Harrowing Of Hell

Category: Hope & Resurrection

The Feast of Nativity: Jesus Comes

Sermon | December 27, 2016

Preacher: The Rev. Todd Foster Christmas Day – December 25, 2016 I. Winter Solstice This past Thursday was the winter solstice. The day of the solstice is the shortest day of the year, and brings with it the longest night. When we think of winter darkness, Thursday was the day when winter does its worst

Shelter From the Storm

Sermon | October 16, 2016

October 16, 2016, The Rev. Todd Foster preaching

God will create a space of safety for God’s people to pursue relationship with God and with one another. God will create a shelter which allows us to let our guard down, to be vulnerable, and thereby to discover new strengths in ourselves and new connections to those around us.

Looking for Lazarus

Sermon | September 25, 2016

September 25, 2016, The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr. preaching

So I invite you to look for Lazarus. He or she is nearer than you think, and they might not look like what you expect. Their need is more likely of the soul, than of food or money or medical care. In fact in this city, it is way more likely we will find an emaciated soul than an emaciated body. So take the risk. Step more deeply into the community God has set you in. Stop at the threshold of your gate; listen to someone’s story; tell your own.

Let the Lie Die

Sermon | August 21, 2016

August 21, 2016, The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr. preaching

This is the nature of lies put upon us. We come to own them and let them grow in our souls. They become like the air we breathe. They are like a frog in the pot of boiling water. They become our truths, and they bind us, and we don’t even know it. They start with Satan, the Father of Lies, but then they grow as we own them and nurture them and in some cases we come to believe they are the best thing about us.

Choose: Death & Adversity or Love & Prosperity

Sermon | July 10, 2016

July 10, 2016, The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr. preaching

And I wondered if we, as a people, can so effectively focus on curing disease and saving lives within a body, why can’t we do the same to cure the Dis-ease that lives between bodies, between people, and neighbors, and communities, and around this nation? We know how to choose life for a body, can we do the same thing when it comes to the body that is our neighbor?

What it means to be free

Sermon | June 12, 2016

June 12, 2016, The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr. preaching

Here is the assumption Luke is making: every soul deeply desires freedom from the expectations of their context, whether a hedge fund manager in Manhattan, or a grandmother in Seward Park, or a shepherd in the Sudan. We all have cultural expectations set upon us, and while much of this is good and healthy, some of this can be constricting and onerous and cause us to give away our lives in favor of someone else’s expectations. And that is not Good News. Jesus came to give us Good News. He came to set us free, to liberate us, which is why he introduces us to this woman. Because she is free.

Breakfast on the Beach

Sermon | April 10, 2016

April 10, 2016, The Rev. Kate Wesch preaching

For Peter, Jesus was his safety net, always there to catch him as he impetuously and impulsively flung himself off one trapeze after another. And Jesus patiently remained that net, never giving up, ever present to catch Peter in the net, to bear him up one more time. Jesus called him Peter “the rock” when things were going well and always “Simon, son of John” when he meant business, but Jesus was always there—Peter’s net that would not tear.

Easter Sunday: Love That Asks

Sermon | March 27, 2016

March 27, 2016, The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr. preaching

God’s vision is universal and God’s vision is particular and that includes all people, one person at a time. And because you know one person (and I know you know at least one person) then you can be a person of hope in the world. You can ask the particular question: What can I do for you? Then listen, and then listen more deeply, And then respond with what God gave you.