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How Will You Vote? – A Sermon On Mark 10:35-45
As you may know, yesterday we elected the Rev. Angela Maria Cortiñas to be the next Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of West Texas. Before we began the election Bishop Read reminded us that the election was not about one candidate winning and the others losing. It was not about choosing who we thought most…
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Stuff – A Sermon On Mark 10:17-31
Many years ago a good friend of mine showed me a book he’d recently been given. The abbott of a monastery gave it to him. My friend said, “It came from the abbott’s personal library. It’s very rare and valuable. Can you believe he could be that free with his book and just give it…
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“It’s Not About What It’s About” – A Sermon On Mark 10:2-16
Let’s begin with a survey. Who thinks today’s gospel (Mark 10:2-16) is about marriage and divorce? Who thinks it’s about something else? Not much response to either. Who’s going to just wait and see? That’s what I thought. The reason I started with that is because I recently read again a line from the psychologist James…
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Desperate Measures – A Sermon On Mark 9:38-50
The unquenchable fire of hell, plucked out eyeballs, amputated limbs, and forced drownings – welcome to the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Mark (Mark 9:38-50). What a friend we have in Jesus. A mentor of mine says that sometimes the good news is bad news before it becomes good news.…
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GOATs, Cleaning Ladies, And Greatness – A Sermon On Mark 9:30-37
Are you familiar with the acronym GOAT? G-O-A-T. It means Greatest of All Time. Many trace its origin to the early 1960s and Muhammad Ali saying, “I am the greatest!” and his wife in 1992 creating a business called Greatest of All Time, Inc. (GOAT, Inc.) (source) In the early 2000s rapper LL Cool J…
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“That’s Just How I Am” – A Sermon On Mark 7:24-37
A few weeks ago I was listening to a man who wants to make some changes in and deepen his life. He described some patterns, beliefs, and behaviors in his life that in many ways have served him well but not so much anymore. Now they just seem to get in the way of the…
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Doers of the Word, A Remedy For Tired Ears – A Sermon On James 1:17-27
“My ears are tired.” That’s what our older son, Brandon, said one day. “My ears are tired.” I don’t remember what had happened or if it was my words or someone else’s that had exhausted his ears, but I know exactly what he was talking about. Maybe you do too. Have you ever had tired…
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Don’t Just Vote, Choose Words Of Life – A Sermon On John 6:56-69
Does the bread of life ever give you indigestion? Have Jesus’ words of life ever soured and upset your stomach? When has that happened to you and what was it about? What words, ideas, or teachings of Jesus are more than you can stomach? I think that’s a part of what’s happening in today’s gospel…
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“God Put Faith In A Body” – A Sermon On John 6:51-58
I enjoy watching and listening to children receive communion. Even if they don’t understand what we are doing they just seem to get it. Let me give you a couple of examples of what I’ve seen and heard. He doesn’t do it quite as much as he used to but when I place the bread…