July 1, 2026 · 5:54 pm

Welcoming Jesus (Sermon)

Photo by KOBU Agency on Unsplash

The readings for the 5th Sunday After Pentecost, Yr. A were: Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18, Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42. This sermon was preached at Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra, VA on June 28, 2026.

In the mornings, I like to scan for breaking news using social media. This morning, I came across a lay person who I know to be active in the Anglican tradition say that if she were preaching, she would focus on our text from Romans. She said people just don’t hear enough about our need for salvation from sin.

Well, that’s true. That can happen. People can sometimes focus solely on the good stuff. Martin Luther called that the Theology of Glory. People skip the need for the cross and go right to the resurrection. Yet, we are Theologians of the Cross as Lutherans. We should be thinking about Law and Gospel always going together.

So in the comments that followed, several people indicated that they would indeed preach on Romans, but one person went so far as to say that if pastors did not preach on Romans they are cowards. Whoa! I thought, “Wow, that’s some Law for you right there.” Yeah…I am not speaking of Romans today. For one thing, we are Lutheran, and Romans is a critical piece of Luther’s on transformation. And so, we speak of that a lot as Lutheran because of its historic importance to our “Lutheran lens.” Also, I think we need to hear about these three short verses in the Gospel. We need to consider how our sin plays into that…how our acceptance of others and offerings to them is something done in effect to Jesus.

So, let me explain. We use what is called the Revised Common Lectionary to guide what texts are covered in our worship services, we do so with many other denominations and individual congregations.  These groups and other people use this lectionary (or list) because we wish to focus on the same texts during worship. It is a sign of our ultimately universal or catholic unity of faith. More than that, it helps us live into our unity more concretely. The Spirit working through scripture seeks to shape the Church and call all to Jesus. Yet, any lectionary is ultimately an arbitrary list discerned by scholars and pastors with the help (hopefully) of that Spirit.

And so sometimes, we have passages that are very difficult that might not otherwise be chosen by pastors and worship committees. Or, this lectionary might break up the sections of scripture a bit differently than your Bible editors might to help better fit the scriptures to the season or echo themes between the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel texts. And then like today, one can presented with an extremely short passage and wonder why.

These short sections of scripture might seem easier to digest or quickly understand, but I would suggest that we might be fooling ourselves. We possibly will not be discerning properly in our rush toward understanding. Remember that each book of the Bible, section, paragraph or verse is incredibly rich. As a Puritan reminds us, “God is still speaking,” through those words. We might need to slow down and listen better for the Spirit. Don’t assume it is easily understood because it is short.

For today’s three lines, varied translations of scripture (ultimately the boards that created the NIV, NRSV, and other translations) provide us with headings to help us focus on an understanding of what comes next. The headings you find are not scripture, nor are the verse numbers (the original Greek and Hebrew have no verse numbers), but additions. Yet supplying us with these headings, each can do so a bit differently. For example, in the Evangelical centered Amplified Version and Roman Catholic favored New American Standard Bible, their heading for today’s section of scripture is “The Reward of Service”…which might make sense considering the groups that like it tend to lean into work’s righteousness. The Common English Bible, the English Standard Version, and the NRSV used by the ELCA just say, “Rewards,” which might seem to indicate all kinds of benefits received through grace.  The work of “service” is removed. Meanwhile, the New King James Version used by Episcopalians and others offers the heading, “A Cup of Cold Water,” reminding us perhaps that the smallest efforts offered in love by us to others fulfills Jesus’ teaching. It is a sacred act.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I looked at numerous translations, and I was surprised that not one offered the heading, “Welcoming Jesus.” And yet, in my study and our conversation during Bible study, the word “receiving” truly popped out to capture my attention this time around. The Greek word used by Matthew only appears three times in the Gospels, and it is in this short passage. Like another recent Sunday’s Gospel lesson (from earlier in this chapter), there is an element of our being received or welcomed in Jesus’ name. As Paul reminds us, we are his ambassadors.

And so, recall that Jesus is one with us. We represent his name and authority. And like an emissary or ambassador, if we are rejected or mistreated as we come to others in his holy name, Jesus, too, is being rejected. Thus, he says, “Those who receive you [as disciples] are also receiving me, and those who receive me are receiving the one who sent me.” We are connected intimately with Jesus and his divine mission.

Then, Jesus indicates that those people who receive a prophet or righteous person in his name…people who represent well the faith, hope, and love that Jesus came to share and make concrete in our lives particularly through his Church…they receive the reward of those who have come to them in Jesus’ name. If a prophet, those welcoming him or her receive a prophet’s reward…Those welcoming a righteous person (and in Matthew’s use of “righteous” that is a person who who’s life demonstrates an active, internal relationship with God, characterized by mercy, compassion, and inward purity), well, the welcomer receives that reward. The great reward of these awesome followers of Jesus (the prophets and righteous ones) is graced upon those who receive them – just for the welcome! Their honor is shared with those who receive them.

We’ve heard earlier in the chapter that those who reject the servants of Jesus also reject him. Now, we hear that the persons who “receive,” “welcome,” or “accept hospitably” (that same word is used in the Greek for these meanings) the followers of Jesus receive the follower’s reward. In short, by welcoming people representing Jesus’ grace that is reaching out to them through these followers, the welcomer is welcoming Jesus.

As one commentator writes, “This discourse as a whole makes clear that God’s power is now at work not only in Jesus, but in and through his disciples.”[i] So, if you or I believe in Jesus and seek to share him through our words and actions, guess what? We are one with Jesus. We despite all our imperfections and sin, no matter our status, are in a spiritual sense Jesus going to others.

Yet, this passage is not just about sharing in and benefitting from God’s saving grace through our welcome of others. We share the faith that we receive through them. Yes, Jesus does speak about reward, but let’s unpack things further. What about our welcome of still others – the little ones? What about when Jesus sends us the people that need his love…has us cross paths with them…so that we can share what we ourselves have received? Well, we are to receive, accept, welcome, and be hospitable to them too. Jesus says, “…whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” So, if we are to take what we experience, learn and receive from other disciples…a lifesaving and nurturing drink of any kind…it is well with us. We are receiving and helping Jesus.

Yet, those “little ones” who Jesus identifies elsewhere as his  children proves to lie beyond his current disciples. His children or little ones include those marginalized by society, the sick and lame, those struggling with sin, the hungry, the imprisoned, the naked, the lonely, and more. About fifteen chapters later in the Gospel According to Matthew (remember it is one cogent whole, and scripture needs to interprets scripture), Jesus teaches, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.”

So clearly, it isn’t just the prophets, righteous ones, or imperfect ones, the children among us…all those Jesus loves need to be received, accepted, welcomed, and treated with hospitality…for Jesus came to draw all people to himself…He loves all people. Thus, this is why Martin Luther in a letter to his sick friend (the Elector Frederick of Saxony, in 1521) writes, “I cannot pretend that I do not hear the voice of Christ crying out to me from Your Lordship’s body and flesh saying, ‘Behold, I am sick.’” Our sufferings are shared by and born by Christ, thus he is in the suffering and one with them.

And if that’s not enough, oh boy, let’s really challenge ourselves. Let’s stretch our minds and hearts further. I am going to share one of my favorite quotes from an Orthodox saint, a nun known for her care of the poor and sick, Mother Gavrilia. Get ready…it is a dozy! …”If you don’t like somebody, remember that you are looking at Christ in the face.” Christ is in those we don’t like calling us to forgive and love our enemies…asking us to forgive and love him. So, for those Republicans or Democrats we judge harshly? Those who, for whatever reason, we think are a lost cause, or too hard to love, or a waste of time? Oh, man…Jesus is in them too…And you thought Elvis was everywhere…

No, Jesus, our Lord, one with our Creator, one with the Spirit that animates us, fully one with our humanity even as he remains fully divine…Jesus is here…God is with Us. In those who go to others in his name…in those who receive his servants…in his children, the little ones, who have so much left to learn or far to go, even all those we greet this afternoon…Christ is in them…calling all of us to accept and love him. Not only that, we are to grow deeper and more intimate in our love.

This truly ancient understanding that comes out of this was encapsulated and shared well by my spiritual mentor of sorts, Br. Roger of Taizé, in his writings. For example, he wrote, praying to Jesus, “Before we even knew you, you loved us.” And so, when we feel overcome by the world or our own struggles with sin, thinking our fire is going out…Br. Roger urged us to remember that we were not the one who lit the fire. Jesus is still there. And when we, the Church, seek to listen, heal, and reconcile, “it becomes what it is at its most luminous—a communion of love, of compassion, of consolation, a clear reflection of the Risen Christ.” 

In this ancient understanding of the Christian mystics, or Martin Luther’s understanding, or the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Orthodox belief…although sometimes regrettably forgotten or ignored by us as modern people…Br. Roger prays a prayer that we all can share in no matter how long we’ve been Christian, whether an inquirer or deeply intimate with Jesus, or just the person without faith yet first suspecting the there is a god calling them to rise out of their tomb…In doing so, he prays for us all:

Jesus Christ, Love of all loving, you were always in me and I did not know it.  You were there, and I kept on forgetting you. You were in my heart of hearts and I was looking elsewhere. Even when I remained far from you, you kept on waiting for me. And the day is coming when I can tell you:  Risen Christ, you are my life:  I belong to Christ, I am Christ’s.

Today, as we welcome people of all kinds and faith experiences to our installation service, or tomorrow as we serve others in our greater community, it is not just us being Jesus going out to love others. We are welcoming the Jesus in them. It is his presence alone that makes it possible to understand and love all life as sacred, and his presence that works through others to help save us.

Amen.

[i] S. Saunders. (June 2026). “Commentary on Matthew 10:40-42.” WorkingPreacher.org. Downloaded at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-13/commentary-on-matthew-1040-42-7 on June 26, 2026.

Post Script: After the service, a few people came up to me to talk about how hard it is to forgive some people who in our view have committed grave wrongs. For example, what does one do about Hitler? Well, nothing I said above means that in the world there cannot be consequences. Lutheran theology has always recognized what Martin Luther called Two Kingdoms, “two simultaneous, overlapping realms through which God rules the world,” (Google AI), in effect the State and the Church. We also talk about three uses of the Law:

  1. The Mirror or Pedagogical Use points to our sin and need of saving, ultimately pointing us to Christ.
  2. The Civil Use restrains evil in society. It basically echoes the much later, scholarly Deterrence Theory. Threat of punishment can restrain sin.
  3. The Guide Use suggests that laws can help us as believers how to live a holy life and express their love for God. One might think of this as “spiritual disciplines,” but always remember that Lutherans do not believe we get “extra credit” for salvation or any saving benefit. Only Jesus saves in the Lutheran view.

So in the world, there can be consequences, and certainly the Bible teaches there is a Judgement Day. We know, as Luther argued that those who trust in Jesus are saved. Beyond that, we risk being unscriptural. On that day, God judges, not us. I am not a universalist, even as I hope those who are lost will experience the mercy of God as I have in my own salvation. The Bible does teach about judgement, and we can not ignore it. Yet, God is more than fair. God is gracious. God is love. So, be ready for surprises.

Yet as we interact with those who have offended and meet out human justice, we seek to always remember a desire for repentance and redemption in that person’s life. We want to protect the community, but we also want to try to remember that there is no justice without mercy. We strive to forgive and want the best for them which includes a relationship with Jesus. If force is necessary, we use the least amount to stop the behavior.

Offering forgiveness is something that also blesses us freeing us from anger which can lead to sin. And if we struggle to do so? Remember that anger is not a sin, but we can be tempted to sin through it. If we do, confess your sin and try to sin no more. Pray for your enemy, the people you are struggling to love. I find that helps free me. Go to a trusted friend, pastor, counselor, or spiritual director to confess your struggles. Yet know, forgiveness might not come fully in some cases. Some offenses are so toxic or harmful they can continue through your life – at least at times. Still, your willingness to work toward forgiveness will result in more peace in your life. Last but not least, some people will never repent or do better. It is ok to shake off your sandals and move on as a last resort, but try to remain open to reconciliation. Ask God to help you.

This is a difficult teaching, but that is exactly why I wanted to speak to it during this sermon. When we sense we are resisting to love someone, it is Jesus who we are ultimately hurting. What we do for or to the least of these, we do for or to him.

Below, please find a video of our worship service. The sermon starts at about the 19:05 minute mark.

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

June 27, 2026 · 1:58 am

Valued More than Swallows (Sermon)

The readings for the 4th Sunday After Pentecost, Yr. A were: Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:7-18, Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39. This sermon was preached at Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra, VA on June 21, 2026. Without any children present, I still wanted to share some of my intended talk with the adults, the “older children of God, as I suspected it would be of interest and a help. So, this sermon is longer than my normal length due to integration of my children’s material.

I was hoping some of the younger children of God would be here with us today, because I was going to show them something…a picture…a picture that was taken for our Office Administrator’s, Cindy’s, seat. Out the office window, there is a lovely bush (a butterfly bush), and there must have been five to six beautiful Goldfinches in that bush. And then one day when I was driving home last week, I was passing the bridge over Lake Anna, and I saw this big, majestic Bald Eagle swoop down, hit the water, and fly off with its prey. Very cool! And then this morning driving to church with my wife, we are driving in and this Turkey Vulture flies up from the side of the road and almost gets hit by our car. That’s not the best ending to the week if that was to happen, but I think it is ironic or some kind of synchronicity that I encounter all these birds, and in the Gospel, we encounter Jesus speaking about two Sparrows.

When we think of God, we often think of Eagles, those majestic birds. Yet, Jesus often speaks about the smallest of birds. We can walk through our day, hear them singing, and we don’t even notice them! They are just part of our background. Yet, Jesus sees them all.

Recall, that just five chapters before in his Sermon on the Mount, the first of five discourses recorded in Matthew, Jesus presents the Beatitudes. As part of that gathering on that mountaintop, he tells the crowd, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26). And today in chapter 10, what does he do?  He tells us that we are of more value than two sparrows. It is very similar.

Jesus uses this very common imagery of small birds to reassure us of God’s great love for us. Today, he wants to reassure his Apostles (for that is who is talking to) that they are loved despite the bumpy road ahead. Certainly, God loves all of God’s creation, but God loves us more. This repetition or echo of teachings found in chapter five and chapter ten might just be a flag calling us to pay closer attention…to look deeper into this passage today.

You might recall that Moses received tablets with ten sayings on a mountain top. Centuries after Moses, Jesus gives sayings to a crowd on a mountain. Notice, Moses receives from God ten sayings as a prophet, but Jesus speaks or gives sayings to the crowd as God. He does so to help people start to realize with this echoing of the past his authoritative, prophetic status, and to help build a foundation for his new community that’s going to be called Church. The way Matthew tells his story, he hopes that people will start to understand the divine import of Jesus by seeing such parallels.

Yet, the beatitudes, this gift that Jesus presents to the crowd and to us, his Church, aren’t about what we do as the Law of Moses was. (“Thou shall or shall not…”) They are about what God does to bless us by grace through faith within even the most difficult of situations. Jesus wants us to reflect God’s blessings at all times. At the communion table, we often pray, “It is good at all times and every place to offer our thanks to God,” right? Jesus wants us to live into God’s blessings…as his Children…because that’s what we are now. In Matthew’s Gospel chapters five and six prove the lens we need to better understand what comes after in his account.

So as Jesus continues his discourse to expand upon these all important sayings, he says that we should not worry about how we might succeed or even survive. Worry about the future? No! Avoid that. Try to pull yourself back from that ledge. Don’t let fear hold you back. Yet, don’t fear guilt because you are afraid. God gave us that emotion to help us interact with and process our world. Certainly, fear too can be a gift helping us to preserve our life or the lives of other…Fear can save our behind…It is fear shouting, “Look! Danger! Do something!” Nevertheless, fear should never stop us from following God’s will. For we are loved and provided for by God, just like those vulnerable, almost powerless birds and lilies of the field.

So, my flock, vulnerable as we are, we need to listen closely to Jesus’ words today. If we have faith in Jesus…if we dare to follow him…he warns that there will be consequences. Oh, there’s already consequences living in a fallen world…everyone, everyone faces consequences of living in this fallen world…but just as the world rejects Jesus, don’t be surprised when it rejects us.

Using a rabbinical teaching style of his day, Jesus is saying we are his slaves – his emissaries, his ambassadors, or messengers if you prefer. We serve Jesus, and we represent Jesus in the world. And we are being sent in his name. Thus hen we go out into the world (whether to the golf course, work, or school), in that ancient mindset, we fully represent him. In that honor-based society, if we, as his representatives, if we are dishonored by others, it is as if someone is doing something to him.

In the face of this, Jesus says, “Expect it.” It is going to happen sometimes. Expect dishonor. Expect family rejection, and religious persecution, or scorn, being made fun of, being gossiped about…expect it. Expect that in following Jesus, people might misunderstand us enough or hate us enough to even kill us. And we are lucky enough to live in the United States that the threat of death is not always before us, but our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world still do. In trying to love in a world that so easily rejects love…rejects Jesus…there will be costs…The costs might vary, but there will be sacrifices that we have to face.

And just as in the Sermon on the Mount, in chapter 10, Jesus responds to the fear that we might rightly feel as humans. “Do not worry,” he says. For we who follow Jesus…who are his slaves…belong to Jesus. More than that, we are one with him…one with Jesus! And that’s exactly what Saint Paul describes to us. In some passages Paul calls us slaves to sin, but in others slave to God. In faith, we are to be totally dedicated and seeking to follow divine direction as we love those who Christ has entrusted to us, for we belong to Jesus. We represent him in the world. Yet as slaves to Jesus, we are also one with him. And if we die to ourselves or die as martyrs, it is ok. Paul writes, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” We are now dead to sin and are alive to God in Christ Jesus. We are something different, fully the Children of God…and thus ultimately free to live, love and serve as called.

We who are called by Jesus to follow him are deeply and intimately loved, for he is one with us. And God chose to create us and call us out of love and delight to accomplish God’s will in the world. So, to help mitigate our justifiable fears, Jesus compares us to sparrows. In those days, sparrows were considered insignificant. As many as they can be, they are small and vulnerable to the environment, carnivores, and other birds. In addition, in Jesus’ time, they were common food for the poorest of the poor. Thus, sparrows have been called “the Poultry of the Poor.”

Additionally in the Torah, the Law of Moses, sparrows could be the poor person’s offering at the Temple, instead of more costly animals. According to Leviticus 14, sparrows were particularly prescribed for sacrifice by lepers…the feared, homeless, isolated, and poor as lepers. As one commentator writes, “The most remarkable thing about sparrows is probably how unimpressive they are. Although you may have seen thirty of them today, you may not have noticed a single one.”[i] Still as with the other birds of the air, or lilies in the field, and now just two small sparrows, God notices. God sees. God cares. More than that, God saves. Yes, “not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” They are caught within God’s loving gaze, attention, and care…And that’s exactly what Jesus promises for those that believe…who trust in him. And that’s exactly what Jesus promises for those who believe in him.

In the Hebrew scriptures, one of the names we hear for God is el roi (pronounced el raw-EE) which means “the God who sees.” Hagar, the concubine of Abraham who was cast out from the tribe due to Sarah’s jealousy, alone and unseen in the wilderness, uses those words to name God.[ii] At risk of death, alone and afraid, she was rescued by the intervention of an angel who also announced she would give birth to Abraham’s other son, Ishmael. In her suffering, without hope and alone, she understands after this experience that she was seen by God in her suffering all along. And so, she calls him el-roi (the God Who Sees) in her prayers of thanksgiving.

And el-roi sees us, too, even within our doubt, darkness, and suffering…even when we try to run away in our sin like Adam and Eve in Paradise in their shame after eating forbidden fruit. Even when we just feel small and powerless, God sees us and loves us. God seeks for us. More than that, Jesus promises that we who follow Jesus…who serve as his ambassadors and share in his death…We belong to Jesus. He will never let us fall beyond his love’s reach. Never! We are intimately loved and cared for…even when we think we are alone and God has abandoned us…whatever wilderness we find ourselves in. Yes, “even the hairs of your head are all counted” (Matthew 10:30). We are precious to God and loved as if by a perfect mother or father.

Yet since we believe and trust in Jesus, the world naturally rejects us to…For, we are in the world but not of it (John 17:16). We are Jesus’ flock. (Whether you prefer bird or sheep imagery, we are his flock.)…We are no longer slaves but God’s children (Galatians 4:7)…We are claimed as his family. Jesus said, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Saved through our faith and baptism, that’s who we are now! We are saved, sent, and ultimately safe because of Jesus’s steadfast love for us on Judgement Day…whatever we have done or failed to do.

Yet at the time that Matthew’s Gospel was first received, faith in Jesus meant people could be cast out of the family of faith (the Synagogues), their genetic family (as a friend of mine in Africa was), or even their greater community. To be one with Jesus, set one apart and often in opposition to others of this world. So, Jesus encourages us to hang on. We aren’t being called to conflict, but it will come to us since we represent Jesus. In faith, trust him with everything that we have. Don’t let any familial or other loss keep you from Jesus or what he calls you to do. Chose following Jesus first, even if it means facing death, even if dying to oneself as we sacrifice things to fulfill our mission assigned to us…Because as Jesus explains, “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

Look also at the prophet Jeremiah, heard from today as well. He was often criticized for suggesting the powers that be were in error. He shouted against the people of his time turning against one another and God. Doing so, he became a distraction that eventually led him to be viewed as an enemy. Until finally, he was cast in a pit to die, and once rescued, later jailed. When Jeremiah finally is released, he is not freed by his people. No, Jeremiah is liberated by the conquering Babylonians, and all those he loves are now in exile and the Temple and Jerusalem are in ruins.

As a human being turning to God, we often hear Jeremiah outline how he feels let down and in need. That’s why he wrote Lamentations. God has enticed and overpowered him, he says. Jeremiah could not resist following God, yet when he does? I can hear him saying, “What kind of trick is this, God?” He has become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks him. The powers that be and his people think he’s a joke – his family, friends…it seems that everyone has turned against him…And still then, likely through tears, he decides to trust God.

As Jesus warns us, that kind of rejection and dissension can happen when we try to follow God’s will for us…when we bear the name of “Christian.” Yet, it’s not the name per se. It is more than that. When reflect Jesus in what we do and say we will find the world against us at times. There are a lot of people that will cry out Lord, Lord! And not be saved.

Yet when all was said and done in Jeremiah’s story, we learn that God is big enough to use our enemies, even our imperial enemies, in his case the Babylonians, to do God’s will.[iii] God sees Jeremiah and his stiff-necked people and will save both of them. This is not because they deserve it, but God freely loves them. It takes some time…70 years!

Yet even then, God remains at work. The exiled Jewish people could not make sacrifices at the Temple which no longer existed. The Emperor intended to wipe out their religion and culture to fully integrate them. Many of that time wondered if there really was a God at all. “We are God’s chosen people, so how is this happening to us?” And, then the Rabbinical system began, and Synagogues were established in exile, to help the Jewish people remember their culture, language, and God’s love for them. They heard during their suffering God’s promises, and they hung on…with everything they had. And through that suffering and their faithful response to it, God made them more unified than ever before…more steeped in their faith…more faithful than they had been.

This is just the way God is…God has a steadfast love for us….never ending. We hear this promise throughout scripture. Before time began, at Creation, in Christ’s ministry, and in the world since Pentecost…God is love, and God freely chooses to love us. When Jesus has called us through his Spirit…we might struggle in faith…We might suffer for the sake of righteousness or in this Fallen World…but we are always seen and never alone.

As common as we are…as worthless we feel…or as sinful as we truly might be beyond anyone’s awareness…Jesus will catch us when we fall…like those small sparrows. For when we are one with Jesus through the gift of our faith and baptism, not even death can defeat us. Follow Jesus, we are told, serving and sacrificing as he asks each of us, because there’s nothing to truly fear. God is waiting to catch us. We…you…will not fall to the ground apart from our Father. Amen.

[i] Anon. “God of Eagle and the Sparrow.” Living with Faith. Downloaded at https://www.livingwithfaith.org/blog/god-of-the-eagle-and-the-sparrow on June 19, 2026.

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Reid, S.B. “Commentary on Jeremiah 20:7-13.” Working Preacher. Downloaded at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-12/commentary-on-jeremiah-207-13-6 on June 19, 2026.

Below, please find a video of our worship service. The sermon starts at about the 23:11 minute mark.

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

June 17, 2026 · 5:34 pm

Give Without Payment (Sermon)

Image: Domenico Ghirlandaio, Detail from “Calling of the First Apostles,” 1481. via Wikimedia Commons.

The readings for the 3rd Sunday After Pentecost, Yr. A were: Exodus 19:2-8a; Psalm 100; Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35—10:23. This sermon was preached at Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra, VA on June 7, 2026.

As the Twelve Tribes escaped Egypt with God’s help, we can sometimes wrongly assume too much about them. They did not initiate the Exodus on their own. It was God’s will…God’s loving actions freed them. Indeed, God’s intention all along was to rescue them due to God’s previous promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Yet after generations of slavery, they had lost themselves in those dehumanizing, traumatic, and I must emphatically say evil conditions…I have to say this because despite what people like Doug Wilson and others might be saying on the national stage or social media, slavery is evil and not the will of God. [Just because God tolerated our sin historically does not mean that’s God’s will for us. God wishes the slave to be set free.] And sadly, I know firsthand that some people still abhorrently and ignorantly try to use scripture to make that sin of slavery more palatable within our American history.

Yes, slavery can be on the personal level soul crushing, but it also serves an effective form of cultural destruction if not genocide. Empires and other entities throughout history have treated people like property, but they also in many cases, as with ancient Egypt, sought to erase those they considered “the other.” After the Israelites 400 to 430 year experience, the Israelites were not unified. They were more tribal (more divided) than when their sojourn in slavery began. Thus, God had lots of work to do. They needed time and care to recover from that horrific generational experience. The situation necessitated that they get to know and trust who God was again, but they also had to relearn how to love one another.

So, God would affirm Moses as their leader, God’s prophet, and eventually seventy elders would be appointed to help him. And God would soon (a chapter later) give them the Ten Commandments or as some of our Jewish siblings call them, The Sayings of God, to help build them up and shape them into the people of God our God intended. Yet, it is easy to miss what matters most. God names them saying, “Indeed, the whole earth is mine [everything including you and me], but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation” (Exodus 5c-6a). Deuteronomy recalls God naming them similarly, and perhaps most importantly, a lasting “Holy People of God” (Deuteronomy 26:19 and Deuteronomy 28:9). And within this naming, this proclamation by God, we discern their vocation which shapes all that comes after in the Bible including our Christian texts. God will steadfastly love and help them, but also God’s going to use them to spread faith, hope, and love throughout the Earth. Ultimately, God has set them aside for a holy purpose. Despite sin, despite failure and infighting, gossip and unfair criticism of one another…God will remain willing to forgive and intends to keep them part of God’s plan.

Now after this foundational context, let’s fast forward to our reading about Jesus today. It’s Good News. Jesus’ ministry is up and running. His capabilities and authenticity are starting to attract great crowds, and in the midst of these crowds, his heart is moved toward compassion. In direct opposition to what some religious but un-Christlike people are claiming in the United States these days, compassion is not a sin…Compassion is not a sin….We might err in how we offer our compassion, but Jesus who was without sin, Jesus had compassion on others…the poor, sick, the lame, the poor and cast aside.

We are told in English that these people were harassed and helpless. In the original Greek, the word for harassed literally means flayed, skinned or mangled. This wording as used here signifies that Jesus saw people who were “tired to the bone, continuously annoyed, and beaten down by life’s burdens including by too many of the religious leaders.”[i]  By helpless, the text means “thrown down, cast off, and abandoned…unable to pick themselves up again.[ii] Many of these folks were beyond desperate…some near death in body if not spirit. They were too often enslaved by sin, the powers of death, and the Devil. These many stories of healings, exorcisms, and other miracles accomplished by Jesus out of compassion will reveal him to be the promised Messiah, “God with Us” – but in a bigger way than anyone expected. And as people start to see…dare to hope…that there’s something special going on in and through Jesus, the fully human while fully divine Jesus requires help as Moses did before him.

You see, this work is physically taxing. You will hear that he sometimes needed downtime with prayer in the mountains just to recharge his human body as we all must do at times. Yet, his methodology is not pure circumstance. Jesus knows his mission. Jesus knows the time he has left to complete it and all the effort that will be necessary. And Jesus knows that he wants to create – not just a nation, nothing cultural or political per se – but a vastly expanded “Holy People of God” beyond anyone’s imagination which will ultimately be called, Church. Jesus has come to call all people to himself (John 12:32). 

Now, someone at the Lectionary Bible study asked a wonderful question that got me really thinking. He calls all people to himself, and yet, it seems quite peculiar and perhaps counter to his intention to instruct his new Apostles, “Do not go among the Gentiles or the Samaritans.” That is not in the other Gospels, only Matthew. And Matthew, a Jewish believer himself, was writing particularly for a Jewish-Christian community and those who might join them. If you want to help people identify Jesus as the Jewish promised Messiah to Jewish people, you help them through your story telling…the rhetorical focus of your written or spoken witness. You use these devices to point out things that you think will guide them to a correct understanding of Jesus as Son of the Living God, the fulfillment of all of God’s previous promises to the Jews.

Thus, the Gospel According to Matthew (his account or witness), is chalk full of scriptural citations pointing particularly to the prophets’ description of the Messiah. You can say, “Oh, that sounds like Jesus…that sounds like Jesus. Jesus must be the one promised.” When Jesus teaches, he reports that he did so and was recognized as if he was a wondering prophet or a Pharisee. They were called Rabbi, or teacher. Matthew tells the story in such a way that there are five discourses of Jesus. Five in ancient Jewish numerology already represented and helped identify something having a deep connection to divine power, spiritual elevation, and God’s interaction with the physical world. Jesus gave many discourses as a traveling rabbi. We should not assume there were just five, but Jesus embodies or reflects this cultural understanding and expectation. He wants his audience to come to understand that Jesus is God. Even Jesus being named Emmanuel, God with Us, reflects back to Isaiah, but also Isaiah’s understanding that no matter what happened to the kingdom or its people, God’s promise to Moses still stands. It would makes sense to Matthew’s earliest audiences that Jesus focused on the Jewish people first, for God had promised to “keep them as a treasured possession out of all the peoples” (Exodus 5b). Again, it was through them that all the world would be blessed. So, it makes sense within the Jewish expectation that the promised Messiah would go to the Jewish people first.

Yet in going to the Jewish people first, this does not mean Jesus did not love the Gentiles. His Church, despite hesitation and challenges, would grow out of the Jewish people and mix in people of all races and places where there is no longer Jew or Greek, nor male or female. Why? For as Church, “all of you [the Church, the saints, the Children of God…those saved by through the gifts of our faith and baptism] are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). God used the Jews to move toward a next step in unity, but God has not forsaken God’s promise to the Jews. And God is using us now, too, alongside those with the faith of Abraham. For according to Saint Paul, “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel,” he says in Romans 9. Or Jesus says that not all who cry our “Lord, Lord!” will be saved (Matthew 7:21).

And so in Matthew 9, we see Apostles chosen and sent first to Jewish inhabitants of the land, but the mission won’t end with them either. Seventy disciples will be sent, then more, from the Jewish people to the Gentiles and throughout the Earth…until Jesus sends you and me. The needs are great, and there will never be enough workers in this world to heal all the pain and suffering. Yet, Jesus will finish this task…when he comes back again to establish a new heaven and earth. And while we wait, we serve. We love. We call others to work with us not using guilt or threat but by invitation. “Come and see. Come and help.”

We are asked to look at the way Jesus walked, and we are to listen to him, not only for our own spiritual benefit, but for the benefit of others. This is not for extra credit either. As Christians, we are supposed to understand and believe that even faith is a gift, and we cannot earn our salvation….not a smidgen of it. It is all about Jesus and what Jesus did. As Martin Luther famously said, “God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.” What he’s saying is, “Have compassion on them…like Jesus. They are suffering. They are broken and wounded. Have compassion on them like Jesus.”

There are people in need, people without a shepherd feeling lost and alone, and Jesus wants to send you and me. Those people might “coincidentally” cross our path unexpectedly, or we might have to seek them out, but they are out there…It might be just one person that you are supposed to impact, but they are out there. Every sheep matters to Jesus. If you help just one person in your entire life discover Jesus’ love for them…Oh, my goodness. Your life is worth living. Everything you lived through was worth it for that one person who needs to know Jesus. Yes, people are waiting, hungering, to hear about Jesus and be healed. And in our Lutheran tradition, you might recall that we often speak of the priesthood of all believers. We might have slightly different calls, roles, and abilities…we might have different challenges…but Jesus calls us all to do something…something…out of his compassion for the world. 

Remember, the time Jesus walked the earth among us as a human being remained close to an indigenous worldview in many ways…It was still tribal and more connected to the natural world than we might be. So, Professor Zaccharias of Divinity College pointed out in an essay, “In many Indigenous cultures [and I have seen this too having worked in Native communities and nonprofits), leadership is not about hierarchy (Who am I in charge of?) but about service (Who can I help?). A true leader is one who cares for the people, ensuring their well-being. Much like a Wisdom Keeper or Medicine Man, Jesus responds to the needs of the people, embodying a leadership that is deeply relational and motivated by compassion.”[iii] And if you ever saw those eagle feathers that they wear, they can receive those for bravery in battle, but also for the compassion and generosity they show others. We, my fellow Holy People of God, share that exact, same sort of call.

Yet, before anyone starts to feel guilty about not doing enough, you like Jesus need to be realistic about your bodies and other limits, too. It is ok. You might need restorative time in the mountains. And like Paul, hopefully you understand that your call is not my call, and we each have our unique gifts of time, treasure and talent to offer, along with uniquely varied health, abilities, and obstacles. We have to discern what I can do. Furthermore, our calls can change. Being a pastor, for example, is not who I am but what I do.

Amidst this diversity of skill and need, laborers are indeed few. And just as there was an urgency to the Apostles mission due to the cross, there’s an urgency to our mission because Jesus is coming soon and very soon. “You received without payment; give without payment,” Jesus commands us. What can you, me, and all of those who believe do in thanksgiving for the grace and love that we have received? We are being asked to be as patient, generous, hospitable, kind, and generally loving as possible. We are asked to embody and share the Good News of Jesus until our last breath.

Rather than worrying about what we cannot do, consider what we can do. We are the called, chosen, and set apart people of God after all. Life might get harder. We might die before Jesus returns. Yet, we already share in Jesus’ victory. That’s God’s promise too. Be wise but be caring. Value justice but offer mercy. Be good stewards but also be generous. Be bold, but flee or step back if one must at times for our health or wellbeing. You will know when you need to be a martyr. Don’t assume. It is not selfishness to care for oneself if it helps us love God and others all the more tomorrow.

Friends, there will always be poor among us, and we will never get to everyone no more than the Apostles will reach all of Israel, but the promises of God last forever. The mission will be completed to its fulness on the Last Day by Jesus. And yet, he longs for us to share his compassion and love while we wait for the blessed day. Amen.

[i] Etheredge, C. (u.d.). How to Identify Disciples: Helping the Harassed and Helpless (3 of 3). As downloaded at https://discipleship.org/blog/how-to-identify-disciples-helping-the-harassed-and-helpless-3-of-3/

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Zacharias, D. (2026). Commentary on Matthew 9:35—10:8 [9-23]. Working Preacher. As downloaded at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-11/commentary-on-matthew-935-108-9-23-3.

Below, please find a video of our worship service. The sermon starts at about the 31:37 minute mark.

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

June 9, 2026 · 2:12 am

We are unwell (Sermon)

Healing of a bleeding woman, Rome, Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter. Public Domain.

The readings for the 2nd Sunday After Pentecost, Yr. A were: Hosea 5:15-6:6; Psalm 50:7-15; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26. This sermon was preached at Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra, VA on June 7, 2026.

As a well-known law enforcement chaplain in Virginia, I am often asked to offer ceremonial prayers for events. This includes Law Enforcement Basic graduations from a regional academy. Amidst what is often shiny, happy faces of graduates and their families, a few days ago, you would have seen the shine of their badges obscured by a shroud. There have been some pretty traumatic stories in Virginia of late. Yes, a line of duty death, but other high-profile acts of violence even amidst families. And just south of where I currently live, six people died in a terrible vehicle accident with two more later in the week.

Exposure to trauma and loss comes at a cost. And so as I was at this most recent local academy graduation to offer the ceremonial prayers…with events reminding them of friends they had already lost in their service to the community…or other tragedies that they have been exposed to…I had several let down their usually robust guard of their emotions to risk speaking with me. These officers just needed to share with someone how wrong the world can seem at times. They hoped to find even just a bit of release from the weight of sorrow that they carried. In a sense, even if they did not fully recognize it, they yearned for healing…for someone to say that it will be ok.  

I share this because I think we all might sense there is something wrong with our world…even when things seem to be going very well. In biblical terms, we usually sum it up by saying we live in a Fallen World. That’s perhaps too tidy a word for the messes that we see, but it reminds us that…whatever we believe about the story of Adam, Eve and the forbidden fruit they ate in the garden…something is just not right. As my Lakota friends say as they end their own sacred stories…Héčhetu yeló… “That’s the way it is.” Across cultures and religions, even secular philosophies, we humans tend to collectively recognize that the world needs help. We need help. For we are, even at our best, unwell.

This experience reminded me of why we need Jesus so desperately. We need the hope and healing he offers all. We along with all of creation groan for his return and his completed vanquishing of sin, death, and the Devil. We are told that at that time of restoration, at his return, a new heaven and earth will come where “the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing” (Zechariah 8:5) happily and safely, and God will wipe every tear from our eyes. “Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more,” for the first things will have passed away (Revelation 21:3-4).

As humble Lutherans, we are asked to recognize that we also are not well. Even at our best, we are saved, and yet, we still struggle with sin. That’s how Martin Luther summarized it. We are “Sinner-Saints.” As a former Dean of Trinity Lutheran Seminary wrote for the magazine Living Lutheran:

“Being a saint isn’t about what I do or don’t do but about who I am in relationship with God. That’s also true of being a sinner. The Lutheran confessions define sin as the self-centered failure to trust God (Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article II). Adam and Eve’s problem wasn’t just that they ate a piece of fruit or broke one of God’s rules. Their real sin was their desire to be ‘like God,’ relying on their judgment rather than trusting God’s word. For us, too, our specific sinful behaviors are only symptoms of this self-centered condition that theologians call ‘original sin.’”[i]

Thus, recognizing our own need for grace, hopefully, we are more intentional about trying to offer that same grace to others. Or as John reminds us, “We love because [Jesus] first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

There was a popular author awhile back who used to quip that “Grace is unfair, which is one of the hardest things about it.”[ii] (We can struggle accepting the reality of who God chooses to offer grace too – sometimes ourselves but certainly those God loves but we deem somehow underserving.) Yet this is indeed the teaching embodied in and through Jesus. And today, it is one of the beautiful truths we can see with God’s help in our assigned Gospel reading. Within a few short verses, we see how grace works amidst the difficulties and selfishness of the world…how it reaches out to embrace individuals and respond to the world’s fallen harshness.

Look, for example, at the call of Matthew. Nothing is said of his deserving his call. Jesus just knows God’s purpose and possibility created within him and says, “Follow me.” As you have probably heard many times before, tax collectors of that day often lined their own pockets to supplement their pay. They were collaborators with a foreign empire suppressing the Jewish people. They were people who made terrible choices when it came to life and relationships. They sinned, and thus they were ostracized…which might have just made their behaviors in some cases worse. If you are going to be condemned, why not go all in on your sin? Why try? I would be a very rich man if I was compensated for every time I heard a modern person express such deformed thinking.

You see, Jesus came to save the world…to call all people to himself. God saw what was created and declared it good. Humans, however we might identify ourselves, all reflect God’s own goodness…God’s image. Despite the reality of sin, no matter how stuck we might feel…God thinks differently. With the help of God, we have the capability to do better and be better…to be made well. Jesus, our Redeemer and Savior, knew this as he approached the tax collectors. He lived this as he ate with tax collectors and other sinners. He sees them as the troubled children of God they are but also as they can be through his grace. So, grace comes to them…is offered them…through Jesus.

And what of the Pharisees? They knew God. They knew the law…but compassion and empathy were not always their strongest suit. If someone struggled with sin, they did not feel obligated to seek them out. They tended to give up on those they deemed sinners, and in doing so, they hesitated to be in relationship with them. Blindly, they thought they honored God and protected themselves from sin. Yet even in Jesus’ correction, he offers the Pharisees grace. They are asked to remember the words of Hosea, the prophet. God desires mercy, not sacrifice. We are invited to be God-like in the way we offer grace to others. They, like the tax collectors and sinners, are invited to repent and start anew.

In his warnings to the Jewish people in the Northern Kingdom, Hosea clearly speaks of the Law, the risk of judgement and consequences for their wondering hearts. Yet, the entire text, and Hosea’s own relationship with his unfaithful wife, Gomer, shouts of grace. Hosea seeks Gomer out with a willingness for forgiveness while offering new starts. God through the prophet’s teachings and actions demonstrates a repeated invitation despite repeated failures, “Return to me…Return to me.” This invitation brings back to my mind a hymn from my youth about Hosea, “ Come back to me with all your heart; Don’t let fear keep us apart; Trees do bend though straight and tall; So must we to others call.”[iii] Our hesitancy to repent of our own sins, to believe that we can change…or our lack of grace for others perhaps struggling with sin more than we or in a different way…is challenged by a grace which seeks each of us out as we are.

And then, most of us here know too well the sting of death…the fears or dismay that can come with any sickness. A leader of a synagogue had heard enough about Jesus to trust his ability to raise his dead daughter to new life. On his way, a woman who had a bleeding disorder of some kind had also heard of Jesus. She, too, had come to believe that healing was possible. She trusted in her heart that if she could just touch the hem of his garment, she would be healed.

You might now that in Numbers 15:37-41, God commanded Israelite men to wear twisted tassels of wool on the four corners of their outer garments. This cord was to serve as a daily visual reminder to keep God’s commandments. Yet in Hebrew, this hem area could also be called a corner, edge or wing. For the children’s sermon, I had a giant stuffed eagle to remind us of how in Psalms, Isaiah and elsewhere, eagles wings don’t just life us up, they gather us in. Or, we are told that God loves us as a mother hen protecting us with her wings. Some Jewish traditions believed this hem symbolically echoed Malachi 4:2 that the Messiah would bring healing in His “wings.”

So, a lot is going on here in our Gospel reading today. The unforgiveable are not only forgiven but called. We are also talking about resurrection as the greatest of prophets like Elijah were known for. The leader of the synagogue kneels before Jesus as one before God. The Spirit helps him identify Jesus. We then see a woman that has been isolated from active participation in her community by purity laws due to her bleeding. Suffering physically, emotionally, and socially, she is reaching out in faith to someone that she seems to see through a hopeful heart and the gift of faith as the Messiah. Against all odds, people have been forgiven, included, and healed…through the grace offered by Jesus.

Is it any wonder that news of this spread so quickly? Jesus defied human expectations and social convention to offer his healing grace. This remains true in our own lives. We are unwell. Life is unfair. Yet grace, being unfair, reaches out to us anyway. Grace moves based on the will of God, not human constructs of legalisms or expectation….God wills to save us. Can we accept that gift?

As a popular Christan speaker, Chad Bird, pointed out on Facebook,[iv] unrelated to our lectionary, we are asked to confess our sins and repent, because, I would add just as Luther wrote, it is healing medicine. We all need that healing. Yet, don’t ever stifle God’s lifegiving grace. Don’t sell its power short. Resist the temptation to doubt and believe. For it isn’t the complete and perfect confession of our sin that saves us, nor any of our efforts. Our faith, our trust in Jesus, imperfect and struggling as it might be, is used by Jesus to heal us…sometimes suddenly and sometimes over time…and it is he who invites us to risk following him. Bird writes:

Your repentance was not crucified for you.
Your confession did not die for you.
Your faith did not rise from the grave, Jesus and Jesus alone, lived, died, and rose again for you.

When God the Father forgives us, he forgives us as people who repent, confess, and believe.
But it is not our confession or our faith, that is our salvation.

Christ and Christ alone is our salvation.

And it is this same Jesus who has come to our own house this day, to eat with us at the table, to share his hope and healing with us. Amen.

[i] Kleinhans, K. (April 12, 2005). Saints and Sinners: Sin and Forgiveness. Living Lutheran. Downloaded at https://www.livinglutheran.org/saints-sinners/.

[ii] Philip Yancey wrote these words in his book, What’s so amazing about grace? (1997). Sadly, he confessed to an adulteress relationship last year, but this statement remains very true.

[iii] Hosea (Come back to me).

[iv] Chad Bird is a Scholar in Residence with 1517.org, a well-respected Christian non-profit organization rooted in the legacy of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. He was a LCMS pastor and teacher who also had an affair and was divorced. After several years of active repentance and healing, he returned to writing and teaching particularly about the grace he and his family experienced. His Facebook post is dated June 6, 2026.

Below, please find a video of our worship service. The sermon starts at about the 23:57 minute mark.

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

June 7, 2026 · 1:51 am

Being like Marshall

First Captain, George C. Marshall

My “Being Like…” blog posts profile the moral, ethical, and spiritual life of persons that I feel kinship too and most often am inspired by.

A recent post by History Uncovered on Facebook reported on the life of General George C. Marshall. If you don’t know him, you should. He led a remarkable life.

George C. Marshall rose from relatively humble beginnings in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. It was reportedly a stable family and one with some wonderfully historic roots. He was a first cousin, three times removed, of former but still renowned Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall. (John Marshall is definitely regarded as one of the most influential justices ever to serve, and he often came up in classes on legal procedure as I pursued my Masters in Criminal Justice.) With deep family roots in Virginia and an interest in pursuing a military career, George Marshall entered the Virginia Military Institute, my alma mater.

While there, Marshall was a solid cadet. He finished academically in the middle of his class. Yet, his overall performance, dependability, and character garnered attention and promotion. By his First Class Year (Senior), he was First Captain of the Corps serving in Company A.

As a cadet myself, he grew in my esteem with almost daily reminders as I was assigned to Alpha Company eventually becoming its commander as a Cadet Captain. By then, the top rank in the Corps of Cadets was Regimental Commander. I was told that I was one of six considered as finalist for that role, but was assigned to the company level due to my abilities working with others and positive cadet surveys. Yet, to be Alpha Company Commander as he was felt in my young mind like a connection of import and an honor of sorts.

There were other less personal reminders of his legacy thanks to a statue and arch commemorating him, but we also had access to the wonderful George C. Marshall Foundation and Museum on post. (Unfortunately, in my mind, it is more of a library for research today discontinuing some of its displays.) I spent much time there.

Thanks to the foundation’s presence, we had relatively regular access to presentations and writings about Marshall. I recall several that I attended were offered by the eminent, definitive Marshall biographer, Forrest Pogue. Yearly, VMI also served as host to the Marshall Awards where top military cadets of Army ROTC units came for an annual conference in the spring. As a cadet branching with the Army, I often escorted Generals attending the event and was able to listen in to many fabulous scholars and leaders as they shared their wisdom.

Although I changed directions from my initial desire for a military career (God had other ideas), thankfully for the world, Marshall did not. He eventually became Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army under presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. He’s largely credited for the Allied victory by Winston Churchill and others, although Eisenhower is more commonly known today.

After World War 2, he served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under Truman. He also had the vision behind what became known as the Marshall Plan. (My grandfather graduated at the Harvard Commencement where Marshall first announced the plan on June 5, 1947. My mother was there too, as at the time, my grandfather was the oldest graduating senior that Harvard ever had to that point. He had gone directly into business, and after some success, sought more education.)

Following all his sacrifices, President Truman knew that Marshall was still not truly ready to retire. He asked Marshall to consider becoming head of the American Red Cross. Marshall consented by letter on March 15, 1949. Yet as busy as he was, he still found time to serve in the church as a leader on his local Episcopal vestry. He was a person dedicated to loving his neighbor, serving his nation but also the world. His faith and VMI seems to have greatly influenced him in this direction.

The History Uncovered post observed, “VMI was not simply an academic institution—it was a training ground for responsibility, where leadership had to be earned through conduct, consistency, and example. By absorbing these values, he gradually transformed from an ordinary student into a dependable presence within the Corps of Cadets. His performance at VMI revealed a pattern that would follow him throughout his career: he did not seek attention, but he consistently delivered structure, planning, and accountability.”

There are many great leaders from VMI, but of them all, I’ve come to be most inspired by Jonathan Daniels and George Marshall. As I’ve written before, I admire Jonathan Daniels’ clear sense of justice, willingness to serve others, and his desire to love and help free others from darkness including those who saw him as an enemy. He died doing so, saving a young African American girl’s life, thus he’s on the calendar of saints for the Episcopal Church.

As I learned more about George Marshall beyond VMI, I continued to be inspired by his humble service which I suggest also shaped by his Christian faith and loving family life along with his experience at VMI. He truly spoke truth to superiors even if likely unwelcome. A famous example is when he boldly spoke plainly to General Pershing as a Major in World War 1. While others hedged bets, Marshall told the truth. As a result, many thought his career was done for. One article reports, “Marshall shrugged off his friends’ condolences, saying: ‘All I can see is that I may get troop duty instead of staff duty, and certainly that would be a great success.” Rather than ending his career, Pershing was impressed. Marshall became a favored, trusted advisor of Pershing.

Marshall was the consummate team player, yet his morals and ethics kept him from conforming to group think or accept that which was wrong. Even at the risk to his career, he always strove to do the right thing. Although he advanced in rank, he did not seem to seek that out. He just tried to serve his nation and others.

Jonathan Daniels and George Marshall are two excellent role models, and I hope and pray my experiences at VMI and beyond along with their faithful witness will increasingly help shape my own life. Part of this influence is seen in my resume. I’ve served in a military staff position (battalion level in the National Guard) and on interdisciplinary teams as a missioner at St. Joseph’s Indian School, a hospice and hospital chaplain, as a board member on one of the largest nonprofits in Virginia, helping community groups and serving local congregations. I feel that Marshall’s example has always been before me challenging me to always do better when it comes to being a team player and to not worry about credit. (Who else rightly judges us other than God anyway?)

Yes, it’s nice getting awards or being promoted. It’s appropriate to thank people for their efforts. Yet all I really want to do is love my neighbor in thanksgiving for how Jesus changed the direction of my life. He’s still changing it, and I’m still learning, but that’s my daily hope and prayer. I think in their own unique way, both Daniels and Marshall echoed Christ’s own life and have something to teach all of us. Maybe George C. Marshall should be on a calendar of saints somewhere, but I don’t think he’d ever have cared. For in the end, whatever our vocation, we who believe are called to be saints too.

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

May 25, 2026 · 3:32 pm

What does the Spirit say? (Sermon)

Image: Shower of Rose Petals at the Pantheon in Rome, Liturgical Arts Journal

Readings for the Feast of Pentecost, Yr. A – Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; 5:6-11; John 20:19-23. This sermon was preached at Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra, VA on May 24, 2026.

Some of you might recall a catchy, “so bad that it is good” song called What Does the Fox Say? from several years ago. The songwriters intentionally tried to make the most absurd song possible for a Norwegian talk show as a joke, and it turned out to be a hit. Last week, I happened to hear it as I was commuting to the church, and it struck me…The singers almost sound like they are speaking in tongues. Well, as a pastor’s brain can do, it was only a short “ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding” in the song later that a few important questions came to my mind…In all seriousness, it is a question not just for Pentecost but for each day of a Christian’s life, “What does the Spirit say?” And closely related to that, “How do we know and understand the Holy Spirit as it speaks and operates in our lives?”

The stories and letters that we hear on Pentecost reveal the supernatural, divine inbreaking of the Spirit into the world in a new way. The Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity always was, is, and always will be. At Creation, the Holy Spirit is encountered as a divine wind parting seas and breathing life into clay. Many ancients considered Holy Wisdom as a manifestation of God, personified in scripture as a woman I should point out. (So, the Holy Spirit can sometimes be called she, but God as a spiritual divine being is not truly of any sex.) We meet the Spirit in Psalms and in the lives of the Patriarchs, Matriarchs, and Prophets. (Both male and female prophets are in scripture). Even as Jesus is baptized by John, it is the Spirit that drives Jesus into the wilderness.

Yet until Jesus rose from the dead, there was a chasm between us and our Triune God…a brokenness since the Fall requiring more than just our efforts and repentance to fix. This suffering needed God’s activity to heal us – the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus in particular. With that, the Kingdom of God has been ushered into our world, but God’s not yet done with us or the world. There’s work left to do. The Kingdom is here but not in its fullness until Jesus comes again. As Jesus promised, he would not leave us orphaned in this in between time but would give us an advocate, the Holy Spirit, to help us and be with us forever (John 14:16). This was for the fulfillment of even more ancient promises to Abraham and the Jewish believers who followed pointing toward a new reality where God would someday ultimately dwell in our hearts instead of any temple.

As Paul clearly explains to the church in Corinth, faith is a gift of the Spirit, “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” This was Jesus’ teaching with Peter’s confession of faith as well. The Holy Spirit enters our life in a different way through our faith and baptism. It claims us as God’s own. It promises us abundant, eternal life. It has the power to free us from all that holds us back…our doubts, darkness, and sin…when we surrender to it and radically trust it. (It never forces itself upon us.) It is always at work for our welfare in order to sanctify us (make us holy), guide us, and it even prays for us. When our groaning can find no words (Romans 8:26), the Spirit lifts our concerns to the heart of the Trinity with groaning of its own. Even for those of us that have faith, it is always trying to draw us into new beginnings – “from one beginning to another” Br. Roger of Taizé used to say.

Yes, this is the Spirit that also guided Martin Luther as he was used to help reorient the Church more clearly toward the gift of grace. As much as with the Christians on the road to Emaus, the scriptures were opened to Martin Luther, and his heart was set afire. Or on this Aldersgate Day, an annual celebration of our Methodist siblings on May 24th, we might recall John Wesley’s heart being “strangely warmed” as he overheard Moravians reading Martin Luther’s preface to Paul’s letter to the Roman church. This finally gave John Wesley the assurance and peace that Christ had truly taken away his sins. Thus, the Spirit changed the direction of their lives, and in effect the Church’s direction, forever – setting one heart to another on fire.

Yet, we should remember with the growth of the Church that they and others touched by the Spirit that came before and after them often faced misunderstanding or hostility. Sometimes, they might face death because of this fire of faith burning in their hearts. And this reminds me, as Jesus shared, the Holy Spirit will teach us at every hour of challenge what we ought to say (Luke 12:12). And further as St. Francis urged his fellow friars, our actions and choices can proclaim Jesus, too. Our actions can prove a kind of sermon.

No, Pentecost with its ancient roots is not to be relegated to the past, for it is still unfolding in our presence. The very same Holy Spirit that touched the great saints and Apostles of the early Church is seeking similarly to heal and transform our lives in the present. It calls us to do miracles, not always supernatural mind you, but most often small things done in great love. Every effort and relationship becomes sanctified as we do so.

As we heard today, crowds had gathered for a great Jewish festival called Shavuot (or Pentecost by the Greek influenced, Hellenistic Jews) held fifty days after Passover. The Jewish celebration recalled the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, and it served to give thanks for the summer harvest. During the festival, people would offer their first fruits to God. Yet despite the excitement, hidden away in an upper room, waited the disciples of Jesus.

Just ten days previously at the Ascension, Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit would come to them. Much as with the crucifixion or Easter, the disciples were likely pensive and unsure of what was to happen next…what it all meant. They might have even feared the vast crowds…Crowds had called for the death of Jesus after all. Little did they suspect that on a day marking God’s provision of daily bread and the Law, God’s gift of grace would overflow. A new life in the Spirit would begin.

Rightly, we imagine this momentous event with powerful wind and earthquake. We are told the Spirit descended as if tongues of fire, hence all the red that we wear and that surrounds us. Yet, the Spirit can be like the still, small voice Elijah heard as well or a subtle urging. We can be led to new opportunities as doors open or as we are redirected through our losses. The Spirit is not limited by our expectations or previous experience but is filled with surprises.

And so, although Peter and some others expected the Spirit to learn toward the Jewish people and their religious practices, forcing Gentiles to submit to ritual laws, the Spirit had other ideas. Immediately after the Spirit came upon the disciples, Gentiles would join them as Church through the Spirit’s intervention – nothing they did. Yet, Peter’s bias and hesitation could only be corrected through a vision and a Centurion’s request to know the Lord, itself inspired by the Spirit. Through this circumstance in Acts 10, Peter says, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” So should Christian Nationalism be a thing in any country? No, that’s not the Spirit’s work. It must be rejected. We are called to be a catholic (meaning universal) Church rooted in faith instead of politics.

And in our own time when the Southern Baptist Convention and others are trying to keep women away from the pulpit, or anywhere near the altar, or from teaching about Jesus, or in some cases voting or working outside the home (this teaching is back in style among some extremes), scripture indicates the Apostles were continually gathered in prayer alongside the women followers of Jesus (Acts 1:14). Joel foretold, despite common cultural practices and expectations, that the Spirit was to be poured on all flesh. Among the 120 believers (Acts 1:15) gathered in that upper room praying with one accord, women were present.

And today, we find a Spirit still reaching out to us from that first Christian Pentecost long ago…Rooted in the past, the Spirit further manifests itself in our lives. The fruits of the Spirit are at our disposal: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We might struggle or fail at living them out at times, but they remain available to us. We have access to the Spirit’s guidance, diverse spiritual gifts, protection and power as much as those first disciples…earthquake, wind, fire or no. Each of us as individuals and all of us as Christ’s body, are being called by the Spirit to use our gifts as given us by God…to offer our spiritual first fruits…not just once a year but throughout our lives…each day.

Thus, we, too, might have visions, dreams and prophetic moments, but the majority of the Church understands that the time of the Apostles and Prophets as offices in the Church has ended. And as Paul argues, the greatest gift of all is love, not tongues or teaching. So, how might we modern folk listen to the Holy Spirit?

  1. Test what you think you hear. God doesn’t contradict scripture. Evaluate the fruits from what is being said and done.
  • Seek peace – God’s voice is not one of anxiety, unsettledness and exhaustion: Trust God at all times, for God cares for you. Repent of errors, try to make peace with others and amends. Seek a quiet place when possible, to listen for God’s voice.
  • Look and listen; watch and wait for God might be in the booming as well as the still small voices of your day. Even a little child might lead us. Yet know that God’s voice is not the voice of obscurity requiring decoder rings and mental and scriptural gymnastics. Yes, we might need prayer and scripture study or even to consult friends or spiritual leaders to better understand things, but God will – when the time is right – make himself known to us. Be suspicious of those who speak of secret messages or claim new revelations, as some are doing. Just because someone says they are Christian, they may not be. 
  • Live in hope – Even if we are in need of correction, God’s voice is not one of threat, condemnation or abandonment. One spiritual seeker explained it this way. “Condemnation is vague and abstract. It says: ‘You are not OK. Something is very wrong with you.’ Conviction is specific. It says: ‘What you said to your wife just now on the phone was insensitive.’ Condemnation discourages and breeds hopelessness. It gives you the feeling that nothing can ever fix your problem. But conviction encourages us. It gives us solutions to our problems. Condemnation pushes us away from God. Conviction draws us to God. The goal of condemnation is to make us give up. The goal of conviction is to help us reach our maximum potential, to be all we can be in Christ” (Charisma Magazine. Learn to discern the voice of God).

Now as the Spirit begins to work in our lives, some people might indeed suspect we are drunk. They might look at us as fools as they did of St. Francis of Assisi and his followers. My own parents, never knowingly having met Lutherans in Massachusetts, at first asked if I had joined a cult. For as a young adult, I had a synthesizing of my own faith and decided to try to live a more concretely scriptural life. And as the Spirit works within us, we might prove more brave, generous, or wiser than we ever thought possible. We might be called to live differently or risk everything.

Some people will notice these changes made by the Spirit…even when they (or we) may not understand them. Some will be inspired to follow Jesus because of this, and some will still deny him or oppose us because of it. Yet, never stop trying to cooperate with the grace offered. For through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are being grafted into God’s eternal story, not just some dusty history. With Augustine of Hippo, we might wish to pray each day:

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit;
That my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit;
That my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit;
That I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit;
To defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit;
That I always may be holy.

Amen.

Below, please find a video of our worship service. The sermon starts at about the 24:30 minute mark.(There was a medical emergency, so you will notice a break in the service. Also, someone accidentally picked up my manuscript during the emergency, hence the reference to my iPhone. It was quite the Sunday!

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 19, 2026 · 2:45 pm

Sharing Christ’s Suffering (Sermon)

Image credit: iStock. “Way of the Cross or Stations of the Cross, Jesus falls,” by rudall30

Readings for the 7th Sunday of Easter, Yr. A – Acts 1:6-14; Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35; 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11; John 17:1-11. This sermon was preached at Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra, VA on May 17, 2026.

On a beautiful day participating in worship with the birds singing and sun shining, it seems odd to be speaking about suffering. It appears out of place. Yet that’s life in a Fallen World – good and evil, beauty and ugliness, love and hate tend to be at odds. It is all part of our earthly existence. And so in the season of Easter, we hear for Christ glorified and are reminded of suffering through our assigned readings. Whether the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry or following Jesus today, it remains the same. This is not just “something strange happening to us” alone (echoing Peter’s words in 1 Peter 4:12). Until Jesus returns, we live in a time where the Kingdom is here, but it is not yet in its fullness. There will be suffering at times. We live within the tension of darkness and light waiting for Jesus to put an end to sin, suffering and death.

The Bible is filled with such real-world tensions, and they similarly stare us in the face today. Immediately before Jesus is betrayed and arrested in the Gospel of John…before Judas treacherously kisses Jesus…before his disciples run away in fear leaving him alone and abandoned…and before Peter denies Jesus three times…Jesus prays for his disciples. Jesus asks God to protect them. As fickle, weak and treacherous as his disciples might be at times, Jesus asks, “protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one” (John 17:11).

I find that sort of curious. This action of grace appears a bit shocking considering the upcoming disciples’ sin and lack of faith. Think about it…Jesus is about to face the biggest challenge of his earthly life…one that would in the most grewsome of ways end his human existence…and he chose to pray for those who had the propensity to let him down or abandon him…Yet, Jesus prays for his disciples amidst all their imperfections, because they are his sheep. They belong to him, and he loves them. And it is true that with God’s help all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). These disciples will yet be one as Jesus and his Father are one. And that to me seems quite profound.

As Jesus prays, he knows that he will be beaten then hung on a cross until death. That’s been part of the plan for his earthly ministry. His experience of the cross was necessary for some divine reason in order to help bless the world and save us. And to fulfill God the Father’s will, Jesus set his face toward the cross, accepting its indignity, the betrayal, and all pain that came with it, and he could not be turned away from it. Oh, he was tempted to, for remember he also prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done.” Still, he could not turn aside. He asks the same of us. We, too, are to accept our crosses in faith.

Thus, to follow Jesus is not an easy gig. We are supposed to love as we are loved…impossibly perfectly. We are supposed to love our enemies and forgive…not easy! We are to seek justice with mercy, care for the sick, provide for the poor, love the aliens in our midst, and share what we have with others. Out of fear of not having enough, we sometimes hesitate. At other times, we are too busy or easily distracted. We are supposed to witness to Christ to the ends of the Earth reflecting faith hope and love…which can be awkward and uncomfortable…can take sacrifice. Sometimes, we are afraid to witness to our next door neighbor.

And especially for we Lutherans, we sometimes joke that sharing faith seems impossible. We are “the frozen chosen” – too stoic, too silent, too shy perhaps…uncertain of how to share our faith. And on our own, it is impossible to be confident…We will fail…BUT we are not alone…and God can transform even a Lutheran. For, Christ promises that he is with us. The Holy Spirit sanctifies, guides, protects, and even prays for us. Whatever we have done or left undone, we can move forward towards our goal just as Jesus did, seeking to bless others on our way. Loving them as they are is our start. Sure, we will fail Jesus like the first disciples did at times, but he calls us anyway. We don’t need fancy words or a degree. We need the authentic love of Jesus to shape our lives, and the willingness to take up our cross knowing that we might stumble and fall as Jesus literally did on the way to Calvary. Unlike God’s love, our love will never be perfect, but we need to try to love anyway. It is ok if we make mistakes, or stumble on our words, or don’t do so perfectly. Seek to love.

Now, sometimes suffering seems void of meaning. Bad stuff can happen to good people…all…the…time. It can happen. We can even cause our own suffering. And, Jesus taught that God the Father makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous alike (Matthew 5:45). What he is saying is what we often feel….This life is often unfair. Suffering is part of life.

And although suffering might come, we aren’t to seek out martyrdom or pain for its own sake. For example, Paul avoided arrest until he couldn’t, ultimately being put to death. Just like Jesus, he died when the time was right. And because suffering is not always glorifying Jesus but a consequence of evil, sin, and the imperfections of a fallen world, it can be just what it is…suffering with no redeeming value to our eyes. It stinks. It’s hard. It’s messy. And just like the prophet Jeremiah, we want to lament. And still even then, because God loves us, we are told that God can use suffering…even the most meaningless suffering for our good…somehow, some way, at the right time for our individual or collective good. It might lead us to knew relationships or opportunities or wisdom for just a few examples. Our suffering can be used to prove Jesus’ steadfast love for us and bring glory and thanksgiving to God in a way we might never understand until we are with Jesus on Resurrection Day…but that’s God’s promise.

Yet it doesn’t feel great when you are in the midst of suffering. The Apostle Peter knows this firsthand, and so does the community he is writing to. In their case, they are facing social hostility and family rejection. Those who have tried to attend Synagogue are being cast out and abused. There’s been unjust suffering because they believe in Jesus and are trying to shape their lives in a way to reflect his life and teachings. This is not just suffering but suffering for Christ’s sake. Yet, some are losing hope, and some are walking away.

This letter was meant to be circulated around the congregations of Asia Minor: “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1).  Recognizing that these fellow disciples are not of this world although still in it (John 17:16), Peter (tradition indicates it is Peter, but scholars debate this) addresses his readers by calling them “exiles” (1 Peter 1:1) and “aliens” (1 Peter 2:11) as the letter began. They aren’t going to fit in, and the powers of the world will rage against them at times, because that’s what happened to Jesus too. So, with great eloquence, he argues for us to do what we can but also hope…hope in the promises and steadfast love of Jesus.  

Seek to accept the suffering for what it is…often unfair. Grieve it, deal with it as best one can, confess to God that you don’t want this cup, but we are to humble ourselves as Jesus did in the Garden recognizing this suffering might not be avoidable. “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you,” Peter writes. No matter how big or small the suffering, no matter plain old suffering or holy suffering, Jesus cares about us…about you! God’s in the mix “working for your welfare not for woe” as Jeremaih similarly reminds us. Paul asked, “What then are we to say about these things [the sufferings of the present]? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31). Oh, our suffering is real, and it hurts, and I don’t want to suffer either, but it will come not just because of our vulnerability as humans but also because we are trying to live like Christ.

Yet, if we remember whose we are and who loves us, it can help us through. And if we don’t? Jesus intends to help us through anyway. That’s why he came. That’s why he accepted his cross. It is why he claims to be our shepherd, and he calls us his sheep, his children, and his brothers and sisters. He cares about us. He wills to save us. Trust this: suffering will never have the final say, God will…God has already spoken the final Word in Christ Jesus. God is a god who loved us enough to suffer and die for us.

So, even with all the suffering the world can send at us, even as we are down and out, confused or dismayed with our eyes filled with tears, our hearts sinking, and our heads spinning….at the point of giving up, remember this….Jesus cares for us…Jesus cares for you. Strive to make the next decision, take the next step, do the right thing and fight the good fight in Jesus’ name. Trusting that all will be well, seek to always follow Jesus. Yet, it is never really left up to us to succeed at this. It never was or will be. Jesus has already asked for our protection, for we are his, and he wills us to be one, as he is one with the Father. It will be so whether we can fully believe it or not. We share in his victory as gift through faith.

“And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen” (1Peter 5:10-11).

Below, please find a video of our worship service. The sermon starts at about the 19:20 minute mark.

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 16, 2026 · 2:46 am

We are not the light

Photo: Prateek Gautam on Unsplash

Today, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quoted the Gospel of John in a social media post. It seems obvious to me that they were trying to connect their work to the work of Jesus. Unfortunately as has been the administration’s practice, the verse is misused. Those that take the unique salvific role of Jesus and scripture seriously will be disappointed if not disturbed.

Image: United States Department of Homeland Security

I’m not anti-law enforcement, far from it. I was a decorated six-year police veteran in the Metro-DC region. I have served as a law enforcement chaplain for approaching twenty years. I love our law enforcement officers and understand how difficult and costly a vocation it can be. Indeed, today is Peace Officer Memorial Day, and I sorely grieve four friends who died while serving (read “loving”) their neighbors including some neighbors who might not have “deserved” their love through human eyes. Yet, I also understand there can be bad law and poorly executed even corrupt law enforcement. We can fall short. So, this is a nuanced argument I make, but an important one. What might go wrong if we too easily consider ourselves direct instruments of God’s righteousness? The Bible indicates that the answer is a great deal.

If you are not familiar with it, John 1:5 reads (NRSVue), “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” Reflecting the wider translation of the Amplified Version (Classic Edition): “And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].” John is introducing and summarizing his Gospel on a cosmic level. The forces of evil have lost. Jesus’ cross, resurrection, and his ascension has seen to that. Then after this summary, John shares his witness of Jesus in its particulars – the human, historical level.

For those that don’t know or can’t remember the context of the quoted verse, John 1:1-5 makes this explicitly clear:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” [or “understood it”].

In error, DHS has diminished the meaning of the text. They want to claim that their work is good if not sacred, on the side of the Light of the World who Jesus claims to be. (Even as our nation is not a theocracy, nor only consisting of Christian believers, they regrettably try to use Christian scripture to validate a secular government.) Unfortunately, again, their assertion is explicitly NOT what John 1:5 is about. It’s supposed to be about Christ alone, the Word that was, is, and ever will be, our God who became incarnate. It calls us to worship him, not our works. This is a very inappropriate repurposing of the verse whether for immigration control or something else.

I’m sure some will suggest it doesn’t matter or proves a minor issue. If Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is fighting crime and enforcing immigration laws that is good, why should one care? Well, it can blind us to our own need for repentance. The trouble remains that we are not Jesus. At best, we can only reflect the light.

In enforcement of laws or boundaries, we shouldn’t assume that our work is pure or on point. If Christian, we are called to repentance ourselves. Indeed, even our Constitution suggests this by declaring people are innocent until proven guilty. Through the Fall, even if redeemed as believers in Jesus, we are still sinners. (At least, we Lutherans believe so.) We won’t be in our fullness, similar to but never equal to Jesus, until Resurrection Day. To raise this or any human work to Christ’s level is problematic at best and sin at the worst. In our hubris, we can inappropriately be sanctifying our work that is always imperfect and demonizing people he died to save.

Even as we Lutherans speak about the Two Kingdoms theology of the Reformation in our discernment, we recognize that governments like people can fail even if well intentioned and highly functional. We should not assume they are innately good even as in our humility we should not assume we are innately good. Governments and their agencies should be critiqued and controlled, just as we should be.

I understand that we all need laws. In our Lutheran tradition, our confessions lay out three purposes for the law: 1) a curb to maintain civil order; 2) a mirror to reveal sin and our need for grace, and 3) a guide for sanctified living. Laws, too, are intended to be a gift from God. Yet like the Sabbath, they are meant to serve us, not the other way around. We must be cautious in enforcement and remember that we cannot have justice without mercy.

Here, the scripture adorns video of immigration arrests. At least in Minnesota, some documents allegedly indicated the policy was to be as harsh and aggressive as possible. This agency is still viewed with suspicion as Native Americans and other citizens have been detained, accusations of excessive force and poor conditions in detention are common, and people guilty on technicalities or with illness or disability are held rather than “the worst of the worst” according to the government’s own reports.

Indeed in this video, we don’t know if the people shown are guilty never mind evil. Indeed, humans might do evil and cooperate with it, but even then, Jesus longs for them to know him and repent. Additionally, as I’ve cited before, Jesus says we risk grave sin when we call someone evil and treat them as unredeemable, throw away persons (into hell, jail, or outside our capacity to love). Please recall Jesus’ teaching about anger:

“But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool [translated from the word, ‘Raca’], you will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Anger is not a sin, but we are not supposed to sin in our anger (Ephesians 4:26). Similarly here, it’s not just calling someone a fool but in one’s heart casting them into the darkness. In our hearts, we might say in judgment, “They are unredeemable. They can’t be saved. They are evil.” This is not how Jesus sees any of us. We might cooperate with evil, act unrighteously, even deny Christ, but still Jesus wants to shine his light on us and make us new. We might resist this, but that’s his hope until our last breath.

As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 5:15):

“And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for the one who for their sake died and was raised.”

At a time when the President or his administration has misused scripture in social media and speeches for war, depicted the President as Jesus (not a doctor, despite denials), raised a golden idol to the President as boldly as Nebuchadnezzar or a communist despot, and is sponsoring nationalistic Christian rallies when the Church is mean to be universal, no wonder I’m seeing people – even people who voted for the President or support certain policies – suggest this post bad form or even blasphemy.

Martin Luther argued that only Jesus is the Light. All our works – human philosophies, religious efforts, and self-made righteousness – can never drive out darkness. Indeed, even in cooperation with the grace offered us or serving the Kingdom, we find that “this little light of mine” is not ultimately ours but a gift given to us through our faith and baptism.

We are children of the Light. We pray that we reflect the Light in word and deed. Yet, we do so only as empowered by God. Let there be no mistake. Don’t accept any inference otherwise too easily. We are not the Light. As created beings, we never can be.

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

May 11, 2026 · 8:42 pm

Knowing the Unknown God (Sermon)

Image: The Via Egnatia, by Philipp Pilhofer – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

Readings for the 6th Sunday of Easter, Yr. A – Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21. This sermon was preached at Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra, VA on May 10, 2026.

In the Book of Acts, we encounter the early Church on the move. Starting in Jerusalem on Pentecost, we hear of its spread from person to person through large cities toward what was considered at the time to be the center of the world in every sense –  Rome. This movement depicts the fulfillment of Jesus’ command (if not prophesy) heard in Acts 1:8 that receiving power when the Holy Spirit has come upon them, his disciples will be Jesus’ witnesses to the ends of the earth. This is that exact same power that we receive through our faith and baptism. Our little church community is directly connected to this grand, miraculous, universal story…Our faith has come person through person, generation through generation, until the source of that story called us to gather here today including those on Zoom.

Also, please note that this movement was not haphazard even as it spread in unpredictable, sometimes uncontrollable, willy-nilly ways. Yes, the Apostles likely discussed and planned their evangelism. (There’s evidence of this in scripture.) Yet ultimately, it was Spirit-activated and led. Relationship by relationship, crisis through crisis, the Holy Spirit used people and circumstances…even what seemed the worst of circumstances…to introduce Jesus to the world…to make Jesus known.  

So just imagine St. Paul moving from town to town along the Via Egnatia, a primary Roman road connecting the eastern and western parts of the Empire. He traveled primarily (most likely) on foot, but occasionally by ship. On his way, Paul picked up work as a tent maker and leather worker to help pay his way, but it also introduced him to strangers who were soon to become his siblings in Christ. Paul traveled over 10,000 miles…hard to believe, but true…often with great risk and personal cost. Yet, he didn’t just pass through. He left a mark as his life touched the lives of others – the mark and seal of his own baptism, Christ’s cross was shared.

Certainly, the growth of the church was facilitated by the modern roads and ships of that time, just as the digital age helps us get the word out, but it was ultimately ordinary people who brought the Good News to others that proves critical. Someone must speak of Jesus for the Good News to spread. Someone must model his love and make it concrete in a world so in need of love. The prophet Isaiah rightly proclaimed, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isaiah 52:7).

In knowing the “unknown god,” we inherit some responsibilities. According to the theologian, Carl Braatan, and others, our very own Martin Luther saw the Church as “an acoustical affair” (ein akustisches Geschäft). Echoing Romans 10:17, Luther emphasized that faith primarily comes through hearing the preached Word of God, rather than through visual spectacles, works that we do, or any internal contemplation. “Stick your eyes in your ears,” Luther is reported to have said. Rely on the spoken word, particularly as we hear in scripture. More than visual evidence or human reason, that reveals Jesus. In contrast to the non-Reformation congregations of his time, he argued that the churches of the Reformation were “mouth-house churches” (Mundhausen) where God’s work was spoken. The Word of God is heard through the liturgy and the readings. (If you look closely, you can find scripture in our liturgy.) The Word, which is Jesus, is couched somewhere within every sermon (even bad ones, he argued). And he highly valued music and hymns famously saying, “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.”

Yet, we all know that not everyone will come to our building. And we ourselves cannot stay here. The Church must go out into the world. “So go into the highways and byways, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast,” Jesus taught through a famous parable (Matthew 22:9-11). As this congregation’s first pastor taught as recently shared in a congregational history, the Church is not ultimately the building…it is us with all the saints. And the Church should not allow any walls to close us in. In our daily lives, our sacred callings (our vocations lived out in roles at school, work, or retired life, in and out of family or within tribal boundaries), we are the Church in the world. Trying to break out. Trying to share the love of Christ with everybody. For, where we are God is with us too, and more than that, we are declared to be Christ’s body.  

Shortly after the Reformation had begun in 1522, Luther preached:

“When a prince sees his neighbor oppressed, he should think: That concerns me! I must protect and shield my neighbor….The same is true for shoemaker, tailor, scribe, or reader. If he is a Christian tailor, he will say: I make these clothes because God has bidden me do so, so that I can earn a living, so that I can help and serve my neighbor. When a Christian does not serve the other, God is not present; that is not Christian living.[i]

What he is saying it that how we live our lives and relate to others is a kind of sermon too. It testifies to the God we know in Jesus.

In the time of Acts, the Church grew by fits and starts despite persecution and setbacks. St. Luke who wrote the Book of Acts shares this experience in such a way that the story juxtaposes those who resist the Gospel with those who accept it. We need to remember that Acts was originally to encourage and urge on early believers facing rejection from their families, economic consequences for their faith, and in some cases, outright persecution and death. Even the great Apostles are shown at times in Acts to doubt, argue, or make mistakes. So despite struggles or want, Luke wants us to remember that this process is the will of God and Spirit-led, and all things will work for the good of those that love God (Romans 8:28).

Today we hear that while waiting for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him, Paul addresses Epicurean and Stoic philosophers on Areopagus Hill (also known as Mars Hill). Our true God, Paul indicates, was already reaching out to them before these wise philosophers and teachers ever knew God by any name. This was evident by the altar he saw dedicated to “the unknown God.” Inherently, they somehow knew that there was more to be found, understood…known. Paul points out that God might use the ordinary and even profane to connect us…to invite us into a relationship…with the One we have been waiting for…Jesus. Nothing can stop God’s will, and as Christ’s disciples share the Good News of Jesus in the marketplace, synagogues, and homes, others become enfolded into God’s purpose. They come to know Jesus and believe.

Now please understand, there is no “one size fits all” formula for evangelizing. Like Paul, we, too, have to consider our context, abilities, audience and obstacles. First, I would suggest that we all come to understand and trust that God is all around us and always with us. We can indeed encounter the Risen Christ through all good things. This is how Julian of Norwich came to understand that even in the simple beauty of a lone hazelnut one heard preached that God made it, God loves it, and that God keeps it. This is why Luther would speculate (inspired by Romans 8) as he deeply grieved the death of his beloved dog that he fully expected to meet him again at the Resurrection, and he would have a golden tail. It is why John Calvin later taught in his systematic theology that even a sunrise can be used by God to draw a person outside of themself and ultimately toward Jesus Christ. Like the people in Athens, the person might not understand who this unknown god is (not yet!), but they hear something calling them, and they know it hints of the sacred…the ultimate love, beauty and truth we know to be God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Second, we, too, as human beings are created “things,” a being in our shell of a body. And yes, as people often say, God is in our hearts. Our selection from John 14 this morning spoke of this new reality with the Risen Christ. Christ is in us and we in him. Jesus might be seen in us as we serve, but he is also crying out from the bodies of those oppressed, hungry, or suffering in anyway…crying out for us to help him.[ii] My past spiritual mentor, Br. Roger of Taizé, argued (echoing ancient teachings of the Church) that Christ’s light shines within us, transforming inner darkness, but it is also calling us to recognize the same “silent wait of a presence” at work in all people. There’s a divine spark or light already burning within the hearts of other before they know it; waiting to become known and grow in its brightness.  

How can we serve God at all times and every place? I understand that we are not the great Apostles. Yet, we can seek to model Christ and his teachings in all our dealings as they did – loving God and neighbor along the way. We need not be afraid to speak of Christ…acknowledging him as Lord of your life…as why we try to do what we do…even amidst our imperfection, hesitancy or doubt. Don’t deny or hide that we follow Jesus. Just speak of Jesus, as we know him in our life. This does not require a seminary degree. It does not mean you must understand every theological argument or scriptural attestation about Jesus, but if you are a Christian…why? Who encouraged you? Who shared this faith with you? What calls you? Why do you do what you do? Start there, testify to what you do know, and the rest will come later within God’s timing and plan.

In sharing our faith, we don’t need to be pushy or performative. We don’t need to know it all. Instead, let the authentic, gentle nature of our own love and own seeking (our questions) be what attracts others to faith in Christ. Martin Luther and many other spiritual masters argued that faith should not (could not) be forced. Jesus invited people to follow him, but he always left it up to them to do so or not. No one can identify Jesus as Lord without the Spirit’s help. As we relate to others, offer them the patience, the forgiveness and love that we ourselves have received first. We can trust the Spirit will do something, although we might never know exactly what in our lifetime. And if we don’t have the answers, point them to someone who might and offer to lovingly wait with them for their answers.

Third, as found in Hebrews 10:25, don’t neglect the assembly. In worship, fellowship, stewardship and service, you are part of the body of Jesus Christ, and it cannot be whole without you…It cannot be as vital as it is intended to be if you are missing. Yet know this, too…Through your intentional, sincere participation…whether on Zoom, in the worship space, serving, or praying for others or the Church and its concerns…as you are able to; not with guilt or obligation but out of joy…your own faith will grow as well. Absolutely, Jesus will be made more known to you. You will meet the Risen Christ as you continue to knock, seek, and serve. Your presence might also encourage someone else’s participation in our shared life faith in ways you will never know.  

Our Orthodox brothers and sisters tell a story where one man asked a priest: “If God is everywhere, what do I go to church for?” To which the priest replied, “The whole atmosphere is filled with water; but when you want to drink it is good to go to a fountain or a well.” Through fellowship, the sacraments, the preaching and teaching, our shared service, and even quiet times, grace enters more deeply into our lives. We need to gather at times in our homes including through our Shepherds’ Team, through the internet, in the sanctuary and elsewhere out in the world.

Yet never forget, even apart, we remain part of this communion called Church. We are connected to all those believers that have come before us, those that gather throughout the world in the present, and all those believers yet to come. We are never alone…always connected by the Holy Spirit. “Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals.” Oh, no…our true God is much more than that. God is very much alive in the creation around us, in the Christ who is risen, and on the move in and through us and the world around that surround us as the Holy Spirit blows us toward where God needs us to be. Jesus will never leave us orphaned (John 14:18), my friends, and he wills to be made known in and through our lives. Amen.

[i]  Luther. M. (October 25, 1522). Sermon in the Castle Church at Weimar. D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe (Weimar edition), Vol. 10/3:382.

[ii] Martin Luther argued this in a letter to his friend.

Below, please find a video of our worship service. The sermon starts at about the 27:15 mark.

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 5, 2026 · 8:51 pm

What, me worry? (Sermon)

Alfred E. Neuman from Mad Magazine

Readings for the 5th Sunday of Easter, Yr. A – Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 (5); 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14. This was my first sermon as the newest pastor of Grace & Glory Lutheran Church in Palmyra, VA.

As your newest pastor, I think it is really wonderful that we have an assigned scripture reading that helps us think and talk about change. For, that’s what we are in the midst of, right? I know that Pastor William was dearly loved and appreciated, and I thank him for his stewardship and care for you. Yet, some of you might be wondering, “What about this new guy?” Well, that will all come out in time as we get to know one another, but the the Gospel which has been provided to us for today’s worship is really special considering our situation.

Among the most difficult commands of Jesus (and you might disagree), I would list three:

1)    love one another (And, that’s no easy thing even within families at times. Relationships are often hard even when healthy.)

2)    love our enemies (That’s an incredibly hard thing to just imagine sometimes, never mind do.)

3)    and using varied words, Jesus and others have repeated over and over again, “Do not worry.”

Today, we hear part of what’s called Jesus’ Farewell Discourse where he tells his beloved disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Or in other words, “Do not worry.” Here, Jesus was trying to comfort his disciples (and by extension us) as he prepared to die. As he anticipated his suffering and death on the cross, Jesus fully comprehends that the world can be a frightening and unfair place where we need one another, but most of all, we need God’s love and gracious support. Yes, we will be asked to carry our own crosses at times, and death can loom large before us (perhaps even a martyr’s death like Stephen’s), but Jesus points us toward a deeper faith…when couched within a radical trust. He urges…he invites…Jesus never compels…“Believe in God; believe also in me.”

Unfortunately for humans, that is easier said than done. As created beings in a Fallen World, we are designed to have the capacity for fear as one of our many emotions. Fear can help us survive in the wilderness which is Earth. God gifted us with this emotion, and it is good in and of itself. Yet, if we are not careful, as with anything, fear might begin to dominate us. It can lead us toward a mistake in judgement…perhaps even death. We can follow the heard instead of following Jesus. We might focus so much on our problems that we forget that Jesus promised to always be with us…always…that even if facing death, he has prepared a place for us.

Fear is a powerful and common emotion, but if not on our guard, we can slip into rumination (where we can’t stop thinking about our perceived threats, perhaps impacting our sleep and relationships). We can worry becoming hyper alert for threats or get stuck in our anxiety. This is our conundrum as human beings. It is good to recognize our fears and not ignore them. Yet, we don’t have to slip into a worry where our hearts grow weak, or perhaps worse, cold and selfish. That’s not what God wants for us, but our biology and the realities of the world can overcome us. (we need God’s help.) We might focus so much on our problems…even if we don’t want to…that we struggle to see God in the mess around us…struggle to see God in the “small stuff.” (And signs of God’s love are often found in the small stuff.)

I often think of Alfred E. Neuman at such times. Some of you might remember him. In the late 1950s and beyond, this imaginary cartoon boy provided a motto for young adolescents with an immature sense of humor as part of Mad Magazine. You might have seen Alfred E. Neuman in your own travels – a young boy with red hair, a gap-tooth smile, freckles, protruding nose and ears, and a scrawny body all too small for his bulbous head. And in my travels as a youth, I came to know him through Mad Magazine. And often with his picture, as he faced a precarious situation usually of his own making, one saw this rallying cry… “What, me worry?” Why, yes…absolutely yes, Alfred…when facing difficult predicaments, it might seem like a very good time to worry. Indeed, it might seem foolhardy if not foolish not to worry. And so, we laugh at poor Alfred in his predicament not realizing that we ourselves just might be worrying too much.

Again, recognizing a threat can be incredibly helpful. It allows us to respond and remain safe, nurturing or sustaining life. Yet giving that threat power over our lives is not helpful. Our fears can become another false god leading us toward death. And all the while, we can deeply wound ourselves and others unintentionally because we are afraid. Yet, we can make another. There’s a better choice with God’s help and our holy surrender to God’s will. Yes, when angels urge, “Do not be afraid!” or Jesus teaches, “Let not your heart be troubled,” the Word of God is not suggesting we deny our humanity or the evils of the world…but it does beg us to trust in our true God all the more – the loving God who created us, Jesus who promised to be with us always, and the Holy Spirit that seeks to guide us and intercedes for us “with groanings to deep for words” (Romans 8: 26).

These are not new teachings, but they are as old as the scriptures themselves, as when Isaiah proclaims, “And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21). This truth is why Paul reminds us in his letter to the struggling congregation in Corinth, “it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry” (2 Corinthians 4:1). God is the one who has already gifted us with salvation, opportunities and blessings… gifted us with life, and all that we have including the ministry that’s before us. (Our ministry is God’s gift.) It is why Peter reminds us, “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10). Therefore, because of this mercy… because of God’s presence…because of God’s promise…because of what God has done, is doing, and will do…we need not grow weak, weary, or fail in heart.

Some suggest that Martin Luther argued, “You cannot have worry and have God as your King.” This may or not be his quote (I couldn’t yet find the citation as I prepared today’s sermon, at least not yet), but it certainly fits his theology. When we let worry control us, we often act as if we do not trust that God will get things right…With our actions, we say that Jesus is a liar. We are God’s beloved people, and Jesus does not lie. We are God’s beloved people. This is Christ’s ministry. It is bigger than our vision. Do not doubt it. Remember all the promises of God. Remember God’s faithful, saving actions captured in scripture or in your own life’s story. For just as God was faithful in the past, God will remain faithful in the present…remain faithful in the future. For our God is only love, and God cannot love you any more than God does right now – completely…God wants the best for us. God loves us completely and will never abandon us.  

Yes, the world is a mess, and perhaps our lives are too. Yet God’s work isn’t done, nor is God done with us. As your newest pastor, I understand that Grace & Glory faces challenges…that no life nor congregation lives forever…that you and I face personal challenges as well…but I trust that God is not done with us yet. As long as we have a breath, God is not done with us yet. We are just a small part of God’s spoken story proclaiming the Gospel to the world. Whatever obstacles lie before us, we must seek to remember the God that stands behind us, with us, and before us is bigger than any obstacle that we face! It is God who has brought us here, and it will not be for naught. As someone said to me recently, “If you can stand the pull, God can get you through anything.”

Our choice is the same each day as we arise each day. Will we trust Jesus or not? Will we seek to listen and follow him even as the powers of this world tell us that we are too old, or too young, or too small, or too imperfect, or do not have enough to share? I would like to share with you a much better quote than anything else Alfred E. Newman could offer. It is a beloved poem by Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582):

Let nothing disturb you,

let nothing frighten you,

all things pass away:

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.

Whoever has God lacks nothing;

God alone is enough.

So, what, should we worry? Holy people of God, we have enough – God’s love – and the Lord waits to be gracious to us (Isaiah 30:18). Do not let our hearts be troubled but believe in Jesus. It is Jesus, the Risen One, who calls us. This is his ministry, not our own, and not even Death itself can defeat us, for it has already lost. Not one ounce of our faith, hope, and love will be wasted by God. All is well and will be well because God is with us. Now, it is our time to follow Jesus wherever he might lead us. Amen.

Below, please find a video of our worship service. The sermon starts at about the 21:27 mark.

© 2026 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author unless under terms of fair use and properly attributed. Scripture passages when used are from the NRSVue translation unless otherwise indicated.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,