Sermon: “The X(mas) Files: WHY?” John 3:16-17 (December 24, 2023 - Christmas Eve)

Over the four weeks of Advent, the congregation of Boone Church has been playing detective as we investigated the familiar scripture that informs our understanding of Christmas. I’ve been putting on this hat and asking the basic “W” questions to help us better understand the nature of this Messiah whose birth we celebrate each year: who, what, when, and where. We’ve discovered that when we ask these questions about the Christ with open and inquisitive minds, we can learn just as much about ourselves as we do about God. The question of “Who” the Messiah is led us to ask who it is that we actually follow as our messiah. The question of “What” the Messiah is coming to accomplish led us to ask what we might be misunderstanding about Jesus’ agenda. The question of “When” the Messiah would come led us to ask if we’re able to see ALL the ways that God has been, is, and will be working in the world. And just this morning, the question of “Where” the Messiah can be found led us to ask how far we’re willing to go to find him. So we’ve learned a lot from this ancient story that we’ve heard thousands of times before…and we’ve learned a lot about how its message echoes in our own lives even today.

Sermon: “The X(mas) Files: Where?” Micah 5:1-5/Matthew 2 (December 24, 2023 - Christmas Eve)

Of all the questions we’ve asked this Advent, I’d have to guess that “Where” is the most practical. Even if we think that we’ve got the “who”, “what”, and “when” of the Messiah figured out, the “where” is what brings it all together; it’s the part that takes the Messiah from the hypothetical realm to the incarnational. And we can’t worship the Messiah very well if we don’t even know where to look! As they say in real estate, it’s all about “location, location, location”! So, for one last time before we gather to celebrate Christ’s birth tonight, let’s put on our detective hats, gather the clues, and see what answers we can find!

Sermon: “The X(mas) Files: When?” Psalm 13/Luke 1:46-55 (December 17, 2023 - Advent 3)

I forgot to hit record - the sermon audio starts at the * in the first paragraph.

About six months ago, I dusted off my old Duolingo account and started learning French again. I’ve formally studied Spanish, French, Greek, and Hebrew at one time or another, but I stuck with French the longest, so I figured it’d be the easiest to pick back up again. I was right, but *even as the vocabulary and grammar started to come back to me, I also (re)discovered one of the most difficult parts of learning a new language: reframing the way that you think about time.

Sermon: "The X(mas) Files: WHO?", Isaiah 40:1-5/Luke 3:2-9, 15-16 (December 3, 2023)

This Advent, we’re going to be investigating “The Xmas Files” together: we’ll be taking on the role of detectives: digging into the scripture that informs our understanding of that first Christmas Day over 2000 years ago, and examining how those events still echo in our lives today. Although undoubtedly a worthwhile endeavor for the weeks leading up to Christmas, this task won’t be easy because, if we’re being honest, we’re pretty far from objective as investigators go. These stories have personal meaning to us, and we’ve heard them so many times (usually in the exact same context and manner) that our understanding of them has calcified over the years into something easy and comfortable. While this generally suits us fine in an otherwise festive time of year, if I had to pick any two words that absolutely do NOT describe God’s kindom, I’d probably choose “easy” and “comfortable”. So, as members of a denomination that traditionally places a high value on intellectual curiosity, we’re going to let go of what we think we know, put on our detective hats, and trust God’s Word enough to subject it to questioning – starting this week with the question of WHO?

Sermon: "In Living Color: Landscapes", Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Mark 8:27-33; Revelation 21:1-7 (November 27, 2016)

11/27/16

Sermon video here.

(First in an Advent series, "In Living Color")

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When I was a kid, I was part of a prestigious children’s choir in my hometown. It was so prestigious, in fact, that we were always asked to sing in the city-sponsored performance of Handel’s “Messiah” each year—you know, every kid’s dream. I got to sit through two or three hours of classical music in the itchy skirt, starched button-down shirt and red bow-tie that was my choir uniform, all while listening to God’s Word in the form of classical music. No wonder I became a pastor, huh?