Sermon: "The Passage That Doesn't End", 1 John 5:1-5 (July 21, 2024)

Okay; before we go any further, I want to assure you that it’s not just you: this passage IS really confusing. You all know I usually prefer the Common English Bible for its clarity of language, but even there, Scripture’s message is convoluted at best. One of the commentaries I read in preparation for this sermon noted that this passage “seems to defy parsing into logical thought. Motifs entwine, spiral, then interlace with such circularity that a reader may experience verbal vertigo.”[1] This passage is objectively perplexing, even to the so-called “experts”. Sometimes, that’s just the way the Bible is.

Liturgy: 9th Sunday After Pentecost, 1 John 5:1-5 (July 21, 2024)

    *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 #110, “Love Has Come”
Hymn GTG #137, “He Came Down”
Hymn GTG #372, “O for a World”

Hymn GTG #720, “Jesus Calls Us”

Sermon: "Aaaaand ACTION!", 1 John 3:16-24 (July 7, 2024)

As some of you may remember, this past week was the biennial gathering of General Assembly, the national governing body of our denomination. This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal to most of you, but many clergy (myself included) watch the livestream of these meetings with the same fervor that regular people follow the Olympics. (In fact, I’m all but certain that I watched a lot more of GA than I’ll watch of the actual Olympics later this summer.) Anyway, the gathered body addressed many topics over the course of four VERY full days, including everything from online worship to divestment from the fossil fuel industry to an official policy of non-discrimination against our LGBT+ siblings. And while of course everyone always waits with bated breath to learn how the assembly will vote, in my opinion, the most riveting part of GA is actually the debate. It’s the most nuanced way to “check the pulse” of the denomination as a whole, and it’s where you can most clearly see the Holy Spirit moving throughout the week.

Liturgy: 7th Sunday After Pentecost, 1 John 3:16-24 (July 7, 2024)

   *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 #308, “O God in Whom All Life Begins”
Hymn GTG #328, “Praise God, All You Nations”
Hymn GTG #757, “Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples”

Sermon: "Don't Be the Antichrist", Selections from 1 John (April 25, 2021)

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Although 1 John is often lumped in with the epistles, it’s an unusual one, in that it doesn’t follow the conventional patterns of a first-century letter. Actually, it’s composed more like a sermon than a letter. Instead of addressing the specific questions or issues arising within a particular Christian community, 1 John seems to be casting a wider net, offering guidance to the Church at large. Given that it was probably written around 90 CE (making it one of the latest epistles in the biblical canon), this makes sense—as the Church grew, it became more and more imperative to make sure that EVERYONE was on the same page, so that Jesus’ message wasn’t being distorted in the world’s largest game of “Telephone” ever.