What’s Next?
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised.” Matthew 28:5-6 My very favorite TV show is “West Wing.” I love the story lines, I love the fast-paced writing and I love the characters.…
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Created to Tell Stories
It was late at night and our caravan of cars was driving back to the camp where we worked in northwest Wisconsin. I was probably 20 or 21 years old. We’d been to Duluth for our “end of the summer” camp-staff banquet. My good friend, Brent was driving, I was riding shotgun, and 3 other camp counselors were…
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Fill the Lamps
In our Old Testament reading for today, Joshua, the son of Nun, the successor of Moses, the weary warrior, stands before the people of Shechem with a Word from the Lord. He clears his throat, cups his hands, and says in a voice loud enough for all to hear, “Thus says the Lord, the God of…