Gospel Text: Matthew 25: 31-46 When I was in elementary school I had one of those Magic Eye books. Do you remember those? They were huge in the 90s. the first three publications spent a combined 73 weeks on the New York Times best sellers list. Those books contained these large, colorful patterns and if …
Sermon text: 25: 14-30 Back in January of this year (do you remember that little sliver of pre-Covid time) we gave very family at our Epiphany service a check for $100, $250, or $500. We called the project Joyous Generosity. That moment seems so long ago, but we did it, and the people of Zion …
Sermon Text: Joshua 24: 1-3a, 14-25 It has been a while since we’ve checked in on the Old Testament story, we took a few weeks off from the narrative and now we are all the way at the end of the Book of Joshua. The very end. In fact, we’re looking at Joshua’s farewell speech …
Sermon text: Matthew 5: 1-12 Europe has no shortage of beautiful churches and cathedrals that you can visit—these gorgeous buildings older than our country, where people have been worshipping God for centuries. In these grand spaces your eyes are typically drawn up, up at the stained glass, up to the ornate woodwork, up to the …
Sermon Text: Exodus 17: 1-7 Last week the Israelites complained for food. This week they complain for water. Tune in next week to hear how they need a new Xbox and a car. In all seriousness, the Israelites are in trouble because they’ve been traveling through the wilderness and now they are camped at a …
Sermon Text: Exodus 16: 2-15 Imagine, if you will, that you are on a family vacation and you’re packed in the car, driving hour after hour. You’re close to your destination—perhaps Ocean City, Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach. It has been a long trip in the car, traffic has added time to the …
Sermon Text: Matthew 18: 21-35 I’ll begin today with two stories of accidents. The first occurred when I was four years old. I was playing bocce ball in the yard with sister, who was eleven at the time. In bocce ball you throw a little target ball called a jack, and you try to bowl …
Sermon text: Matthew 18: 15-20 This week I had a few conversations about how life feels right now, mainly that life feels disjointed, that the disruptions in our lives are making us feel disconnected. I’ve been fielding a lot of questions about if life will go back to normal, if the church will ever go …
Sermon text: Exodus 3: 1-15 When’s the last time you lit a fire? I’m not talking about flipping the switch on your Weber Grill or turning on the gas fireplace, but a real, honest to God fire. I usually get my fire fix over the summer at Camp Sequanota during cookouts. As Pastor Scott Custead …
Sermon text: Matthew 16: 13-20 Israel is full of wonderful sites. One of the most intriguing is in the far north, called Banias, and it is the location for this week’s Gospel lesson at Caesarea Philippi. At Banias there is a 100-foot wall of rock that rises from the earth. It is 500 feet across. …