One Little Word

Date: August 29, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 17C
Sermon Title: The Gift of Humility

striving for status
Jesus turns it upside down
blest be the humble

Summary: Jesus teaches us that life is not all about grabbing for everything you can get, but instead has to do with being at peace, and treating one another with humility.

Download Sermon: 2010 Pent 17C

Date: August 22, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 16C
Sermon Title: Called to Sabbath

Summary: Jesus and Isaiah call us to practice Sabbath in our lives — but a Sabbath which has just as much to do with serving others (doing the work of God) as it has to do with resting.

Download Sermon: 2010 Pent 16C

Date: August 15, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 15C
Sermon Title: Faith and Division

Summary: We may long for a faith that brings us peace and comfort. But in this weekend’s Gospel lesson Jesus declares that he has come to bring division. Are we willing to abandon our longing for peace, if that is what it takes to be faithful to him?

Download Sermon: 2010 Pent 15C

Date: July 18, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 11C
Sermon Title: Mary and Martha

Mary and Martha
learning, growing and serving
the fullness of life

Summary:
The Parable of the Good Samaritan (last week) and the dinner party at the home of Mary and Martha (this week) show that Jesus commends faith lives that include both loving action and faithful contemplation. May we stay rooted in each, so that the anxiety of living in this world doesn’t get the best of us.

Download Sermon: 2010 Easter 11C

Date: July 11, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 10C
Sermon Title: Who Is My Neighbor?

who is my neighbor?
an unjustified question.
grace births compassion.

Summary:
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is not so much a call to love neighbors, as it is an invitation to be transformed by God’s grace. When “Who is my neighbor?” gives way to “How can I become neighbor?” the Kingdom of God is breaking into our lives.

Download Sermon: 2010 Pent 10C

Date: July 4, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 9C
Sermon Title: The Christian and Independence Day

Summary:
On Independence Day we celebrate the freedom that is ours as citizens of the United States, we dedicate ourselves to helping this nation become the best it can be, and we give thanks that our names are written in heaven.

Download Sermon: 2010 Pent 9C

Date: June 20, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 7C
Sermon Title: He Restores Us to Where We Belong

Summary:
In our relationships with God, one another and the world around us, Jesus restores us and makes us whole again.

Download Sermon: 2010 Pent 7C

Date: June 6, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Second Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 5C
Sermon Title: Caring to Care

the widow at Nain
grieving her only son’s death
Jesus grants them life

Summary:
The compassion of our Lord is evident, as he raises this widow’s son from death — restoring his life, and hers! As we reach out to the needs that surround us in our world, we continue the ministry he began at Nain.

Download Sermon: 2010 Pent 5C

Date: May 30, 2010

Liturgical Day: The Feast of the Holy Trinity; Year C
Sermon Title: Stories about Our Triune God

Summary:
The Holy Trinity, a doctrine of the Christian church dating to the late-second century, is neither a concept to understand or a belief to embrace; it is a reality to be experienced. We are called to explore the mystery of God’s nature by telling stories: stories that testify to God’s creating power, redeeming love, and ensprited compassion. May we know these gifts of God by heart.

Download Sermon: 2010 Pentecost 1C

Date: April 1, 2010
Liturgical Day: Maundy Thursday; Year C
Sermon Title: A New Commandment

Summary:
Our life with God begins in forgiveness. It continues, as we hear our Lord’s command to love one another as he loved us. This is our grateful response to God’s grace. And they will know we are Christians by our love…

Download Sermon: 2010 Maundy Thursday C

Date: March 28, 2010
Liturgical Day: Passion Sunday; Year C
Sermon Title: A Passion for Forgiveness

Summary:
At the heart of Holy Week; at the heart of our Lord’s ministry, is the radical nature of God’s forgiveness. We have been recipients of this gift — may we also be agents of forgiveness and grace and love, for Christ’s sake.

Download Sermon: 2010 Passion Sunday C

Date: March 21, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Fifth Sunday in Lent; Year C
Sermon Title: An Extravagant, Fragrant Service

Summary:
Mary’s extravagant, fragrant service in anointing Jesus’ feet inspires us to give our very best in service to our Lord.

Download Sermon: 2010 Lent 5C

Date: March 14, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Fourth Sunday in Lent; Year C
Sermon Title: The Center of Our Story

Summary:
We who make up the church today are called to be the forgiving father, on God’s behalf. We are called to welcome with joy any who might desire to return to the church, or return to the faith — even those whom we may not be so thrilled to welcome. It is the very center of our story as followers of Jesus Christ.

Download Sermon: 2010 Lent 4C

Date: March 7, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Third Sunday in Lent; Year C
Sermon Title: On Repentance, and Second Chances

Summary:
Our God desires to make a difference in our lives. That happens most powerfully when we repent of our sin, seek forgiveness, and are given a second chance. These second chances inspire our hearts, transform our minds, and send us into the world as a renewed people, determined to share this life-giving gift with others.

Download Sermon: 2010 Lent 3C

Date: February 28, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Second Sunday in Lent; Year C
Sermon Title: Loving, Life-Giving, Mother Hen

Summary:
This week’s Gospel presents an image that is both intriguing and troubling. Jesus describes himself (and God) as a mother hen, who dearly desires to gather her chicks under her wings, and protect them from all danger. Conversely, he describes us as helpless chicks, who imagine that they can survive on their own, but in reality, are helpless apart from his love. The journey of Lent calls us to take this image seriously, and learn from it about our sinfulness and God’s forgiveness.

Download Sermon: 2010 Lent 2C

Date: February 21, 2010
Liturgical Day: The First Sunday in Lent; Year C
Sermon Title: The True Purpose of Lent

Summary:
Lent is not a season of self-improvement, as if by participating in the Lenten disciplines we can make ourselves better Christians and better humans. Lent is a season of discovering how sinful we are, so that we can better appreciate the grace and forgiveness that we have in Jesus Christ. May we use the practices of Lent this year, to deepen our awareness of what Christ gives to us.

Download Sermon: 2010 Lent 1C

Date: February 17, 2010

Liturgical Day: Ash Wednesday; Year C
Sermon Title: What’s the Point?

Summary:
During Lent, we intensify our attempts to be involved in spiritual practices, not to impress one another, or to achieve some merit, but in order to better understand our need for God, to draw nearer to God’s grace, and to enter the Easter season even more grateful for what Christ has accomplished for us.

Download Sermon: 2010 Ash Wednesday

Date: January 3, 2010
Liturgical Day: The Second Sunday of Christmas
Sermon Title: A New Year’s Resolution

Summary:
The begining of a New Year is a traditional time for making new beginnings. This year, for a “New Year’s Resolution,” how about renewing our commitment to offer a radical welcome into God’s love for all who come our way (whether on a Sunday at church, or duing our daily lives), and our commitment to follow God’s command that sends us into God’s world to be a reflection of Christ’s love?

Download Sermon: 2010 Christmas 2C

Date: December 25, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Day)
Sermon Title: Jesus Christ is the Light of the World

Summary:
The image of light has long been used by the church to remind us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world — the one who gives us comfort and direction in all of our darkness, the one who illumes our path through, the one who enlightens our worship this Christmas morning. May each of us be enlightened by Christ in a way that gives us peace and hope and joy.

Download Sermon: 2009 Christmas Day

Date: December 24, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Eve)
Sermon Title: Welcome Home

Summary:
Mary and Joseph may not have found much of a welcome in Bethlehem that first Christmas, but they welcomed Christ into their hearts and home, and they welcomed the shepherds into the company of strangers who surrounded the Christ child at his birth. So too, we are welcomed into the promise of the Messiah, into God’s grace, into the life-changing message that God loves us. No matter where we’ve been, or how far we’ve wandered, we are always welcomed home with God.

Download Sermon: 2009 Christmas Eve

Date: December 23, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Wednesday before Christmas Eve
Sermon Title: It’s Almost Here

Summary:
As Israel waited for the coming of the Messiah; as a child waits for the opening of presents on Christmas Eve; so too we have waited for the celebration of Christ’s birth. It’s almost here. May he be born anew among us today, giving us the gifts of comfort and peace and hope and joy that comes from the faith that we share.

Download Sermon: 2009 Christmas Eve MidWeek

Date: December 20, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Sermon Title: I am the Servant of the Lord; I Live to Do Your Will

Summary:
When Gabriel announced that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of our Lord, her initial hesitancy gave way to the commitment to live her life in service to God. This life — the servant life — is a counter-cultural statement in a world that is all about “me.” But to live in such a way is to live out of a deep and powerful sense of hope. Mary teaches us about the blessed reality of living as a servant of God.

Download Sermon: 2009 Advent 4C

Date: December 16, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Wednesday before the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Sermon Title: Magnificent Magnificat

Summary:
When Mary and Elizabeth met, both of them pregnant (with Jesus and John), Mary broke into a song of praise. Her Magnificat first delights in what God has done, but soon becomes a prophetic word about the dramatic changes that will come with her son. It is both comforting and challenging for us to contemplate today, this Magnificat of Mary.

Download Sermon: 2009 Advent 4C MidWeek

Date: December 13, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Third Sunday of Advent
Sermon Title: Christ-like Integrity

Summary:
John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare his listeners for the arrival of the Christ. He did so by offering them some simple, practical, concrete advice about faithfulness and integrity. Share. Be honest. Don’t take advantage of your position. Simply put, he challenges them to live Christ-like lives, and to know that in doing so, they become more likely to see the presence of Christ when it is in their midst. More likely, also, to be the presence of Christ, to those who haven’t yet come to embrace our faith.

Download Sermon: 2009 Advent 3C

Date: December 9, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Wednesday before the Third Sunday of Advent
Sermon Title: He Proclaimed the Good News

Summary:
John the Baptist had some hard news to deliver to his listeners. If they wanted to welcome the Messiah into their lives, changes were going to be necessary. But ultimately, his message was good news. He was not just calling them to a higher level of faithfulness (which they would probably have had just as tough of a time fulfilling). He was announcing that the One who calls them to faithfulness loves them enough to die for them, and is coming to give them the gift of new life.

Download Sermon: 2009 Advent 3C MidWeek

Date: December 6, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Second Sunday of Advent
Sermon Title: Peace with God

Summary:
The Apostle Paul writes of the peace with God that comes from being justified (not through our own efforts, but) through faith in Jesus Christ. When our peace is grounded in the character of God (instead of the frailty of our own flawed attempts at faithfulness), everything else becomes secondary. Even suffering does not defeat us, but it produces perseverance, which produces character, and that leads to a hope that is grounded in God’s love. Dr. Martin Luther, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Pastor T. Simon Farisani, Bishop Mark Hanson: these are examples of believers who are so grounded in their faith that they are able to persevere through difficult circumstances, and remain both faithful and hopeful. The same is true for us, when our peace with God is based on faith in Jesus Christ.

Download Sermon: 2009 Bible in 90 Days 13

Date: December 2, 2009
Liturgical Day: The Wednesday before the Second Sunday of Advent
Sermon Title: Brace Yourselves; Here it Comes!

Summary:
The ministry of John the Baptist, and the focus of the Advent season, may well be much fiercer — much more overpowering — than we might imagine. God’s work in our lives is akin to tearing down mountains and filling in valleys. How will the season of Advent give God the opportunity to do that kind of work in our lives?

Download Sermon: 2009 Advent 2C MidWeek

Date: November 29, 2009
Liturgical Day: The First Sunday of Advent
Sermon Title: These are Written so You May Come to Believe

Summary:
The “Bible in 90 Days” project, the Gospel of John (the entire Bible, for that matter), and the season of Advent share a common purpose. At the heart of each of these is the desire that we might come to know Jesus Christ as the Messiah — as our Savior — and that by knowing him we might experience life in his name — the kind of life that can only be experienced as a gift from God. Drawing near to the word, coming to know Christ, and learning what “life in his name” is all about are the ways in which we prepare for Christmas, and the celebration of his presence among us.

Download Sermon: 2009 Bible in 90 Days 12