Sermons (Page 3)
Groaning with Hope in the In-Between Time
Today’s passages from Romans and the Psalms paint some of the most earthy, intimate, and reassuring images of God. They evoke the myriad, mixed emotions of a woman in labor – one of the most challenging, and most rewarding, experiences in life.
Homily | June 12, 2020
Our Gospel reading is well suited for the summer, because we meet Jesus on a boat this morning. I’d like to follow that example, honestly!
Here I am!
When God summons Abraham to the unthinkable, the unreasonable, the impossible, how does Abraham respond? He simply answers, “Here I am.”
Homily | Sunday, June 21, 2020
These words of Jesus do not make an ideal message for a Father’s Day card. We hear of a sword, family disputes, questions about worthiness and life and death. This Gospel passage does not seem ideal for our environment, either, when so much already feels on edge. During these days, we bring a litany of concerns to God, concerns about illness, injustice, economic anxiety,…
Hope Takes Us by Surprise. Hope Does Not Disappoint.
A world drowning in discouragement, fear and despair desperately gasps for hope.
We hope someday all the suffering and death related to the pandemic and civil unrest will mean something. We hope all of God’s beloved children will one day be freed from oppressive structures. We hope God’s love and…
Made in God’s Own Image, Humankind Is Good
The first chapter of Genesis emphasizes that humankind is created in God’s own image – and that humankind is “good.” Images deeply influence how we are formed. The God we imagine is the God we emulate. In cultivating our “religious imagination,” we contemplate the essence of our Creator, and we become like Him. Yes, as lofty and improbable as it sounds, you and I were…
The Pain and Joy of Absence and Presence
The Ascension of Our Lord, Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1:1-11, 5-24-20 Sermon to Pohick Church on Facebook Live, back in the Historic Church Building May 24, 2020 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised, but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” and, “….he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned…
Solidarity with Jesus in the Wilderness
If you’ve travelled to the Holy Land, maybe you’ve seen the desert monastery perched precariously on the edge of a steep cliff near Jericho. You may have wondered why on earth those early monks would choose such an inhospitable, practically unreachable, place to build a place of prayer.
In one direction, all you see for miles are sand and rocks, with shimmering heat…
Experiencing the Holy Through Lenses of Transcendence and Immanence
Do you know Jesus Christ? Have you accepted him as your Lord and Savior? Are you born again? Do you believe the Word of God is inerrant?
Time Matters
Once again, rockets fly back and forth between Gaza and Israel. People are injured and killed daily, and terror reigns. We can’t help wondering if the time is coming when the rockets are finally able to reach the Holy City of Jerusalem. Some worry that Christ’s second coming is imminent. But haven’t we always, in every age? …”