Sermons by Rev. Karen Faye Siegfried

“After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” (Lk. 4:1)              The operating word today is PEIRAZO, the Greek word which means to test, to put on trial, to tempt.  While our gospel story translates this word as being tempted, a better translation would be to test or to put on trial. After Jesus had been…

Readings: Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 3:1-6; Philippians 1:3-11 By the Rev. Karen Faye Siegfriedt “The purpose of the Christian faith is clear and simple. It is not an evacuation plan to heaven but a transformation plan for earth; a transformation plan built on the strategy of helping people become loving human beings who build loving societies, following the loving example of Jesus.” (Brian McLauren) Well, we’ve had about 2000 years to create a loving society. How do you think we’re doing?…

Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6  Proper 11/B   7/21/24 By the Rev. Karen Faye Siegfriedt “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! Says the Lord.” (Jer. 23:1)  WOE is the operating word in today’s reading from the prophet Jeremiah.  Woe is translated from the Hebrew word HOY ( הוֹי).  This word expresses dissatisfaction, pain, grief, affliction, wretchedness, calamity, or trouble.  Woe can be used as an exclamation of judgment on others or misfortune on oneself.  It can be used…

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1John 4) How many people here are on Facebook?  Last month, there was a Facebook post that trashed the Christian religion, accusing it of being a destructive force in our country that threatens democratic rule.  This particular post focused on the mean spiritedness of many Christians who…

During the fifth century AD, Britain ceased to be part of the Roman Empire and became a group of small warring territories, resulting in aggression against the populace.  Slavery was a common fate for those captured in raids or warfare.  It was into this context that a 16-year-old boy named Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who had attacked his family’s estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.  During that…