Posts by jedwar10

Due to some users not being able to stream the service today, the audio is being posted here: Click here to Listen to today’s Worship Service

MATTHEW 13:31-33 Last week we started a three Sunday series entitled The Mystery of the Kingdom in which we are looking at some of the Kingdom Parables that Jesus used in his teaching. Last week we thought about how helpful it would be if we had a secret decoder of some sort that could help us…

MARK 1:4-11 (You might recognize parts of this sermon as it was used on January 8, 2017. It is essentially the same with a few changes and bears repeating today as we remember our baptism)   In life, water is the essential element. All plants and animals must have water to survive. Without it, there would be no life on earth. In the human body a mere 2% drop in our…

Luke 2:1-20 Take a look at this old rag – it is dirty and torn, the edges are frayed and it doesn’t seem as though it is of any good use to anyone. To you it may mean nothing – less than nothing – but to me it means the world. It’s my son’s baby blanket, or what is left of it. My mom made it and gave it to me at a baby shower before he was born. When…

Luke 2:1-7 Believe it or not, as I sat down to write today’s sermon I found myself at a loss for words. I wrote, and re-wrote and re-wrote. If I had been writing on paper instead of on my laptop, there would have been a mountain of crumbled up paper beside me. How do you put into simple, human words what it is that we celebrate today when we celebrate the birth of the…

Luke 1: 26-45   What the world needs now is joy! There is power in joy. Power to overcome, power to see the Holy Spirit at work. The ancients who created the liturgical calendar knew it – for in the midst of the penitential season of advent, in the darkness of winter, there was added “Gaudete”  Sunday! Gaudete is latin for “rejoice!” On this third Sunday of advent,…

LUKE 1:5-17 Life is unpredictable! Am I right? You plan your day out and then, “wham” a phone call shatters all of your well-made plans. Or maybe the car breaks down, or the mail brings an unexpected bill. Things happen and these things can easily disturb our peace, if we let them. Now, how about Zechariah in passage from Luke. How could he have ever anticipated what…

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Psalm 24:7-10 and Isaiah 60:1-3   In 2004, in post-communist Ukraine, a man named Victor Yushchenko stood in opposition for the presidency. He was vehemently opposed by the ruling party and had even been mysteriously poisoned by dioxin, which almost killed him and left his face disfigured. Yet, this was not enough to deter him from running. On…

Ephesians 1:15-23 Today marks the end of the liturgical year. Next week we begin again with the start of Advent. The liturgical year ends with Christ the King Sunday, it is a reminder that everything begins and ends with Christ. Christ the King Sunday celebrates the full authority of Christ as King and Lord of the universe. It is interesting to note that this particular…