Texts: Isaiah 7:10-16; Matthew 1:18-25 In most crèches, manger scenes, and children’s pageants performed at churches everywhere, there is one who stands at the back of the stage, usually given only the task of knocking on the door of an
Sermon: Signs of the Times Advent 2-A, Dec. 5, 2010
Texts: Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12 Chilly December, last month of the calendar year, first month of our Christian year, invites us to engage in a bit of retrospecting, introspecting, and prospecting, to play with words that all have to do
Sermon: What Time Is It? Advent 1-A, Nov. 28, 2010
Texts: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matt. 24:36-44 May the word of God dwell in us richly as we, in our spiritual poverty, open ourselves to the in-breaking of holy truth. May my words and our meditations this day be acceptable
Sermon: Giving Witness Nov. 14, 2010
For in the time we know not of did fate begin weaving the web of days….“ (Faustine, 1866, st. 24) Time in its passage is gone before we blink and we are in the present that becomes the past. In
Sermon: Hope’s Springboard November 7, 2010
Scriptural Texts: Haggai 1:15b-2:9; Ps. 145:1-5, 17-21; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5; Luke 20:27-38 As the liturgical year winds down, the Gospels for these last three weeks address our deepest fears and offer our most profound hope. All three of the readings
Sermon: We Shall Overcome September 12, 2010
Were it not so terribly world-shaking, with such awful potential to elicit unfounded rage among people who cannot know better and therefore to cause untold violence against the lives of innocents, of which there has been far too much, the
Sermon: “That Inner Sense” September 5, 2010
Text: Psalm 139 Over the last year and many years, many of you have seen some amazing and beautiful scenes: whether in a sidewalk puddle reflecting trees and skies, a double rainbow arching over our countryside, or an aerial view
Sermon: Are We In The Race? August 15, 2010
Texts: Jeremiah 23:23-29; Psalm 82; Hebrews 11:49-56; Luke 12:49-56 There is tough stuff in Scripture that we ignore to the peril of our faith. Jesus’ words in the Gospel are shocking. They stun us with their contrast to the Jesus
Sermon: Vanity or Real Treasures? August 1, 2010
Intro to: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23 The title of this book Ecclesiastes is the Latin transcription of the Hebrew Qoheleth, often rendered as Preacher or Teacher. Literally it is one who speaks to an assembly. The writer takes on the
Sermon: Speaking the Truth in Love
Texts: Amos 8:1-12; Psalm 52; Ephesians 4:14-16 Intro. to Amos: Amos is the oldest of four prophetic books–Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah–that originated in the 8th century BCE. He was not, he says, a person who had the usual credentials