The Basin and Towel
Pastors and other church workers need support from a number of sources. From practical tips to spiritual insights, we hope you’ll find something on The Basin and Towel podcast to encourage you to think a little deeper about a variety of ministry-related topics. Your host is Pastor Chris Cahill of Lodi, Ohio, who brings to the table more than 40 years of ministry experience and 20 years of caring for pastors and church workers. Episodes are archived after 90 days. For a list of archived episodes, visit our website at www.basinandtowel.org.
The Basin and Towel
"Room to Grieve" - Sermon for August 9. 2026
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Welcome back to the Basin and Towel podcast! I’m your host, Pastor Chris Cahill. I live in Lodi, Ohio, where last year I retired from 45 years of pastoral ministry. In my retirement I’ve been doing some substitute preaching in several congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod - this episode is the sermon I preached on August 9, 2026, at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Malvern, Ohio.
The accounts of Jesus’ miracles in the New Testament are meant to be eye-witness testimonies that Jesus is in fact the Son of God. In chapter 14 of Saint Matthew’s Gospel, for instance, you can read about the time He fed thousands of people with a few breads and a couple of fish, or when He walked on the surface of the Sea of Galilee during a windstorm, and finish up the chapter with a healing ministry. But Matthew’s chapter 14 begins with the horrible murder of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. In this sermon I suggest that if we think of this chapter as one entire episode, we can see clues along the way that describe Jesus doing something that is completely human - trying to find space to grieve and come to terms with the murder of His cousin John.
The readings from the Bible included in this worship service included Job 28:4-18 and Matthew 14:22-33
In this sermon I mention several habits Jesus practiced that kept His relationship with His Father strong. To learn more about how we can use these and other “Keystone Habits” of His to provide structure to our own lives and ministries, go to https://redletterchallenge.com/40-day-challenges/being-challenge/
A video of this service is available at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BzM3Jy5r1/
The Basin and Towel podcast is written and recorded by Rev Chris Cahill, a retired pastor and the Second Vice President of the SELC District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. You can find out more at the Basin and Towel website -bit.ly/bnt2025
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Unless otherwise indicated, any Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Accessed through www.biblegateway.com
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