- A Friend Like Peter John 21: 1 – 17 (preached May 1, 2022) Does it seem strange to you, in our passage for today from John’s gospel, when Peter announces to his friends, “I’m going fishing?” Or maybe it’s not so strange. The past few years of following Jesus have been very exciting, but the excitement is dying down. The excitement of seeing the amazing healings, hearing the inspiring preaching to hundreds of people from all walks of life, that excitement is f... [read more]
Sermons
- Don’t Hesitate to Hope I Peter 1: 3 – 9 Acts 5: 12 – 32 (preached on April 24, 2022) The book of Acts, or, to use its full name, Acts of the Apostles, is the story of the early church. One of its main characters is Peter. Peter and his partners in ministry had been disciples of Jesus. A disciple is a student, someone who learns from a master and follows the master’s teachings. But after the disciples witness Jesus’ resurrection, they become apostles. An apostl... [read more]
- What We See at Easter John 20: 1 – 18 (preached April 17, 2022) In the garden that first Easter morning, just as the sun is coming up, Mary Magdalene sees Jesus. But at first she doesn’t recognize him. Instead, John tells us, she “supposes him to be the gardener.” She doesn’t see Jesus; instead she supposes that this man has come to trim and rake and pull up weeds. You know, and I know, that this man is not the gardener. We’ve heard the story many times. We know that this man... [read more]
- They Won’t Care What We Know Till They Know That We Care Luke 19: 28 – 40 (preached on April 10, 2022) At the beginning of our gospel passage for today, from the gospel of Luke, Jesus gives two of his disciples an assignment: they are to go into the village and look for a young donkey, a colt that has never been ridden. How do you suppose they felt about that assignment? I wouldn’t be surprised if they were less than thrilled. They’ve been traveling with Jesus from Jer... [read more]
- At the Well John 4: 5 – 26 (preached on April 3, 2022) All of us have a face we show to the world. That face is the face we bring to the job interview. It’s the face we bring to the first date. That face shows the parts of ourselves we think will be most appealing, most acceptable. That face, the face we show to the world, might be beaming with confidence, or it might be more of a poker face, but it doesn’t reveal much about who we are, deep inside. If we’re blesse... [read more]
- Sandpaper and Blankets John 3: 1 – 17 (preached on March 27, 2022) Social scientists who are anthropologists often study the behavior of gorillas, chimpanzees, and other primates to learn more about human behavior. That was the case for an anthropologist named Shirley Strum. Strum spent fifteen years in Kenya, studying the behavior of baboons. She wrote about her studies in her book, entitled Almost Human: a Journey into the World of Baboons. She describes how baboons live together, and how... [read more]
- Tested Luke 4: 1 – 13 (preached March 6, 2022) Today is the first Sunday of the season of Lent. For hundreds of years, Christians have seen the season of Lent as a time to pause and listen to God, to open ourselves to God in prayer, to examine our lives in the light of God’s wisdom. Lent can be a time to own up to some of the hurtful things we’ve done, and make some changes where we need to change. We can ask God to forgive us and help us to do better. Our gospel passage for today, fro... [read more]
- Are You Keeping Score? Matthew 18: 21 – 22 (preached March 13, 2022) We’re now well into our journey through Lent; today is the second Sunday of the season. As we move through Lent, day by day, we draw nearer to the cross. The cross is a mystery in some ways. It can’t be explained. The cross, or, to be more specific, what Jesus did on the cross, is a paradox. In one of our favorite hymns, we sing about the cross as “an emblem of suffering and shame.” But at the same time... [read more]
- https://fb.watch/bsnMUt-Nv2/ Transfigured Luke 9: 28 – 43 (preached February 27, 2022) In her book, entitled Wild, author Cheryl Strayed describes her hike along the Pacific Coast Trail, from southern California all the way to Oregon. When she began, Cheryl Strayed was not an experienced hiker. She found the trip very difficult. It was exhausting, but she found the strength she needed to finish the hike. I enjoyed the book Wild. What I liked best was the way Cheryl S... [read more]
- Guest Preacher Robert Sims talked about asking for help. John 16 v 16-24 Asking for Help In the referenced scripture, the disciples don’t know what Jesus is talking about. He has confused them with his parable and symbolism once again. You can see their pride on display as none of them want to ask for clarification. Almost like a group of kids discussing who is going to ask their mom a hard question – you ask her! No, you ask her. I notice things… I’m not re... [read more]
- You can find our service posted on Facebook and here below. If you highlight the address below with your mouse, then right click on your mouse, you can select “go to" and watch it! https://fb.watch/ba1cDm_YpZ/
- You can find our service posted on Facebook and here below. If you highlight the address below with your mouse, then right click on your mouse, you can select “go to” and watch it! https://fb.watch/ba13umtHPo/ A Matter of Priorities Luke 6: 17 – 26 (preached February 13, 2022) Just before our gospel passage for today begins, Jesus calls together all the people who have been following him. From that group, he chooses twelve men to be his disciples. We don’t know w... [read more]