Text: Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12 Last Sunday our scripture was talking about the end of the world and this week we have John the Baptist running around like a wild man yelling at us to repent. It’s like negative nelly has taken over Advent. Repent?! I mean that’s such a loaded term. It just doesn’tRead More
Category: Church Holidays
A Blessing for the End of the World
Text: Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 24:36-44 The first Sunday in Advent always strikes an odd chord. We come into the sanctuary to see it decorated for Christmas. We are turning our hearts and minds towards Christmas Day and all that is associated with it. It would make sense to hear prophecies talking about the birth ofRead More
Easter 2016: Seeds of Resurrection
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hear, o hear, beloved of God, the good news of the gospel: “They tried to buried us. They didn’t know we were seeds.” Let me tell you a story: Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdelene made her way toRead More
Easter Sermon 2013: Christ is Risen Indeed!
Preached at Hope UCC on Easter Sunday, 2013… One of the best things about Easter Sunday is that is the one day in our sometimes more straight-laced churches where a call and response is not just acceptable but expected. So if I say “Christ is risen”, then you say “He is risen indeed!” And thenRead More
Epiphany with The Incredibles
An Epiphany throwback sermon that I preached at Hope UCC back in 2009: As many of you know, I watch too many children’s movies, especially those made by Disney and Pixar. So it will probably come as no shock to you that when I was thinking about what to say to you this morning aboutRead More
Wise Men and Sacred Conversations on Race
A few weeks ago our church kicked off a new Mission and Justice focus about Sacred Conversations on Race. Our first Sunday with this new theme was Epiphany Sunday. This sermon, preached at Hope UCC on January 10, 2016 attempted to use the story of the Three Wise Men as a guide for our upcomingRead More
A Song for Pentecost
This Sunday is Pentecost. One of the holiest days of the church calendar. The day the church was born, the Spirit flew free, and God showed that even though Jesus was no longer with his friends in body, he would always be with them in new and amazing ways. For one of my seminary classesRead More