So I haven’t been posting on the blog much. I’ve been caring for people and planning for church conferences and driving to swim lessons and trying to buy a house. (I hope to have exciting news to share soon!) Oh yeah, I’ve also been writing sermons. (Because, if you will recall, I have the best…
(Below is an excerpt from last Sunday’s sermon on Psalm 46. You can find the full sermon here.) According to the psalmist, God’s presence with us now, our knowledge of God’s presence with God’s people–Jacob and others–in the past–this means that we do not need to be afraid. The psalm opens with these words of…
Here is an excerpt from a Pentecost sermon I preached a couple of years ago. You might also be interested in this Call to Worship and Benediction written for Pentecost. – – – – – – – At one point Jesus says to the gathered believers, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift…
This story from Acts is a troubling one in many ways. Here are some reflections from a sermon I preached in 2010. (Full sermon is posted here.) – – – – – As far as we can tell, Paul does not free this slave girl out of kindness. He commands the spirit to leave the…
At Peace, we continue to explore the virtues listed in 2 Peter 1:3-11. Yesterday, I preached on ύπομοήν (hoop-o-mo-nay)–enduance, patience, perseverance, fortitude . . . It gets translated a lot of different ways. I’m having trouble choosing an excerpt from the sermon, but you can find the whole thing here. I will simply leave you…
[Below is an excerpt from a sermon I preached on All Saints’ Day a few years ago.] This vision John gives us is a beautiful vision. A necessary vision. It is a vision that Christians have clung to through persecution and war and slavery and untold numbers of personal sorrows and tragedies. “And I saw…
At Peace, we are beginning a worship series on virtues as outlined in 2 Peter 1:3-11. Our call to worship comes from Psalm 1: Blessed are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; Blessed are those whose delight…
Our gospel reading for this week is really a rather odd bit of scripture. Only five verses and still we have two distinct parts. In the first, Jesus is warned—by the Pharisees no less—that Herod is out to kill him. Jesus responds by calling Herod a “fox” and saying he will go to Jerusalem anyway.…
Here is a simple blessing based on this week’s Gospel reading: May the Spirit be upon you as you proclaim good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. Go with power and go in peace. Earlier today I read over a sermon I wrote based…
Who do people say that I am?, Jesus wants to know. “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others one of the prophets.” And the disciples here are obviously just talking about the people who more or less liked Jesus. Nobody wants to say, “Well, Lord, people are calling you a drunkard,…
Spacious Faith 