Sermons (Page 2)

MATTHEW 1:1-16 Did you zone out a little when that Scripture was read this morning? Do you usually just sort of skip over this part, because most of the names are obscure – we don’t really know who they are or their significance. But with a closer look we do recognize some of the names and it is even more of a surprise that some of them are here. Today in our Lenten…

1 SAMUEL 16:10-13 Today, we continue our Lenten sermon series on Messy People from the Bible. Last week we read the parable of the Prodigal Son. The prodigal and his father and older brother were part of a very messy family situation, not so unlike something we might encounter today. Two siblings at odds with each other and a parent who loves them both. Many of us saw a…

LUKE 15:11-32 Today is the first Sunday in Lent, which began on this past Wednesday, Ash Wednesday. Lent is the 40 days, not counting Sundays during which we prepare us or Easter Sunday. Traditionally, the season of Lent is a bit more somber and reflective. It is a time to take a good look at ourselves and our faith, to remember our baptism and our Lord. It is also a time…

MATTHEW 17:1-9 AND 2 PETER 1:16-18 There are some moments in our faith that take us into the unknown, into the unfamiliar, into the transcendent. Moments that are so holy and unexplainable that all we can do is stand in open-mouthed  awe and wonder. When Moses encounters the burning bush that never burns up in the wilderness of Mt. Horeb – it is such a moment. When Elijah…

LUKE 2:1-20 What is it about a baby? Maybe it is the potential and hope a baby represents – as yet untarnished by the harshness and disillusionment of life they have not yet learned about hatred or rejection. We hope – maybe this baby will bring about a better future; perhaps this child will not make the same mistakes we made. Maybe it is peace – the peace that is…

ROMANS 16:25-27 AND JOHN 1:14-18 Wow! December 22 – we have almost made it! It is a crazy, wonderful time of year. It can be very complicated, too. We want everything to be perfect and we wear ourselves trying to make it be so. Along with the joy, there is often an undercurrent of disappointment. Do you know what I mean? Many feelings and longings get stirred up. I…

ISAIAH 61:1-3 AND JOHN 1:9-13 Well known author, and artist Jan Richardson, speaks of a trip she made to Rome. “One of the things that fascinated me,” Richardson says, “was the presence of ruins.” For the city of Rome is a city where past and present inter-mingle. The Forum is an especially rich source ancient ruins: basilicas, arches, temples, etc. Verse 4 of our passage…

ISAIAH 40:1-5 AND JOHN 1:6-9 Do you put up a creche or nativity scene at Christmas? We have a beautiful one set up in Fellowship Hall with white and gold figurines. Who and what are some of the images we expect to see in a nativity set? Shepherds. Angels. Mary and Joseph. Baby Jesus. Some animals. Nowhere in any nativity set will you find John the Baptist; this…

PSALM 89:1-4 AND JOHN 1:1-5 Have you noticed anything different here in the sanctuary this morning? Of course, we have our beautiful greens and Christmas decorations. The paraments have changed to purple for Advent. There are just two times each year that we display purple, a symbol of royalty, in the church: Advent and Lent. The advent wreath is out, too. All of these…

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