A Treatise on the Devil

Sermon | June 6, 2021

The devil shows up in scripture today. He is going by Beelzebub, which is sort of a great word, even though it is the name of Satan. It rolls off the tongue… Beelzebub. I’d like to invite you all to say it with me, but that might be a little weird in a church. Sometimes

Dance with the Spirit

Sermon | May 30, 2021

Good morning Christians, Seekers, and Friends! Happy Trinity Sunday! I am super excited to be here with you this morning! And I hope you all are as excited as I am. You get to hear a sermon about the Trinity today! Hooray! And I really mean it. For those of you who have glanced over

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

Luck in the Kingdom of God: Barsabbas and Matthias

Sermon | May 16, 2021

So, there they are, Peter and 10 others sitting in Jerusalem waiting for the Holy Spirit to come upon them as Jesus had promised. A few days before they had witnessed the Ascension. There they stood on the top of the Mount of Olives as Jesus materialized into heaven; as his physical being became the

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

Miracles Growing!

Sermon | May 2, 2021

Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends! How are you? Isn’t this time of year just glorious in Seattle? As a quick look at my bulletin letter will show, I am obsessed with Seattle’s flowering trees and plants lately. Their blooms, fragrance, and abundant beauty in our wonderful city overwhelms me. I get a similar feeling

Moral Blindness and Immanuel Kant

Sermon | April 18, 2021

We find ourselves today with Peter and John at Solomon’s portico at the Temple in Jerusalem. They are surrounded by throngs of people who are stunned by their capacity to heal a man crippled from birth. Peter says to the crowd: “This healing was not done in our names, but the name of Jesus… You

Higher Love

Sermon | April 11, 2021

Good morning Christians, seekers, and friends: So, a friend thought it would be funny if I were to begin my sermon today that old joke “A priest, a rabbi, and minister walk into a bar….” And she assured me that if I did so, she would laugh out loud. So, I thought, what the heck?

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

Category: Spiritual Formation