Tag: John the Baptist
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A Word In The Wilderness Of Life – An Advent Sermon On Luke 3:1-6
When was the last time you were in the wilderness of life? Maybe you are there today. We all come to wilderness times in our life. Sometimes the choices we make bring us to the wilderness. Sometimes the actions or words of others send us there. And sometimes it’s circumstances beyond our control that take Read more
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Losing Our Head – A Sermon On Mark 6:14-29
He lost his head. It happens. It happened in Jesus’ time and it’s happening in our time. It makes me wonder if we all come to moments in our lives when we lose our head. Maybe the question isn’t whether we will lose our head but what are we willing to lose our head for. Read more
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Make A Beginning Worthy Of Your Life – An Advent Sermon On Mark 1:1-8
I’m jealous of John the Baptizer. In today’s gospel (Mark 1:1-8) he experiences what every preacher dreams of. He has been “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” He’s been pushing the people to rethink, reevaluate, reconsider their lives. And darned if they Read more
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What Are You Looking For? – A Sermon On John 1:29-42
“What are you looking for?” That’s the question Jesus asks in today’s gospel (John 1:29-42). We’re now two weeks into the new year and I wonder, what are you looking for in 2023? It’s been seven and a half months since the May 24th shooting. In what ways has that tragedy changed or challenged what Read more
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Imprisoned By Our Blinders – A Sermon On Matthew 11:2-11
What happened to John the Baptist? That’s the question that comes up for me when I hear today’s gospel (Matthew 11:2-11). Last week (Matthew 3:1-12) John was a voice crying out in the wilderness. He was preparing the way of the Lord and announcing that the kingdom of heaven had come near. He demanded repentance. Read more
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What Then Should We Do? – A Sermon On Luke 3:7-18
Today’s gospel (Luke 3:7-18) is the continuation of last week’s gospel (Luke 3:1-6). They are two parts of the same story and I don’t think we can fully understand today’s without the context of last week’s Last week I said that John the Baptist was asking us to confront ourselves and look at the landscape Read more
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Looking At The Landscape Of Our Lives – A Sermon On Luke 3:1-6
There’s a particular person in my life I sometimes just don’t want to be with. It’s often uncomfortable and sometimes scary to be together. There are times when I intentionally avoid this person. Sometimes I don’t like what I see in this person. Other times I am disappointed in or angry with this person. Sometimes Read more
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What Haunts You Today? – A Sermon On Mark 6:14-29
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 10, Year B – Mark 6:14-29 Do you ever feel like your life is haunted, like something unresolved has come to visit? Do you ever feel like something is wandering the hallways of your heart and mind, “a presence that is not quite a presence” (Whyte, Consolations, 97)? Let me Read more
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Consenting To Life – A Sermon On Matthew 3:13-17
What do you do when your prayer is not answered, the budget doesn’t work out, expectations are not met? What do you do when your plan doesn’t come together, a relationship ends, or life is interrupted? What do you do when it’s a hard day and you just want to say no and run away?… Read more
Interrupting the Silence 