sermons

The gospels, Book of Acts and Pauline letters all attest to the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and testify that, for the brief period he remained on earth, Jesus was seen by as many as 500 people. While the traditional Easter liturgy proclaims “The Lord is Risen!” – perhaps the testimony of Mary, the […]

This Palm Sunday sermon considers the Triumphal Entry story in Matthew 21:1-11, and the contrast between the crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem and the different crowd that clamored for his death a few days later.

John’s gospel tells a long story of the man born blind in chapter 9. The healing of the blind man is one of the “signs” that show Jesus really is the Messiah of God. Jesus contrasts physical blindness, for which no one is to be “blamed” for having caused, with spiritual blindness, which is a

On March 8th, International Women’s Day, the sermon (and worship) addressed the subject of Sexual Assault, which has so disturbingly been in the national news. The biblical text was 2 Samuel 13 about the Rape of Tamar (King David’s daughter), which renowned biblical scholar Phyllis Trible famously labeled a “Text of Terror.”

When the term “born again Christian” is bandied about, the comment from The Princess Bride comes to mind: “I do not think it means what you think it means.” This sermon explores the New Testament Greek word translated as “again” or “from above” or “anew” used in John 3 when Jesus talks to the Pharisee

The story of Jesus being transfigured on the mountaintop is not only a revelation that the itinerant rabbi from Galilee was indeed the Messiah sent from God, but a cautionary tale not to try and memorialize where God has once spoken, instead continuing to listen for God speaking today.

Both science and faith seek “truth” – science by testing of hypotheses and repeated confirmation to determine facts, and faith by seeking ever larger revelations and understanding of divine truth. The two realms – science and faith – are not in competition, but elucidate each other.

Matthew’s gospel sums up Jesus’ great teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, beginning with the Beatitudes. In contrast to the Law of Moses, the “Blessed Be’s” usher in a new way of being, transforming minds and souls. The Beatitudes are calls to action. 

When Jesus called the first disciples along the shores of Galilee, he charged them to Repent and then to Come after me. The Greek word for “repent” means to change one’s mind, one’s direction in life. Jesus challenged followers to change allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven.

For Racial Justice weekend, the life story of Harriet Tubman is explored as a model not just of activism but of spirituality. Tubman credited the guidance of the Lord when she claimed that she’d never lost a passenger or a train on the Underground Railroad.