Sermon text: Revelation 21: 1-6 This spring I’ve paid closer attention to the beauty and budding of the season, more so than I ever have before. Some of you know that my fiancée, Kelsey, owns a flower farm in Roaring Spring. A flower farm is exactly what it sounds like, she grows flowers that are …
Sermon text: Psalm 23 Driving is all about trust. It’s instant trust that we grant to individuals without ever meeting them face to face. You have your driver’s license, I have mine. You stay on your side of the yellow lines and I will stay on mine. Obey traffic signals and signs. Keep a safe …
Sermon text: John 21: 1-19 In the movie Forrest Gump, which, can you believe is 28 years old now, there’s a scene where Forrest is returning to the docks on his shrimping trawler and he sees Lieutenant Dan. Lieutenant Dan waves. Then Forrest waves. And then he keeps waving as he jumps of the boat …
Sermon Text: John 20: 19-31 Where was Thomas that Easter evening? The disciples are hiding behind locked doors, afraid that they might meet the same sticky ending that Jesus endured. Where is Thomas? Was he off touring the sites of Jerusalem? Buy souvenirs? Getting groceries? It’s been three days since the death of Jesus, and …
Sermon Text: Luke 24: 1-12 A few of my former congregations had cemeteries right across the road from the church buildings. Generations of members were buried in these graveyards, names of the headstones were common, their descendants were still active in the ministry of the church. Every once in a while, I would stroll through …
Sermon Text: John 13: 1-17, 31b-35 In Da Vinci’s famous portrayal of The Last Supper we see the disciples arguing with each other. There’s lots defensive and accusatory postures in that painting. In Mark and Matthew’s Gospel Jesus delivers the line, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me; one who is eating …
Sermon text: Luke 19:28-40 The other day I was standing in line at the store, stuck behind a man who had many, many opinions. On this particular day he had opinions about the price of gas. Perhaps you’ve noticed, but fuel has been quite expensive. Even though the price has been sliding down in recent …
Sermon text: Philippians 3: 4b-14 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in death. I drink deeply from this line by Paul as he expresses the cornerstone of our faith. We want to know Jesus. To know means not just to …
Sermon text: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 The younger son always gets all the attention. How typical. After all, he’s the one who really steps in it. He’s disrespectful and brash. He’s unconventional, flying in the face of tradition. He brings an immense amount of shame on his family as he sows his wild oats. He squanders …
Sermon text: 1 Corinthians 10: 1-13 God won’t give you more than you can handle. Have you ever heard this? Have you ever said it? This is one of those famous idioms, a saying that usually comes to me when these this: “Pastor, doesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible that ‘God won’t give you …