Sermon: "Background Character", 2 Samuel 11:1-12:9 (October 25, 2026)

**Content Notice: this sermon references sexual assault and the lawsuit against "the Cornell 7". Please take care of yourself, and skip reading or watching if hearing it discussed would be painful for you.**

Every time this story shows up in the lectionary, I cringe. This is a really hard passage both to read and to preach on, for what I think are fairly obvious reasons. But this time around, it feels a little bit harder than usual. This time, we’re reading it under the shadow of the  allegations that have recently come out of Cornell - allegations made by a Jane Doe that are shocking, but sadly not all that surprising. As David demonstrates in today’s reading, those with any amount of privilege or power have always felt entitled to things that don’t belong to them - whether it’s another person’s property, their body, or their dignity. And as the Cornell case demonstrates, society is still disturbingly tolerant of this ongoing behavior. 

Liturgy: David and Bathsheba, 2 Samuel 11:1-12:9 (October 25, 2026)

*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 that you have either used or adapted it.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #314, “Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness”

Hymn GTG #419, “Lord, Who May Dwell within Your House”

Hymn GTG #313, “Lord, Make Us More Holy”

Sermon: "Ten Simple Rules", Exodus 19:3-7, 20:1-17 (October 11, 2026)

By the time we arrive at this point in the story of God’s people, we’ve learned a lot about the many benefits that come with being chosen by God – we’ve read about God’s deliverance in the stories of Noah, Joseph, and the parting of the Red Sea, we’ve read about the promises that God has made to humanity in general and to Abram specifically – but this is the first time we’ve encountered the RULES of being God’s chosen people. As it turns out, being God’s most precious possession comes with some obligations, and this is the first time that they’ve been formally laid out in Scripture.

Liturgy: The Ten Commandments, Exodus 19:3-7, 20:1-17 (October 11, 2026)

           *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 that you have either used or adapted it.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #432, “How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord”

Hymn GTG #64, “I Long for Your Commandments”

Hymn GTG #740, “Lead Me, Guide Me”

Sermon: "Gotta Go Through It," Exodus 14:5-29

Ah, yes; the parting of the Red Sea. Most of us are so familiar with this story and the way it ends that we don’t ever really stop to think about what it actually would have been like for the Israelites. After the chaos of the ten plagues and their rushed exodus from Egypt, chapter 14 finds the Israelites several days into their journey. Undoubtedly, they were anxious and afraid when they’d first set out, but after about a week of traveling without incident, I can imagine them beginning to let their guard down, possibly even feeling the first real glimmers of hope. They’d become so confident in their success, in fact, that they decided to take a break from running away and rest by the Red Sea for a little while. 

Liturgy: The Israelites Cross the Sea, Exodus 14:5-29 (October 4, 2026)

          *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 that you have either used or adapted it.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #53, “O God, Who Gives Us Life”

Hymn GTG #65, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”

Sermon: "Choose a Side", Genesis 39 (September 27, 2026)

There’s a fairly common narrative that’s told in certain parts of our society. It says that women frequently make false accusations against men as a way of social climbing or gaining notoriety at the man’s expense. Although researchers and law enforcement data say that this isn’t actually an especially frequent occurrence, a lot of people still embrace this narrative wholeheartedly. Stories like the one in today’s reading certainly don’t do anything to discourage this thinking - here we have a woman accusing a man of sexual advances that he did not make in order to get him in trouble and pull him down from a powerful position within the household. This story could be read as a cautionary tale about the inherent deceitfulness of women.