Harrowing Of Hell

Category: God’s Nature & Mercy

Pentecost: A Common Language

Sermon | May 23, 2021

I’m just gonna say it because I know everyone is thinking it: The whole argument that “We’re not drunk” is not a good argument in favor of the presence of the Holy Spirit, particularly if the reason for not being drunk is that it’s 9 o’clock in the morning. It is as if Peter is

Grace of God

Sermon | May 9, 2021

Good morning Christians, Seekers, and Friends: We live in a bubble of grace. While we may not always recognize it, each and every cell in our body—each and every hair on our head is not only surrounded by, but made of, God. Will you do me a favor? For just a minute will you close

Why We Need the Body of Christ

Sermon | April 25, 2021

Last Sunday we talked about moral blindness. We talked about how moral blindness causes us to have moral blind spots, like driving blind spots, except for our spiritual life, in ways that inhibit our relationships.  We defined moral blindness as: an unconscious barrier produced externally from ourselves, that inhibits us from seeing our actions clearly,

Hallelujah!

Sermon | April 3, 2021

As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ tonight, the word that marks this moment is hallelujah. It means praise God, which is sort of odd to say praise God as a way of praising God. The truth is hallelujah is a rather untranslatable word: it is more a guttural affirmation; a mysterious proclamation; a

Time Changes

Sermon | April 2, 2021

Good Evening From Leviticus 23:5: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, (in Hebrew between the evenings) shall be a Passover offering to the Lord.” What a difference a day makes. So much happens during Holy Week both in our scripture reading and in our church life, that when we

Jesus’ New Commandment

Sermon | April 1, 2021

Good evening Christians, seekers, and friends, I wonder what it would be like for someone who doesn’t really know much about Christianity to come into the Church tonight. At this point, a little over eighty percent of the American populace knows that Easter celebrates Resurrection but what, exactly, this means to those of us who

Sewing Community Together by Faith

Sermon | March 28, 2021

We have a very familiar story today in the Gospel of Mark. It is the story of Jesus riding victoriously into Jerusalem; people spread their cloaks on the street, they lay palm branches on the ground, and wave them over their heads. They cry out: “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the one that comes