- https://youtu.be/5LkXMn5cMwg God Looks at the Heart I Samuel 15: 34 – 16: 13 (preached June 13, 2021) Did you ever hear the saying, “Clothes make the man?” We might not say it that way today, but I think we can still say clothes make a statement about who we are. The clothes you choose to wear might simply say you like a casual lifestyle. Your clothes might express your preference for comfort over high fashion. Your clothes might pro... [read more]
Sermons
- https://youtu.be/gCcjtlIO1GY The Thread of Grace Isaiah 6: 1 – 8 (preached June 6, 2021) In our passage for today from the Hebrew Scriptures, Isaiah tells the story of his call to be God’s prophet. With vivid imagery, he describes an encounter with God, the Lord of hosts, sitting on a throne. God is so magnificent that the hem of his robe fills the temple. Heavenly creatures called seraphs sing his praises: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The wh... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/V2SYNQQ9-lQ Ready for Surprise Acts 2: 1 – 12 (preached on May 23, 2021) If you’re the sort of person who reads the bulletin carefully when you come to worship, you might have noticed the title of this sermon. And if you’re also the sort of person who thinks carefully about the sermon title, you might have noticed that today’s sermon title is a contradiction. Ready for surprise? How can you be ready for a surprise? A surprise is something yo... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/MiSnsVwMazU Blessed to Be a Benchwarmer Acts 1: 15 – 17, 20 – 26 (preached May 16, 2021) When I was growing up, summer was my favorite time of year. I loved summer because I could play outdoors all day long. Right after breakfast, I would head outside. There were lots of kids in the neighborhood, so I didn’t have to go far to find somebody to play with. Just about every day we’d get together for a game of baseball. For the most part it was lots of fun, bu... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/BkL4Zlz0k2M No Need to Fear the Shears John 15: 1 – 8 Some time ago, a young woman was leaving home to take a job in a faraway city. She had been hunting for employment for many months: checking out ads online, sending letters and resumes, and going to interviews. At last, she found the job of her dreams and, better yet, the company wanted her to work for them. Now she was heading out, going to live on her own for the first time. Her family was proud o... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/yImcTZRgZrQ Heaven’s Hitchhikers Acts 8: 26 – 40 (preached on April 25, 2021) In our passage from Acts for today, we find two men, each of whom takes a risk. One is a foreigner from an exotic land. One is an apostle, on fire with the love of God in Jesus. Each of them is open to an experience that will change their lives, willing to take a risk for the sake of the gospel. Philip the apostle has been called by the Spirit to hit the road, a wilderness... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/p23fdtoE8Cw A Love That Takes Determination I John 3: 16 – 24 (preached April 18, 2021) For as long as I’ve lived in New England, when April rolls around, my thoughts have turned to the Boston Marathon. This year, because of COVID 19, the Marathon has been rescheduled till October. Still, in these middle of April days, with the daffodils and forsythia in bloom, the Marathon is on my mind. I’m not especially athletic, but like a lot of people in New Engla... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/0Ib8VJyKHAc Faith and Doubt Go Hand in Hand John 20: 19 – 31 (preached April 11, 2021) According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, someone who is skeptical is “not easily persuaded or convinced; doubting, questioning.” Most of us are skeptical at times. And there’s nothing new about skepticism. In our gospel passage for today, from John, one of the disciples is skeptical. Thomas has some doubts when he hears from the other disciples that they have see... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/B9fA8g52ZdU He’s Going Ahead of You to Galilee Mark 16: 1 – 8 (preached on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021) The first followers of Jesus were faithful Jews, and as faithful Jews they obeyed the commandment that forbid working on the Sabbath. So the women come to the tomb as soon as they can after the Sabbath, on that first Easter morning. As Mark tells us, they are nearly overcome with sorrow. Jesus, their beloved Lord, has died. They c... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/F9FEJ549oYs When Hope Is a Hindrance Mark 11: 1 – 11 (preached March 28, 2021) The poet Emily Dickinson has written beautifully about the ups and downs of human experience. In one of my favorite poems of hers, she writes powerfully about hope. The poem begins, “Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.” Hope is a powerful thing. When times are tough, hop... [read more]
- For Them to See Him, Be Him John 12: 20 – 26 (preached March 21, 2021) A mile down a dirt road, on a misty lake just south of Manassas Virginia, you’ll find a log cabin built in the 1930s as a one-room fishing lodge. Inside the cabin, in an office looking out over the lake, a woman named Geri sits at her computer. She’s trawling the Internet for good news. Geri operates a website known as the Good News Network. As its name suggests, the website is dedicated to spreading good ne... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/PKdJQ_iZt8o Why We Need Both Faith and Science Genesis 1: 1 – 5 (preached March 14, 2021) If you’re a fan of children’s television, or a fan of science, you may also be a fan of Bill Nye the Science Guy and his TV show from the 1990s. Bill Nye was popular for the way he helped ordinary people understand scientific principles. Some years ago, Nye took part in a debate. The debate was with Ken Ham, the man who runs the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ke... [read more]