View Archived Sermons NEW! Listen to this Sermon Matthew 1:18-25 Our text for this week begins, “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way… and the story is launched.This story, as told to us by Matthew, ushers us into a world full of power and its use.As we listen to this story we will hear about the power of Hebrew genealogy and patriarchy, the power of a violent and disturbed King Herod…
View Archived Sermons Texts: Luke 1:47-55; James 5:7-10 Encounter with the Divine I love traditional Christmas carols! I confess to feeling a little guilty in saying this. The theology and historicity of the lyrics in the carols can be suspect, and the ‘schmalziness’ of some can be off-putting. Yet, I like the sentiment behind them; and, the ‘schmalz’ can be very effective. The ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ from the Messiah and the Bach Christmas oratorio are absolutely wonderful. But,…
View Archived Sermons New! Listen to this sermon Matt. 3:1-12 In those days, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” If I ask the question, when is the time for repentance, the answer in this sentence is both “in those days,” and “when the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.” In the Gospel of Mark, the parallel to Matthew’s proclamation is, “The time is fulfilled…
View Archived Sermons NEW! Listen to this sermon “There are land mines buried in our road.” The jeep driver was being extremely cautious as we headed up a dirt road into the Nicaraguan mountains. With no roof on the jeep, we were standing in the back, taking in the beautiful mountains and valleys of northern Nicaragua. The driver went on: “the counter-revolutionaries have mined the roads, so we have to follow the tire tracks of the last vehicle.…
View Archived Sermons Isaiah 65:17-25 Our scripture text for today comes from Isaiah 65:17-25. These are the words of God as recorded for us in the tradition of the prophet Isaiah sometime in the post-exilic period of Israel. (oral recitation of Isaiah 65:17-25)In these verses, the prophet Isaiah reveals to us God’s promise and desire to create new heavens and a new earth.The poetry, symbols and images of Isaiah give us an important glimpse into God’s desires…
View Archived Sermons Scripture: Matthew 5, Micah 6: 8 Part 1 – Remembering the victims of violence I remember, Je me souviensI remember, but mostly I’d rather forgetMostly I’d rather sit in my corner and cry, wail, lament I remember the things we do and don’t do to each other: war, injustice, poverty, torture, broken relationships, bullying, meanness, gossip, betrayal, …I remember, but sometimes I’d rather forget Yeah, I’d rather forgetDenial tempts meBecause I don’t care?or…
View Archived Sermons Colossians 3:15-17 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks…
View Archived Sermons Luke 11:1-9 Jodie: Matthew chapter 6 – And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Doug: Luke chapter 11 – He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said…
View Archived Sermons Exodus 20:1-17; Matt. 5: 17-20 On the surface this morning our scripture texts do not seem to have much to do with Gratitude or Thanksgiving. I propose this morning that not only do they have something to do with Gratitude or Thanksgiving, but within them one may find a foundation for Gratitude. I begin this morning with a personal story of gratitude. Earlier this week, on Monday in fact, I was reminded of how…
View Archived Sermons Ephesians 2:11-22 Welcome and inclusion have become really important words/ideas in the church. – and for good reasons. We are a mobile society and one of our fundamental needs is to find and experience a community where we belong or feel at home. The fulfillment of this need often eludes many in our society. From TUMC’s declaration of Values and Identity (in a listening process that this congregation undertook in 2008)I find the following list…