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The Hardest Job You'll Ever Love
A sermon on Jonah 3:1-10 ad Mark 1:14-20 [there are visual elements to this sermon, so if you would like to see the video recording - including the cameo of Pastor's son, click here]. Several years ago there was an ad circulating (watchable here) that purported to show job seekers interviewing for a potential position. The ad showed their reactions as different elements of the job expectations were explained: · 135 hours to unlimited hours per week, with no breaks provided; ·
Recognizing God... And What Happens After
A sermon on John 1:43-51 and 1 Samuel 3:1-20 [audio recording of the live sermon here; photo by Ali Yahya on Unsplash] The title of today's sermon is the result of my brain’s fascination with making connections. I read two stories, separated from each other by many hundreds of years and quite different contexts… One is the story of a very young boy whose life is firmly planted in the center of the religious practices of the ancient Israelite tribes. The other is the sto
Division and Hope
A Sermon on Mark 1:4-11. [an audio recording of this sermon is available here; Photo of quilt by Sibylle Schroeder, used by permission.] On Wednesday afternoon, as news and images of the violent unrest in our nation’s Capital Building unfolded, I was grateful to a friend and fellow-pastor who started a text conversation with a small group of our close friends to process, grieve, and seek God’s solace together. In the midst of our distress and our prayers, our friend Christa i
Birthing God's Love
A Sermon on Luke 2:1-20 [and audio recording of this sermon is available here. Photo by Josh Boot on Unsplash] The inspiration for tonight’s sermon comes from a rather unusual source: our November meeting of the Church Council. We were talking about the challenges of the looming holiday season, and Nick – with his usual dry humor – made a comment about how at least my Christmas sermon should be easy this year. “We’ll be nine months into the pandemic by then,” he explained. “Y
