Rev. Don Erickson

Luke 16:9-13 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” The gospel reading is a really intriguing one. Intriguing and complex. I don’t want to get into the weeds of the text per se. Let me give you the gist of what Jesus is saying. And apply the principle Jesus offers to look at a topic that is ever present in the minds of church folks, especially church folks who...

Our gospel reading today shows Jesus making one of his most memorable quips. You all probable know it. It is one that has been quoted millions upon millions of times. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.” It is a profound statement. It is clear where Jesus thought about the placement of our treasure. Jesus wanted his followers to place there treasures in God by giving as much as we can to God’s people, to the poor, the dispossessed, and the most vulnerable among us. Let’s be frank, few of us, really, live up to Christ’s expectations. We do our best and give what we can, but we are all works in process. Jesus knew this. He was gracious and forgiving when it came to imperfections. However, he did look to results, to the most vulnerable being taken care of. And he looked at the heart as the seedling that gets us to those results. We should be careful to note that a treasure isn’t necessarily just financial. The treasure might include the wealth of memories, memories, for ...

Today I want to talk about prayer. When one considers Christian practice, what we do as Christians, prayer is really key. It may be the central Christian practice. It is certainly foundational to worship which itself is central to the life of the church. Prayer was central to Jesus as well. He had a rich prayer life. He is often described in the Gospels as getting away to pray. Prayer was a respite for Jesus, a time to quiet himself and nourish his heart and mind. His prayer-practice provided him sustenance and strength for the ministry he was doing and leading. Prayer grounded him and reconnected him to God, who he regularly called and understood as Father. Jesus’ prayer-practice is one that we ourselves can incorporate into our own lives. In fact, we are called to pray. It is good for us. In our Gospel reading today, Jesus introduces how we should pray. He gives us a version of the Lord’s Prayer which we pray in church weekly. Indeed, praying the Lord’s Prayer is so...