-
For The Love Of God, Lewiston, Israel, And Palestine – A Sermon On Matthew 22:34-46
Lewiston, Maine. I had never heard of Lewiston until last Wednesday night. Most of our country probably had never heard of Uvalde until that Tuesday in May last year. Lewiston now joins Uvalde, San Ysidro, El Paso, Killeen, Sutherland Springs, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, the Pulse Nightclub, and Las Vegas as one of the top…
-
Life Is Not A Two Column Ledger – A Sermon On Matthew 22:15-22
“Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s,” Jesus says in today’s gospel (Matthew 22:15-22). It sounds simple enough. It sounds like we should be able to just take a piece of paper, divide it into two columns, one for God and one for…
-
I Offer My Tears – Prayers For Israel And Gaza
By geography they are Israelis and Gazans. By ethnicity they are Jews and Arabs. By religion they are Jewish and Muslim. By history they are enemies. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. I wish it were that simple. I wish I could draw a bright line between who is right and who is wrong.…
-
What Are Your Go To Idols These Days? – A Sermon On Exodus 32:1-14
“Come make gods for us,” the people say to Aaron in today’s Old Testament lesson (Exodus 32:1-14). They give Aaron all their gold and he casts an image of a calf – the golden calf. So what are your go to idols these days? Here’s why I ask that question. I don’t think we intend…
-
Protection From Myself – A Sermon On Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 and Matthew 21:33-46
Let’s start with a pop quiz about the ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20). Here’s why I started with those questions. Over the last twenty years or so there have been several polls about the ten commandments. They all found that the vast majority of Americans support the public display of the commandments but only…
-
“The Heart Has Its Reasons” – A Sermon On Matthew 21:32-32
“Get out of your head and into your heart.” I can’t count the number of times my spiritual director has said that to me over the last thirty years. I’d go to him with a problem or I’d ask him, “What’s the right answer?” or “What should I do?” He rarely gave me a direct…
-
“See, I Am Making All Things New” – A Funeral Sermon On Revelation 21:2-7
When I was a child and would hear about someone dying, a family member or a friend of my parents, my first question was always: How old was he? How old was she? It’s not necessarily my first question these days but it’s still one of the first. Somewhere in that question is my belief…
-
God Re-Members – A Funeral Sermon
Death is such a mystery. Sometimes it comes way too soon, too early. It comes as a tragic injustice cutting short a life yet to be fully lived. It often calls into question all we thought we knew and believed. Other times death comes too slowly and takes too long. That also is a tragic…
-
It’s Not Fair But… – A Sermon On Matthew 20:1-16
Several years ago a friend called me about the sermon she had preached the day before. She was not happy with how it went. She said, “I gave a really good sermon yesterday. And someone said to me, ‘Thank you. I really enjoyed your sermon.’” She said, “I didn’t want them to enjoy the sermon.…
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Interrupting the Silence 