Sermons

Unshakeable Hope

Isaiah proclaims a creative hope for Israel and Judah 2600 years ago. Hope both for all who fear the army invading them, as well as for the many who live in grinding poverty. He invites them to the radical and hard to imagine decision to rejoice as God reveals light, peace, and abundance in darkness, […]

Justice for All

Martin Luther King, Jr dedicated his life to proclaiming the Good News of God’s justice and peace for all people. He lived during a time in which the political and economic systems in our country strongly benefitted those with most of the resources, especially those with light skin. Then and now, even those who do […]

Reflection on Discernment

This morning in worship, I offered a reflection against the backdrop of varying degrees of political violence in Iran, Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Venezuela, and the United States. I read it afterward, and I think this is what I was trying to say: Our understanding of what is going on around us is influenced by our […]

Epiphany Light

“Arise, Shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you,” Isaiah 60:1. The returning Jewish exiles were tempted to despair in all the trouble they faced, returning to the homeland of which their grandparents spoke wistfully. Their contemporary reality was far from wistful. The story of the Jewish […]

Prayer’s Other Voice

Jesus is born. The prayerful shepherds listen to the angel voices and rush to see this one announced as Savior, Messiah, and Lord. They share the good news with all they meet, including Mary and Joseph. Others will share prayer endowed messages with Mary and Joseph. Listening in prayer often involves hearing God speak through […]

Dog standing in a grassy field with a tree line nearby.

God with Us

In the first century, many in Palestine longed for a Messiah to save them from Rome and poverty. I doubt many were anticipating a birth, a child, or for a prophet and healer to walk the streets and care for the concerns of the masses. But there was a movement among the very poor, praying […]

Expectation Brings Joy

Patient expectation brings joy. James spoke of the patient prophets who suffered greatly proclaiming the life-giving message of justice and mercy. They gave up their own comfort to proclaim the message. John the Baptist does likewise. From prison he asks, “Are you the one, Jesus?” Are you God’s moment in time drawing all creation into […]

Be Ready!

Jesus says the Son of Man is coming, at an unexpected time—and we must be ready. But Jesus says, “About that day and hour no one knows. Only God.” Not only do we not know the “when,” but we also don’t know the “what” of his coming–just that he is coming. And when it happens, […]

Why evil, pain, and suffering?

With recent political violence and the deaths of three local law enforcement officers this week, we wonder “Why?” Why is precious life cut short by violence by those deeply troubled or convinced that their cause is more important than another’s life? We also wonder why acute, chronic, and terminal illness contends with the lives of […]

This Present Time

Six hundred years apart, Jeremiah and Jesus discerned and proclaimed that Jerusalem’s peace was about to end. An essential part of Israel’s covenant with God was to support a society ordered by economic and social justice with mercy for all. The folks at both times who could have helped the least in the land, chose […]

Spirit Nudge

Though we recently celebrated the gift of the Spirit sending the church into mission on Pentecost, the celebration is not about a past event but one that continues. Pentecost is allowing ourselves to be nudged by the Spirit to be curious, to wonder, to befriend, to take chances to practice being who we truly are. […]

One in Christ

Julian of Norwich simply sums up our unity in Christ. “Christ himself embodied all humanity. His sweet incarnation and blessed passion will liberate us all, because he is our head and we are all the parts of his body. . .” (tr. Mirabai Starr, The Showings of Julian of Norwich, p. 139) Jesus does not […]

The Lamb on the Throne

The artwork was a combined effort during a recent visit with our granddaughter Zelda. The idea of Jesus as a lamb in Revelation 5:11-14 is based upon the Jewish tradition of sacrificing a lamb at Passover. If the Passover lamb had any power at all…it was the power of innocence—its powerlessness. Jesus chose the path […]

Jesus’ Wounds Bring Peace

On that first day beyond the grave, Jesus walks into a room filled with his closest followers. They are afraid but by showing them his wounds, Jesus comforts them. He blesses them. Then, ready or not, he sends them to receive and share the Spirit. He reminds them to practice forgiveness. And always concerned about […]