The Joshua Victor Theory

  Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Back in January I compared the size of the “Sea” of Galilee to our island of Maui. I estimate it would stretch roughly lengthwise from the base of West Maui mountains up to Makawao, and from Kahului Harbor to Maalaea Harbor—13 miles by 8 miles. Small, but big enough to get caught in a storm. Especially if you imagine crossing that distance on a small fishing boat against a driving wind, when you’re exhausted after rowing till 3-4 AM in the darkness. It was no joke. Today in the Gospel, we’re back at the Sea of Galilee for another of Jesus’ miracles, showing that He is God who rules over the storms. You know how weathermen describe the “eye” of a hurricane? In the center of a massive spinning storm with high-speed winds circling for hundreds of miles, there’s a small pocket of calm. The “eye” of the storm. While no hurricanes hit the tiny Sea of Galilee, sudden windstorms from the...

  Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Happy Fourth of July! I want to preach this Independence Day on the meaning of freedom. But definitions always matter, as words are constantly redefined or changed, and you can’t take for granted that your words mean what someone else thinks, without clarification. You need common meaning to really communicate. So, what is freedom? What freedom does St. Paul mean in Galatians 5, when He says: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery… For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Freedom gets many definitions. Do we mean the same thing? Martin Luther describes three kinds of freedom. Spiritual freedom; political or civil freedom; and freedom of the flesh. Let’s consider these three freedoms and what they mean for our nation’...