Remain
John 15:1-8 This just seems so odd. It seems strange to share this speech now. The resurrection happened five weeks ago — and here we are remembering the words that Jesus said as he prepared for his own death. In this particular gospel, Jesus has a lot to say before he dies. Without taking a [...]
Easter-tide
from Rev. Jill Saxby 1 John 3:16-24 Here we are in the third week of Easter. I love the old-fashioned name for this season, “Easter-tide.” The high tide moment of the whole Christian year is Easter, when we tell the story again of the women discovering Jesus’ empty tomb. Then, like the ocean’s tide, the [...]
Witnesses to These Things
Luke 24:36-48 There is good reason to be startled. Let your doubts arise in your heart. It makes perfect sense. In fact, it seems to be to be the only logical response. Terror and fear are the only possible reaction when someone who has been dead stands before you and says, “Peace be with you.” [...]
The Tenth Beatitude
Message by John Brierly McCall, D. Min. [Last Sunday – on Easter – we looked at the way Mark tells about the empty tomb in his original account. And we saw how later editors and authors added to that early record. John, the latest and most poetic of the Gospels, has five separate accounts of Jesus’ [...]
An Empty Tomb and Other Mysteries
Message by John Brierly McCall, D. Min. Mark 16:1-20 The great Yankees manager Casey Stengel once said: “The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who haven’t made up their minds.” Good advice. So it may follow that on Easter morning the preacher’s job is to keep the [...]
Onward Christian Soldiers?
A sermon By John Brierly McCall, D. Min. Matthew 26:51-56 – Jesus is arrested and the disciples flee Mark 15:16-32 – Jesus is crucified Over the first four Sundays in Lent, we’ve added symbols to the altar as reminders of the way we hear and experience our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The themes [...]
The Cross – that Unites and Divides
Numbers 21:4‑9 God sends snakes into the wilderness to punish the disobedient children of Israel. John 3:14‑21 The author tells of God’s loving actions in sending Jesus into the world. +++++++++ The cross may be the most quickly and universally recognized symbol in the world. Everyone knows what it means… Or do we? [...]
The Cup of Our Life
Mark 14:32-52 Stay here and keep alert, Jesus asks. He’s sad — anxious even. He’s despairing so much so that Jesus feels as though he’s dying. He is that scared. So scared that it feels like death — like there are no alternatives, like there’s no way out, like this is the end. It feels [...]
Just as He Had Told Them
Mark 14:12-26 It won’t happen again. It will never happen again like this. Jesus says so himself. They’ll never recline around another table. They’ll never break another loaf of bread. They will never drink wine again – not like this. This will be the very last time that it happens just as he had told [...]
Lent – Starting from a Different Place
Message by John Brierly McCall, D. Min. Mark 1:9-15 1 Peter 3:18-22 Welcome to Lent, 2012 – a season that calls us to reflect and prepare for the coming of the Easter miracle. This season of the church year runs forty days, beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending with Holy Saturday. In scripture the [...]
How Do You Know?
A message by Mike Kasputes on Diversity Sunday, February 19, 2012 Psalm 139 Mark 9:2-9 This morning we have gathered in a place that many of us know well – our church. It’s a place of comfort and safety – it’s a loving place. As a part of our ritual we reach out each Sunday [...]
Healing Happens in Community
A sermon by John Brierly McCall, D. Min. Mark 1:40-45 When I go the grocery store I think I’m just John, shopping. But sometimes I have to put on my pastor’s hat. I recently visited with someone who told me how her life is feeling right now. The list of worries is long; [...]
The Other Direction
Mark 1:29-39 And she served them. My feminist heart is crushed but that’s what it says. She served them. Her fever disappears with but one touch. She gets up and serves these men that have gathered in her house. Some even call her “Jesus’ first servant.” Well, if you’re inner feminist doesn’t choke and die [...]
Facing the Future – What Will Become of Our Church?
A sermon by John Brierly McCall, D. Min. Mark 1:21-28 You may have heard last week that General Motors is again the biggest auto company in the world, selling about 9 million vehicles in 2011. It held that spot for almost eighty years before being displaced by Toyota in 2008. In 2009 GM emerged [...]
Seen and Not Heard
They saw him. As they threw their nets into the sea, they saw this man. I’m not convinced there was anything remarkable about him. I’m not convinced that he had some shiny glow. Or that it was obviously apparent that this was the kind of guy that could walk on water. I think, more than [...]
Facing the Future – What Will Become of Christianity?
A Sermon by John Brierly McCall, D. Min. John 1:43 – 51 What will become of Christianity? There are two answers. The first is lifted by many loud voices telling you there’s a war raging. This war will determine whether our faith and culture continue to dominate the world stage, or will be [...]
