- https://youtu.be/_UrHp_AAaqY Striving for Perfection Philippians 3: 4b – 14 (preached on October 3, 2021) Are you a perfectionist? In the garden, do you prune and pluck and spray till every plant is blossoming beautifully? In the kitchen, do you stir and whisk and saute till you can serve the most delicious dish? If you play an instrument, do you practice morning, noon, and night till every note is right? You know, if you strive for perfection, it can be satisfying to do some... [read more]
Sermons
- https://youtu.be/7eFQq0wLxNU A Week in the Life of a Pastor Psalm 90: 1 – 6, 13 – 17 (preached September 26, 2021) Maybe because we’re now in the season of fall, I find myself thinking about time, especially how time passes. Signs of the passage of time are all around us now: leaves changing color, daylight hours growing shorter, night closing in earlier each day. That’s why I chose Psalm 90 for our passage for today, from the Hebrew Scriptures. &n... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/SPelGe7dii0 Who’s the Greatest? Mark 9: 33 – 37 (preached September 19, 2021) Because I live in Springfield, about an hour’s drive from here, I spend a fair amount of time in the car on the days I come to Millbury. As I ride along, sometimes I can’t help noticing the bumper stickers on the other cars. The bumper stickers can be serious or silly. The messages on bumper stickers can make a statement about the drivers of the ... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/jzZzQCwbIWA Released from the Net of Regret Mark 8: 27 - 38 (preached on September 12, 2021) Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat things in our gospel passage for today from Mark. He’s very clear that when we choose to follow him, we’ll have to lose some things. He says if we want to save our lives, we’ll lose them. But his good news is that when we lose our lives, we’ll find new life. We’ll find the true life God intended for us with the very first breath... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/a52FWLndbZA Making a Living, or Making a Life? James 1: 17 – 27 (preached on September 5, 2021) This weekend we celebrate the holiday of Labor Day. Labor Day is a holiday to honor work and workers. You know, it’s always seemed a little strange to me that the way we honor work is by taking a day off. But Labor Day can give us an opportunity to take a break from our everyday routines and reflect on work. It’s a chance to appreciate those who wor... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/AII0s3PobKU Words Can Make a World Mark 7: 1 – 8, 14 – 15, 21 – 23 (preached on Zoom August 22, 2021) A pastor in Philadelphia likes to tell a story about something that happened when he was working on the porch of his house. The porch railing had come loose, and, with a hammer and nail, he was putting it back in place. Before long he found himself surrounded by curious young boys. They were watching him carefully as he hammered away. Thi... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/cZtEBpAbGP8 Being Certain and Being Wise I Kings 3: 3 – 14 (preached August 15, 2021) In our passage for today, from the Hebrew Scriptures’ book of First Kings, the new King Solomon remembers his father David. David was a revered King of Israel, admired by his people, but he was not perfect. He had an extramarital affair. He had one of his rivals murdered. But here in our passage, as Solomon reflects on David’s life, he remember... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/8vLe6Yno6Ls The Short Fuse You Can Choose to Lose Ephesians 4: 25 – 5:2 During the 1980s and early 1990s, I was what people today call a stay-at-home mom. With three young children at home, my life was mostly about doing things with the kids: building with Legos, going to story hour at the library, organizing play dates, and of course, laundry, laundry, laundry. Every day by 5:00 I was tired and ready for a break. So I was glad to turn on the TV t... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/JnlJSK6JJQw What Are We Looking For? John 6: 24 – 35 (preached August 1, 2021) As followers of Jesus, you and I know that we can turn to him in prayer at any time. But here’s a question: when we turn to Jesus in prayer, what are we looking for? A little girl asked a question like that one day when she attended a wedding with her grandmother. She was just five years old and it was her very first time in a church service. At one point in the cer... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/v2rCHxppSB4 Too Blessed to Be Stressed Romans 8: 28 – 35, 37 - 39 (preached July 25, 2021) In her book, The Hungry Ocean, Linda Greenlaw wrote about her life at sea with a crew of rough-and-tumble fishermen. Greenlaw was captain of a sword fishing boat, and in the book she describes the challenges of earning a living from the unpredictable business of fishing. She also writes about the challenges of her relationships with the fishermen in her crew. Each one i... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/rLI532eo55I A Bad Story in a Good Place Mark 6: 14 – 29 (preached on July 18, 2021) Today’s gospel passage, from Mark, is one of the most difficult passages in the Bible for us pastors to preach on. For years I avoided it. But this past Monday, as I was choosing the passage for today, I decided to take on the challenge of preaching on this passage. It’s not a feel-good story by any stretch of the imagination, but it does impart a truth that you and ... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/BK-SpTNzhGI A Holy Temple in the Lord Ephesians 2: 13 – 22 (preached July 11, 2021) The apostle Paul writes, “Now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near.” In his letter to the young church in Ephesus, Paul rejoices that two groups which had once been separated – Gentiles and Jews – have been brought together. In the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, God has reconciled two different groups. Since the earliest days of th... [read more]