Tag: Christian Life and Practice
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Is it God’s or the Emperor’s? A Sermon on Matthew 22:15-22
I want you to think about a few things and then I want to ask you some questions about those things. First, think about the checks you have written, the bills you have paid, and the purchases you have charged over the last few weeks. How have you spent your money? Next, think about where Read more
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Crucifying our Programs for Happiness – A Sermon on Matthew 16:21-28
“Do you want to know how I got to be so smart?” That’s the question a friend of mine has recently begun asking me at the end of our conversations. He is not only a friend. He is also, for me, a teacher and mentor. He and I often speak about life, prayer, theology, and Read more
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A Question to be Lived – A Sermon on Matthew 16:13-20
“But who do you say that I am?” (From Proper 16A, Matthew 16:13-20) Let me tell you some of the answers I’ve heard or read. My personal Lord and Savior. The Son of God. God incarnate. He’s my life, the song I sing, my everything. Buddy, brother, friend, homeboy. Rock, comforter, coach. Teacher. Example. The Read more
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The Only Way to Pray
The only way to pray is to pray; and the way to pray well is to pray much. If one has no time for this, then one must at least pray regularly. But the less one prays the worse it goes. – Abbot Chapman of Downside quoted by Michael Casey in Sacred Reading, The Art Read more
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Solomon’s Choice, Me or We? A Sermon on 1 Kings 3:5-12
Me or we? It’s a question each of us faces and answers everyday as we say our prayers, make decisions, establish priorities, and live our lives. Do we live as insulated and isolated individuals or as a person connected to and interdependent with others? Me doesn’t just apply to a single individual. Me could be a Read more
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Weeding out Judgment – A Sermon on Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43; Parable of the Wheat and Weeds
“Where, then, did these weeds come from?” (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, Parable of the Weeds, Proper 11A) Who has not at some point asked that question? You may not have used those same words and you may not have spoken it aloud but I’ll bet everyone has, at some time or another, asked the question. Maybe Read more
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Sowing More than 52,000 Seeds – A Sermon on the Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:1-23
We often speak, and rightly so, of the gospel as the “good news,” the good news of Jesus Christ. God in Jesus has entered the world in a new way bringing new life, offering new hope, and inviting us to become a new person. That it is good news, however, does not necessarily mean it Read more
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No More Admirably Arranged Lives – A Sermon on Romans 6:12-23
A priest was visiting with a new parishioner and asked, “How’s your relationship with God?” The parishioner says, “There’s not much to tell. I like sinning. God likes forgiving. We get along just fine.” That story is an adaptation of some lines from W. H. Auden’s poem, For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio. In Read more
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Love Triangles – A Sermon on Matthew 10:24-39
Love triangles. I want to talk with you today about love triangles. You know what I am talking about right? You’ve seen the pictures and headlines on the tabloids in the grocery store check out lines. Love triangles are often the subject of movie plots and sometimes they are the circumstances in which a crime Read more
Interrupting the Silence 