Sermon: "The Murky Middle", 1 Timothy 6:5-19 (August 9, 2026)

My friends, I approached the reading for this week wanting to say something nuanced and clever, wanting to offer a subtle commentary that would unfold for you slowly as the week progressed. I wanted to be gentle about this passage’s revelations so that they could grow on you without causing too much discomfort. I wanted to, I really did. But I can’t. Because this passage isn’t nuanced, subtle, or gentle in any way. It’s uncompromisingly clear in its message: wealth and faithfulness are fundamentally incompatible. 

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, hear me when I say that this statement isn’t political - it’s biblical.

Liturgy: Love of Money, 1 Timothy 6:5-19 (August 9, 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 #846, “Fight the Good Fight”

Hymn GTG #716, “God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending”

Hymn GTG #643, “Now Thank We All Our God”

Sermon: "Know Better - Do Better", 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (August 2, 2026)

When I was younger, I used to be a VORACIOUS reader. I was one of two kids in my kindergarten class who could read before they started school, and I was devouring classic novels like *Jane Eyre* and *Les Misérables* for fun by junior high. I was the kid reading under the covers at midnight to keep from getting into trouble for being up so late. I always finished the books assigned for English class weeks before everyone else did - the ONLY homework that I ever finished early, by the way. My appetite for books significantly decreased later in my education when reading started to feel less like a banquet and more like force-feeding, but during my formative years, I spent the vast majority of my free time with my nose buried in a book.

Liturgy: Paul's Conversion, 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (August 2, 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 #12, “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”

Hymn GTG #287, “Gracious Spirit, Heed Our Pleading”

Sermon: "The Doctor Is In", Exodus 32:7-14/1 Timothy 1:12-17 (September 15, 2019)

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Today’s lectionary readings are kind of a downer. They focus on how awful human beings are, especially the first passage from Exodus. The “golden calf” incident certainly wasn’t humanity’s finest hour. It gets worse when we realize that the Israelites didn’t just melt their jewelry into the shape of a baby cow out of boredom or ignorance: they were appealing to the god Apis, who was worshiped by the Egyptians (you know, the people who’d enslaved them for hundreds of years). They were choosing to trust the god of their oppressors over and above the God who had literally JUST performed the most epic demonstration of faithfulness of all time. It’s kind of a miracle that God chose to stick with humanity after that. I mean, even Moses got so mad that he threw down the freshly-chiseled Commandment tablets in rage!