Our Relationship with Ourselves – Br. Mark Brown

This sermon is part of a Lenten preaching series on “Growing a Rule of Life.

Preaching SeriesSQRules of Life & the Rhythms of Nature – Br. James Koester
Our Relationship with God – Br. Geoffrey Tristram
Our Relationship with Self – Br. Mark Brown
Our Relationship with Others – Br. David Vryhof
Our Relationship with Creation – Br. Keith Nelson
Living in Rhythm and Balance – Br. Luke Ditewig

 

Growing a Rule of Life: To subscribe to a daily morning email with a short video and download a PDF of the accompanying workbook enter your name and email.
More information here: SSJE.org/growrule


Br. Mark BrownGen. 1:1-5, 26-27/Ps. 8/Matthew 17:1-8

We continue this evening with our sermon series on Rule of Life. These sermons are coordinated with our daily Lenten video offering “Growing a Rule of Life”. There are about 30,000 people sharing this project with us; many are using a workbook as a guide for the series—you can get one at the back of the chapel, or you can download it from our website www.ssje.org.

A rule of life is simply a rhythm or structure or framework meant to help create balance in our lives, to help us “keep the main thing the main thing”.  We’ve organized this series around four relationships: our relationship with God, our relationship with others, our relationship with creation, and our relationship with our own selves.  These are all interrelated, of course: you can’t really talk about one without the others.  But for the sake of discussion and focus, they’ve been divided up this way.  This evening’s topic: our relationship with our selves. Read More

From the Archive: Jesus’ Transfiguration; Our Transfiguration – Br. Curtis Almquist

Br. Curtis Almquist originally preached this sermon on Feb. 22, 2009. We’re pleased to repost it in honor of today’s Feast of the Transfiguration.

Mark 9:2-9; Matthew 17:1-8; Luke 9:28-35

In early February, one of my brothers and I were on top of Mount Tabor where this event, Jesus’ transfiguration, took place. We were traveling with a group of pilgrims following the path of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection in Israel/Palestine.  Mount Tabor is north of Jerusalem, and about 11 miles west of the Sea of Galilee.  Mount Tabor is forested with pine trees and offering stunning, panoramic views.  On a clear day, to the north and west you can see Lebanon; to the east, beyond of the Sea of Galilee, you can see Syria, Jordan, and Mount Hermon.  Jesus and his disciples would have known the words of Psalm 89 about these majestic mountaintops: “The north and the south – you created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.”i And that is because these mountain tops are so beautiful and breezy.  Mount Tabor is only about 2,000 feet above sea level, but that is a lofty height above the sea level of Galilee and the nearby desert of the Jezreel Valley.  Mount Tabor is a place where you would like to stay; we certainly would have been glad for a longer visit.  (I wanted to get information from the Franciscan guesthouse about staying there!)  And so, on the one hand, it’s no wonder that Peter and James and John were coaxing Jesus to stay around and build some tents, which is how people then and now would set up camp out in the wilds.ii Read More

Jesus’ Transfiguration; Our Transfiguration – Br. Curtis Almquist

Mark 9:2-9; Matthew 17:1-8; Luke 9:28-35

In early February my brother Bruce and I were on top of Mount Tabor where this event, Jesus’ transfiguration, took place. We were traveling with a group of pilgrims following the path of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection in Israel/Palestine.  Mount Tabor is north of Jerusalem, and about 11 miles west of the Sea of Galilee.  Mount Tabor is forested with pine trees and offering stunning, panoramic views.  Read More