Archive for 'Sermons'

The words: “The Lord is on our side” sometimes make me shiver. How often have you heard this or a similar phrase used to justify violence against another? We’re right and you’re wrong. Either/or. Win/lose. A narrowing of world view to my way or the highway. This is the kind of mindset that led to the Crusades and other horrors throughout history. I’m right and you’re wrong. God is on my side- you’re dammed.

There’s an old joke about lawyers. If ...

The lead-in sentence of a blog reads: So, in the ongoing soap opera of Jesus archaeology, we have now found a manuscript that says, “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife…’”[1] Ongoing soap opera of Jesus archaeology, indeed. If anyone thinks God does not have a sense of humor, perhaps they should reconsider.

This week we have the announcement with respect to a scrap of papyrus that might indicate Jesus had a wife.[2] At the same time, our reading ...

Several years ago, my Mother used to watch the TV show “Are you smarter than a 5^th grader?” She taught kindergarten for about 30 years. She had watched our educational system change significantly in its emphases over that time- including, but not limited to, the ethnic makeup of students as immigrants and refugees found Southern California to be their resting place. She also saw significant changes in how parents spent time with their children over things like reading at home. ...

Today, the “gospel” is a verb. That is, the good news of Jesus Christ requires that we act. We’ve talked about action vs. passivity over the last few weeks as we’ve read the Letter of James. James lays out the case for Christians living a life of high moral and ethical standards as exemplified by Christ. The moral and ethical standards come from an understanding of – and response to – the love of God for us and as manifested ...

The title of the news article is “New Frontiers in Hypersensitivity.” At the end of last week, the US State Department issued a list of phrases in its official State Magazine that are no longer to be used because they are racist, ethnic slurs, or offensive. The banned phrases include “hold down the fort”, “going Dutch” and “rule of thumb.” This is not the entire list, but a sample. While well-intentioned, I question if a pronouncement in an in-house publication ...

Today we worshipped at the Pond- a reminder that God exists in nature and in community as well as when we gather more formally at 520 E. Seminary St., Greencastle, IN. We followed worship with a pitch-in and fellowship time. Today was a time of joy and celebration as well as welcoming of students new to us and those returning. The following is a brief reflection:

What makes you come alive? What gives you joy? Recently in a meeting with other ...

How do we know what we know? There is an old adage: tell your audience what you are going to tell them. Tell them. And then, tell them what you just told them. Many of us need to hear some things several times before it sinks in. Particularly today when we almost never have true silence or real quiet. When many of us have lost the practice of reflection. When it is hard to hear God because there is no such ...

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). What’s the difference between this (hold up piece of bread) and this (hold up Eucharistic wafer from reserved sacrament)? They are both bread. They look different and they taste different – but they are both bread. They both are part of our diet, enabling us to live. When someone goes on a very low carb diet, ...

“There but for the grace of God go I” is something I’ve said when something happens to someone else that could have easily happened to me. It might be an automobile crash with fatalities on a rainy or snowy evening on a road that I’ve driven many times with some anxiety over getting through a treacherous section safely.

“There but for the grace of God go I” – a thanksgiving that we have escaped some harm through God’s intervention in our ...

Saturday Evening Service- Informal “Sermon Ball” 

Questions for discussion in small groups from the Gospel of Mark appointed for this week:

• What is the difference between compassion and sympathy?
• Why do you think Jesus showed compassion rather than sympathy?
• How do you know when to be compassionate and when to be sympathetic?
• Have you ever felt like a sheep without a shepherd?
  • What helped you find you way back?
  • What was not helpful?
  • How can we translate this into our ministry to our parish family and ...