Archive

The Gift Exchange  January 14th, 2007  Michele Rizoli   Text:   John 2:1-11 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Psalm 36:5-10   Now that Christmas is over, we’re taking down decorations, starting diets and maybe heading to the stores to exchange some gifts. I need to tell you that one of my culture-shock experiences in North America is the idea that it is acceptable to exchange a gift.  I can understand the need for a different size of something, or maybe a different colour sweater,…

Love Reveals the Way  January 7th, 2007  Gary Harder   Text:   Isaiah 43:1-7 Luke 3:15-17; 21-22   Introduction “I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). I was intrigued this week by the two lectionary texts for today. The one from Isaiah 43 is addressed to exiles. It is addressed to people in despair. The second one, from Luke 3, is addressed to…

    Love Frees From Fear December 17th, 2006Geoff Wichert   Text:   Isaiah 12:2-6 Zephaniah 3:14-20 Luke 3:7-18 Philippians 4:4-8   Most of today’s texts talk about not being afraid but first I want us to note how much fear is part of the Christmas story in fact, according to the gospel accounts, each of the major characters is instructed by an angel to not be afraid Stories: to Zechariah: “Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord,…

Love Invites Repentance  December 10th, 2006  Gary Harder   Text:   Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 3:1-6    Introduction Ah, the baby grew up – and who could have known what the adult version would look like. The cute baby became a – well, a desert hermit breathing thunder and telling people off, calling them a brood of vipers. His parents were really too old to have a baby, and because his father just didn’t believe the angels message that his wife would…

Sermon on the Mount #9 (Conclusion): Living Into Dying, and Dying Into Living  November 26th, 2006 Gary Harder  Text:   Matthew 7:13-28   IntroductionWe come today to the end of our series of sermons on the Sermon on the Mount. The section for today, Matthew 7:13-28 is often called the “Epilogue”. We come today also to the last Sunday of the old church year. Next Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, begins the new church year. This last Sunday is called “Eternity…

Sermon on the Mount #8: Fakes Exposed  November 19th, 2006  Gary Harder    Texts:   Romans 2:1-4 Matthew 7:1-12   Introduction The Matthew text for today divides neatly into two chunks, but then each chunk has an awkward appendix.  Part one is about a critical spirit. Part two is about trusting in God.   1) Judging others Jesus hits us between the eyes on this one. For two whole chapters of Matthew, of this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has been…

Sermon on the Mount #7: Turning the Other Cheek: The Doormat Jesus  November 12th, 2006  Tim Schmucker    Text:   Matthew 5:38-48   “Hit ‘em in the face. Come on, you gotta hit ‘em in the face” the boys standing around us impatiently shouted at me.   It was the first real fight I had ever been in, with the real use of fists. Not just a smack or a shove. My enemy at the moment was my friend Ricky, the…

Sermon on the Mount #6: Don’t Worry, Be Happy  November 5th, 2006  Jonathan Slater    Text:   Matthew 6:19-34 Romans 4:16-25   A young woman brings home her fiancé to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother tells her father to find out about the young man. The father invites the fiancée to his study for a drink.  “So what are your plans?” the father asks the young man. “I am a Torah scholar,” he replies. “A Torah scholar. Hmmm,” the…

Sermon on the Mount #5: Awed to Heaven, Rooted to Earth  October 29th, 2006  Gary Harder    Text:   Matthew 6:1-16   Introduction “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name”   Awed to heaven. (A prayer by Walter Brueggemann, “Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth”, p. 85)   We are the ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven. We flip off this series of words too readily. But they are precious words to us because they tell the whole tale of…

  Sermon on the Mount #3: The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth  October 22nd, 2006  Jeremy Bergen    Text:   Matthew 5:33-37   When I was about 18 I went to court. Now I was not bringing a lawsuit to force some company to live up to its ethical obligations, nor was I fighting the government on some unjust law. I was not a victim of a crime, nor was I accused of anything. At least not anything too…