Sermons

Deuteronomy 15 Matthew 2   I was a strange child. This doesn’t surprise you, does it? I had strange mental games I would play. Fortunately, being an introvert, I never told anyone about these games at the time, but now I am at peace with my peculiarities, at one with my weirdness, so I am […]

Here the beginning of worship on 12/4/16: https://youtu.be/9YgCWolkICY Here is an audio of the sermon. Text is below.   Isaiah 9:2-6 This passage of scripture is familiar to many of us because of how it was immortalized in Handel’s Messiah. Those of us who have sung this piece can hardly even read the scripture in the

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP9yvrBUxag&feature=youtu.be  (Watch the sermon here.) Isaiah 65:17-25 As most of you know, the Revised Common Lectionary is the three-year cycle of scriptures that many Protestant churches follow throughout the church year. To tell you the truth, some weeks I look at the suggested readings and think, “Really?! That’s the best you got this week?” This week

Jeremiah 31:31-34   I preached from the book of Jeremiah three weeks ago, and the context for this week’s passage is the same. But since I know that all of you weren’t here that day, and since I know that you don’t hang on my every word and commit it to memory, I’ll give you

2 Kings 5:1-16 As I review this story, I would like for you to think of all the elements and levels of privilege on display in the character of Naaman. First, he was a man, in a culture where only men had power. And he wasn’t just any man—he was a military commander. And he

2 Timothy 1:1-14 World Communion Sunday originated in a Presbyterian church in Pittsburgh in 1933. The celebration “was adopted as a denominational practice in the Presbyterian Church (US) in 1936. Churches in other denominations were invited to celebrate from the beginning, but it wasn’t until 1940 when the … predecessor body of the National Council

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 Before I read the text I need to explain the context or it won’t make any sense. For most of his ministry, Jeremiah has been the prophet of gloom and doom. He has pronounced God’s judgment upon the leaders of Judah. He has assured them that God will punish them for their

Luke 15:1-10 I hate being lost. Not just dislike. I seriously hate being lost … which is a shame, because I do it rather frequently, or at least I did until smart phones came along. I am geographically impaired, directionally challenged—whatever you want to call it, you can turn me around twice and I’m lost.

Psalm 122 This psalm is identified as a psalm of ascent. The Hebrew word translated as “ascent” can be a geographical term, describing terrain, or an architectural term meaning “step.” It is more likely, however, that this is a psalm of ascent because “In Hebrew idiom, going to the Jerusalem shrine always meant going up.” [1]

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 The context of this passage is pretty straight forward. It is Moses’ last speech, given after the 40 years of wandering through the wilderness, and before the people enter the Promised Land. “The failures of the past lie behind them in the desert, and the challenges of a new future lie before them