Tag: Sermon on the Mount

  • Healing Our Divided Life – A Sermon On Matthew 5:21-37

    Healing Our Divided Life – A Sermon On Matthew 5:21-37

    Our older son Brandon often brought a friend over for supper. He was a really nice kid. He was polite and well behaved. He always said and did the right thing. I don’t remember his name but I do remember that between ourselves Cyndy and I sometimes referred to him as Eddie Haskell.  Do you Read more

  • We’re All Blessed – A Sermon On Matthew 5:1-12

    We’re All Blessed – A Sermon On Matthew 5:1-12

    “Blessed.” Jesus says that word nine times in today’s gospel (Matthew 5:1-12). We often talk about ourselves or others as being blessed. “I’m blessed.” “She’s blessed.” “We’re really blessed.” You’ve said and heard those things, right? But here’s what I wonder: what do they mean? What does it mean to be blessed? When you tell Read more

  • Stop Doing The Religious Thing – A Sermon On Isaiah 58:1-12

    Stop Doing The Religious Thing – A Sermon On Isaiah 58:1-12

    I’m going to ask you to do a couple of things and I hope you will indulge me for a bit. I want you to think of one thing that is going on in the world today that is important and matters to you. Something that you keep up with in the news, that you… Read more

  • The Sedition of Christ – A Sermon on Matthew 5:38-48

    The Sedition of Christ – A Sermon on Matthew 5:38-48

    Christ’s gospel is seditious. Do not resist an evildoer. Turn the other cheek. Give your cloak. Go the second mile. Give to those who beg. Don’t refuse a borrower. Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you. Those kind of things are not taught, valued, encouraged, or rewarded by most of the world. If… Read more

  • The Choice is Yours – A Sermon on Sirach 15:15-20 and Matthew 5:21-37

    The Choice is Yours – A Sermon on Sirach 15:15-20 and Matthew 5:21-37

    Have you ever gotten exactly what you chose only to realize it was not what you really wanted? Have you ever made a choice that you knew was the right choice, a good choice, but it left you feeling empty, as if something was missing? Despite getting what you wanted, what you chose, your life… Read more

  • Fairness, Monkeys, and Love – A Sermon Matthew 5:38-48

    Fairness, Monkeys, and Love – A Sermon Matthew 5:38-48

    Somewhere around the time I was in kindergarten or the first grade my parents took my sister and me to a carnival that had come to town. The only thing I remember about that day is the monkey on a stick. Mom and Dad bought us each a little fuzzy monkey tied to a stick Read more

  • Let Them Taste and See – A Sermon on Matthew 5:13-20

    Let Them Taste and See – A Sermon on Matthew 5:13-20

    Who are you? How do you answer when someone asks you that question? The most common answer is to give our name. We might also tell a bit of family history and the connections that help identify us. Often we’ll tell something about our work, the things we do, and how we spend our time. Read more

  • To Occupy or Be Occupied? A Sermon for the Feast of All Saints, Matthew 5:1-12

    The collect and readings for The Feast of All Saints may be found here. The following sermon is based on the beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12.   The Occupy Movement has gotten a lot of attention over the last couple of months. Occupy Wall Street. Occupy London. Occupy Sydney. Occupy Oakland, Portland, Dallas, San Antonio. The list Read more

  • Beholding and Becoming Perfection – A Sermon on Matthew 5:38-48, Epiphany 7A

    The collect and readings for the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany may be found here. The appointed gospel is Matthew 5:38-48. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on Read more