- "O Lord, Most Holy" Cesar Franck Maria Ferrante, Soprano
Sermons
- https://youtu.be/8ZS5280Bt3o The Coin of a Different Realm Matthew 22: 15 – 22 (preached on October 18, 2020) Over the next couple of weeks, we Americans will have the opportunity to choose our President and other elected leaders. The calendar marks November 3rd as Election Day, but this year, because of the pandemic, the time for voting has been spread out. Some of us have voted already; some will wait till the last minute. We have different ways to cast our vote: by ma... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/HZKk-WdDUZk Faith’s Fashion Statement Matthew 22: 1 – 14 (preached on October 11, 2020) Some years ago, my younger son Reggie got married. The wedding was in the northeastern part of our state, at a hotel in the town of Beverly. Because I was living out in Westfield, almost three hours’ drive away, I traveled the day before the wedding and stayed that night with a good friend who lived about half an hour from Beverly. When I arrived at my frien... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/2QRa0tzB1pU Dancing the Decalogue Exodus 20: 1, 4, 8; 12 – 17 (preached October 4, 2020) Are you the sort of person who likes to know the rules? When you sit down with friends for a game of bridge or Scrabble, do you first make sure everyone knows what the rules are? Rules are important. A child who rebels, causing all kinds of trouble, is often relieved when her father or mother sticks to the rules. For us adults, whether our game is golf or foot... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/9yYAsccKobk The Rough Edges of Righteousness Matthew 21: 23 – 32 (preached on September 27, 2020) In my work as a pastor, I’ve heard a lot of stories about heaven, but last week I heard a new one. I think it speaks to our gospel passage for today. According to the story, a man died and went to heaven. When he got there, he found the beautiful place he had long imagined. It was full of lush gardens and elegant mansions. He entered one of the mansions a... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/W47bEGW_9Og God’s Strange Arithmetic Matthew 20: 1 – 15 (preached on September 20, 2020) In the parable Jesus tells in our passage for today, from the gospel of Matthew, the landowner goes to the marketplace again and again. Every time, he hires a group of laborers to work in his vineyard. Toward the end of the day, only one group of laborers remains in the marketplace. The landowner asks them, “Why are you standing here idle?” They reply, “Because no o... [read more]
- Organ Music: Music for Meditation:
- https://youtu.be/484MPlytft0 The Promise to Be Present Exodus 3: 1 – 15 (preached on September 6, 2020) A while back, as I was reading my morning paper, a headline caught my eye. The headline read, “Backing Up Is Hard to Do.” It was above an article about a very strange adventure at sea. It started off the coast of Oregon, when a fisherman named Jim Peterson began to have trouble with the transmission on his boat. The reverse gear of the boat seized up on him. But after some pus... [read more]
- Here is the sermon: https://youtu.be/LfxmMjYUduU And the words: Check Your Ego at the Door Matthew 15: 21 – 28 (preached on August 30, 2020) What do the popular singers Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Bolton have in common? They were all brought together some years ago by a man named Quincy Jones. Jones is one of the most respected personalities in the world of entertainment. He’s a composer, promoter, performer, prod... [read more]
- Here is this week's sermon: https://youtu.be/w1Gf4NqRSkw And the words: The Sparrows of Hope Matthew 10: 29 – 31 (preached on August 23, 2002) There’s an epidemic going on in this country, ravaging communities and families. It’s not the corona virus pandemic, although the pandemic will surely make this epidemic worse. This epidemic isn’t much talked about on the news, but it’s taking lives in our country, especially in places that used to be thriving centers o... [read more]
- Here is this week's sermon: https://youtu.be/NLDT65RJktg And the words: A Fractured Family Finds Forgiveness Genesis 45: 1 – 15 (preached on August 16, 2020) When something precious – something that was lost – is found again, it’s a wonderful, heartwarming moment. One family in California had a moment like that after they had lost something precious. They had lost a memory card from a digital camera. The card was lost while they were on vacation... [read more]
- Here is the link to the sermon: https://youtu.be/3suPmsK-C6A And here are the words: Dreams from the Deep Genesis 37: 1 – 4; 12 – 28 (Preached on August 9, 2020) Last week, I had to go to Staples to get more paper for the office. As I walked around the store, I found myself remembering trips to Staples with my kids years ago, in this late summer season. It was a yearly ritual for us to shop for school supplies: shiny new notebooks, colorful markers, fresh pencils and po... [read more]