Sermon: “How to Succeed at Church Without Really Trying”, October 19, 2025 (1 Samuel 16:1-13)

It’s a widely recognized truth of human nature that, when given a choice, most of us will pursue success by following the path of least resistance. I don’t mean this as a criticism; it’s an entirely rational way to operate in the world. We maximize our chance of success (and minimize the cost of failure) when we make things as easy as possible for ourselves. So it makes sense for us to always be on the lookout for the simplest ways to get a leg up.

Liturgy: God Anoints David, 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (October 19, 2025)

  *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #287, “Gracious Spirit, Heed Our Pleading” [vv. 1, 3, & 4]

Hymn GTG #303, “God the Spirit, Guide and Guardian” [vv. 1, 3, & 4]

Hymn GTG #700, “I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me”

Sermon: "Inadvertent Villainy", 1 Samuel 3:1-18 (October 12, 2025)

One of my favorite ways to engage scripture is to imagine yourself in the shoes of each character you encounter and seeing what new insights arise. It’s especially interesting in stories where there’s an obvious hero and villain dynamic at play. What do we find when we try to relate to Pharaoh instead of Moses? How does our understanding shift when we see ourselves as Goliath instead of David?  What can we learn when we adopt the perspective of Judas instead of Jesus? 

Liturgy: God Calls Samuel, 1 Samuel 3:1-18 (October 12, 2025)

  *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #410, “God Is Calling through the Whisper”

Hymn GTG #421, “Have Mercy, God, upon My Life”

Hymn GTG #805, “Come Sing to God”

Sermon: “M.Y.O.B.”, Exodus 2:23-3:15 (September 28, 2025)

Do you remember the first “societal rule” that you were taught? For many of us, it was probably to MYOB - “mind your own business”. The more siblings you grew up with, the earlier and more frequently you probably heard this admonition. But this rule doesn’t just apply to juvenile tattle tales and the fairness police. In our society, “MYOB” is arguably as important a tenet as the Golden Rule (some might even say moreso). When it’s applied consistently and well, it’s one of our best strategies for living together in peace - if it doesn’t affect you personally, the rule says that you’re supposed to just let it go and move on with your life. 

Liturgy: God's Name, Exodus 3:1-15 (Reposted from October 1, 2023)

 *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #442, “Just as I Am, without One Plea”

Hymn GTG #727, “Will You Let Me Be Your Servant” (vv. 1, 2, 4, 6)

Hymn GTG #692, “Spirit, Open My Heart”

Sermon: "Character Work", Genesis 22:1-14 (September 14, 2025)

This story from Genesis is a really disturbing one, particularly since the Narrative Lectionary has given it to us in the midst of an especially disturbing few weeks of violence in our country. The last thing that we want to encounter here in the safety and sanctity of worship is the story of a father willing to sacrifice his own son’s life without question. But here we are.

Most of us have been taught for decades that the point of this story is to show us what true faithfulness looks like, that this is the standard of trust in God we should all aspire to: we should be willing to sacrifice up to and including the lives of our own family - by our own hands - if God asks us to. But although this lesson is deeply ingrained in our theological understanding (indeed, it’s the only explanation some of us have ever heard for this story) many of us still struggle with it. We’re unable to reconcile this interpretation of Genesis 22 with the profound sense of unease that it provokes within us.