By Todd Edmondson

• A Larger Story by Todd Edmondson (1/4/2017)
  The Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-9 Acts 10:34-43 Matthew 3:13-17 One of the blessings of pastoral ministry is the chance to be a part of some of the most memorable moments in people’s lives. To stand with a couple on their wedding day or to gather with a family as they say goodbye to a loved one, to speak words of scripture and offer up prayers during these times—these can be powerful and significant opportunities to share in the lives of those we serve. As many pastors would likely attest, these moments are special not just because of the ceremonies themselves, but because of the way they connect to som...
• The Beautiful Reality of Repentance by Todd Edmondson (10/19/2016)
  Almost thirty years ago, I saw a movie that has stayed with me ever since. The Mission, directed in 1986 by Roland Joffe, isn’t exactly the kind of film that an eleven year-old would normally be drawn to, and I’m sure there was much in this narrative about Jesuits in 18th-century South America that I didn’t fully grasp when I first watched it. But because film can be such a powerful visual medium, there were scenes that left an indelible impression on me, so that I find myself going back to them even now, decades later. One such moment occurs when Mendoza, the murderous slave trader who is seeking to change his life, comes to the end of a journey. He has made his way upriver to the Jesuit outpost where the missionary priests are ministering to the Guarani tribe. In the past, he ...
• A Deeper Communion by Todd Edmondson (8/9/2016)
  Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 5:1-7 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth?” Jesus asks his disciples. “No, I tell you, but rather division.” At first glance, Jesus’ proclamation seems to resonate profoundly with our current cultural moment, which has a surplus of division and a deficit of peace. The faction-based rhetoric clogging our airwaves and the vitriol that plagues our social media sites seems just the sort of thing that divides “father against son” and “mother against daughter.” We have elevated div...
• Choices by Todd Edmondson (5/25/2016)

  Second Sunday after Pentecost

  1 Kings 18:20-21, (22-29), 30-39, Psalm 96, Galatians 1:1-12, Luke 7:1-10 One of the stories my parents like to tell on me involves a trip to the local convenience store when I was about six years old. It seems that my parents wanted to give me a treat, so they took me to the aisle where the candy bars were on display and told me I could pick one out. Instead of making a beeline toward the M...
• A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Todd Edmondson (2/16/2016)
  Second Sunday in Lent Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 13:31-35 For most of my life, I have been a sports fan. I will readily admit that I’ve spent far too much time watching games, reading articles and updates about my favorite players (although my means of doing so has changed dramatically—I used to watch the mailbox for the arrival of Sports Illustrated for Kids; now I simply check my Twitter feed), and listening to the so-called experts argue loudly about sports-related topics on ESPN and on various radio call-in shows. ...
• Season of Anxiety by Todd Edmondson (12/8/2015)
  Third Sunday of Advent Zephaniah 3:14-20 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 One of the high-water marks of 20th century culture, an event that I revisit every year, is the 1965 television special A Charlie Brown Christmas. The fact that it continues to air fifty years after its premiere lets me know that I’m not alone in this assessment. And while the conclusion, when Linus strides onto the stage to remind Charlie Brown and all those gathered in the school gym “What Christmas is really all about,” might be the most rousing part of the short film, the opening scenes also speak in a pretty powerful way to th...
• Tough Guy by Todd Edmondson (9/15/2015)
  Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Proverbs 31:10-31 OR Wisdom 2:12-22 Psalm 1 James 3:16-4:3 Mark 9:30-37 Over the recent Labor Day weekend, one of the movie channels was showing a Rocky marathon, so I took the opportunity to introduce my kids to a movie that, in my mind, once represented the apex of filmmaking—Rocky III. While it’s always fun to revisit a cultural experience from my childhood, in this case we found ourselves laughing at all the wrong moments. ...