Sermon Archives

Although it may appear that Jesus abandons earth at his ascension, nothing could be further from the truth. He leaves the earth not to escape it but to rule over it. Eastern Orthodox Christians capture this spiritual reality in their paintings and mosaics of “Christ Pantocrator” (Greek, “all-powerful”). Christ Pantocrator typically inhabits the domed ceiling […]

When we gather as God’s people, and we delve deeply into God’s Word and “our hearts burn within us,” and we break bread together and our eyes are opened, we recognize Jesus. But how much more astonishing and remarkable and transforming it is to know that when we love the people Jesus loves, then we […]

The opposite of being an encourager is being overly critical, dismissive, or disparaging. Recognizing our tendency to be overly critical is the first step in changing our attitude and behavior. Keith tells of sitting in a restaurant with his grown son. When the son was a teenager, he got into drugs and bad company, which […]

Some people might claim that the Ten Commandments are the hardest: “Remember the sabbath day… Honor you father and your mother… Do not murder… Do not commit adultery… Do shall not steal” (Exodus 20:8, 12-15). Others will say that Jesus gave the most difficult commands in his Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God… Love […]

On the cross, Jesus contemplated where God was and what God was doing. Then, Jesus rested for three days in the tomb. Finally, he rose on Easter morning, offering a resounding “YES!” to God’s grace-filled promise of salvation. Our “yes” comes when we look at the nail prints in his hands as did the disciple […]

The problem for Christians is that when we identify ourselves as followers of Jesus, we must step up to the plate; we must, at least, match the well-meaning behavior of god-less but good human beings. Failing that, we are open to the accusation of the servant girl, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean”…so why […]

This is Palm Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. But this event happened over 2,000 years ago. Are we sure it took place on a Sunday? If you look to the Gospels for proof, you will find just a single clue in John 12, which says that six […]

When we look at people different from us, people from another ethnic heritage, or religion, or a different sort of community, do we assume certain things about them based on old prejudices? Or do we approach each encounter open to what God is ready to show us? When we look at the physical world around […]