1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20 In the Netflix hit show The Crown there is a wonderful scene in an early episode of season 1. In it, King George VI is preparing for his coronation ceremony with his young daughter, Princess Elizabeth. They’re doing a little informal rehearsal of the elaborate service and they’re interrupted by an …
Sermon text: Romans 8:12-17 All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. That line from Paul reminds me of my favorite part of the baptismal rite, as I apply olive oil on the child’s brow in the shape of a cross and say, “You, child of God, have been sealed …
Sermon text: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 My buddy Andy has a mechanically oriented brain, so he really enjoys thinks like computers, 3D printers, and automobiles. Last summer he restored his old 1998 Jeep Cherokee with his pandemic free time. Every week he was completing another change to the vehicle, showing me all of the progress under …
Sermon text: Acts 1: 1-11 On the fortieth day of Easter, which for us is celebrated on Thursday, May 13th, Jesus blesses his disciples one last time and is taken up into heaven. He ascends. Just like the resurrection, the disciples have never witnessed anything quite like this, so they stand still, their necks bent …
Sermon text: John 15: 9-17 One of the hardest things to do is to get two people who don’t like each other to get along. Parents, teachers, how do you get children to behave with each other when they just don’t want to? I am not a parent, nor am I a teacher, but I …
Sermon text: John 15: 1-8 Even though it was 70 degrees in the morning sun I stood before my beloved tomato plants in a cold sweat, pruning shears at the ready in my hand. Last spring I got the gardening bug along with every other person stuck at home during the pandemic. I had a …
Sermon text: John 10: 11-18 I consider myself to be a good swimmer. I am comfortable in the water. I learned to swim when I was very young, I spent many a summer day in pools and oceans, I did some competitive swimming in my youth, and twice I passed lifeguard certification tests. I love …
Sermon text: Luke 24: 36b-38 Recently I watched a TV series on the Second World War called World War II in HD. The series was produced by the History Channel about a decade ago using newly discovered film from the era that was enhanced into high-definition quality. However, as impressive as it was to see …
Sermon text: 1 John 1:1:-2:2 and John 20: 19-31 This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about joy. There’s two lines of scripture that really caught my eye in this week’s readings, and both of them have to do with joy. The first is from 1 John. John writes, “We are writing these things so …
Sermon text: Mark 16: 1-8 I will begin this sermon with a little performance art. Today, I will sing for you the classic tune “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” beginning with the second word. Me out to the ball game take Me out with the crowd buy Me some peanuts and Cracker Jack …