Let me begin this post by saying that some may feel that it's inappropriate. I'll reiterate that this thoughts and ideas on this blog belong to me alone (except for my sermons--I hope that at least a part of those come from God, too) and that I thought long and hard before deciding to post this. Hopefully, it will be helpful to someone, and for those of you who are made uncomfortable by it, hopefully you can understand why it was important for me to say.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Monday, September 25, 2017
Sermon: "The Runaway Bunny and God's Grace", Psalm 139:1-12/Luke 15:1-7, 11-19 (September 24, 2017)
9/24/17
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We read about Jesus’ teaching in parables all over the gospels. He does it so frequently that they’re some of the most beloved and well-known stories in the Bible. Unlike other parts of scripture, we aren’t expected to believe that these events actually happened, but this lack of historicity doesn’t take away from their value as scripture. In fact, a lot of their value lies in their being universally understandable and relatable to anyone who hears them. They depend on their audience being able to mentally put themselves into the story.
We read about Jesus’ teaching in parables all over the gospels. He does it so frequently that they’re some of the most beloved and well-known stories in the Bible. Unlike other parts of scripture, we aren’t expected to believe that these events actually happened, but this lack of historicity doesn’t take away from their value as scripture. In fact, a lot of their value lies in their being universally understandable and relatable to anyone who hears them. They depend on their audience being able to mentally put themselves into the story.
Monday, August 14, 2017
Sermon: “What Do You Do With the Mad That You Feel?”, Genesis 37:2-7, 11-12, 18-28/1 Kings 19:9-18 (August 13, 2017)
8/13/2017
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As you hopefully recall from worship last week, the High School youth went to Pittsburgh, PA, for their mission trip this summer. We had a lot of incredible experiences on that trip, but one of the most unique was our opportunity to hear Hedda Sharapan speak. Hedda had worked closely with the Reverend Fred Rogers on his show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and has continued the work that he began back in 1966 even after his death. Although I think the celebrity of such a person was somewhat lost on a few of our younger youth, for me, this was like meeting Beyoncé’s personal stylist. I mean, for those of us who grew up between the 60s and the early 2000s, Mister Rogers taught us everything we knew about the most important things in life: sweater vests, make-believe, friendship, and, of course, feelings. And meeting Hedda was like being one step removed from one of the greatest teachers I’d ever had. So I’ve had Mr. Rogers on the brain since July.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Sermon: “The How-Tos (and How-Not-Tos) of Discernment”, Judges 6:34-40/Joshua 24:2-5, 11-15 (July 23, 2017)
7/23/2017
This sermon is the last one in our series based on questions submitted by you all. There were some excellent questions, and while Andrew’s sermon last week on sin and predestination addressed some juicy topics, I think that I lucked out for this week, too. The question for this week, as submitted, is: “How do you know what to act on, which decisions to make, what paths to take? How do you know it’s God leading you and when are you doing your own thing?” And, the questioner added, “Don’t just say to pray about it.” So, since THAT route is off-limits, I guess I have to go a little more in depth. No 30-second sermon for you this week.
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This sermon is the last one in our series based on questions submitted by you all. There were some excellent questions, and while Andrew’s sermon last week on sin and predestination addressed some juicy topics, I think that I lucked out for this week, too. The question for this week, as submitted, is: “How do you know what to act on, which decisions to make, what paths to take? How do you know it’s God leading you and when are you doing your own thing?” And, the questioner added, “Don’t just say to pray about it.” So, since THAT route is off-limits, I guess I have to go a little more in depth. No 30-second sermon for you this week.
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Sermon: "Psalm Pshoes & Good News", Psalm 30 (July 2, 2017)
7/22/2017
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I have to be honest: I wasn’t thrilled when I found out that I’d be preaching on a psalm this week. Don’t get me wrong; the psalms are great, and there are several that hold a very dear place in my heart. But preaching on the psalms can be a bit of a challenge—for me, at least. Why, you ask? Because so many of them are so thematically similar. I mean, how many ways can you say, “God is awesome,” or “Everything is terrible, God,” or “Save me, God”? They’re definitely important texts, but psalm sermons can get bland if you’re not careful.
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I have to be honest: I wasn’t thrilled when I found out that I’d be preaching on a psalm this week. Don’t get me wrong; the psalms are great, and there are several that hold a very dear place in my heart. But preaching on the psalms can be a bit of a challenge—for me, at least. Why, you ask? Because so many of them are so thematically similar. I mean, how many ways can you say, “God is awesome,” or “Everything is terrible, God,” or “Save me, God”? They’re definitely important texts, but psalm sermons can get bland if you’re not careful.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Sermon: "It Matters", 1 Peter 3:13-22 (May 21, 2017)
5/21/2017
Sermon video here.
Sermon video here.
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Even if you don’t have kids in high school and you haven’t been to school yourself in years, it’s hard to miss the fact that it’s graduation season. The party supplies are everywhere in stores, the announcements from family friends are arriving in the mail, and let’s face it: no matter how many years you work without a “summer vacation,” you’ll always remember that sense of hope and freedom that comes in late May and early June. Graduation is a big deal. For high schoolers, it represents the culmination of 13 years of study and learning (with maybe a TINY bit of goofing off mixed in). For college students, it often marks a cultural entrance into adulthood and the first step towards building a career. For many Masters, Doctoral, and Professional Degree students, it marks the end of formal education. No wonder we make such a fuss over it.
Even if you don’t have kids in high school and you haven’t been to school yourself in years, it’s hard to miss the fact that it’s graduation season. The party supplies are everywhere in stores, the announcements from family friends are arriving in the mail, and let’s face it: no matter how many years you work without a “summer vacation,” you’ll always remember that sense of hope and freedom that comes in late May and early June. Graduation is a big deal. For high schoolers, it represents the culmination of 13 years of study and learning (with maybe a TINY bit of goofing off mixed in). For college students, it often marks a cultural entrance into adulthood and the first step towards building a career. For many Masters, Doctoral, and Professional Degree students, it marks the end of formal education. No wonder we make such a fuss over it.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Sermon: “Low Battery Alert (Fifth in a Series on “Hitchhiking with Jesus”: What Do We Bring?)", Matthew 17:14-20/1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (April 2, 2017)
4/2/2017
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Before I launch into my sermon today, I need to admit something to you all: I’m somewhat of a technology addict. Specifically, I’m addicted to my cell phone. Whenever I’m bored, the first thing I do is pull out my phone and check Facebook (even if I already checked it 30 seconds ago) or play a game or read an article that I saved from the internet. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I’m fairly confident that I’m not alone here. How many of you are like me? For those of you who didn’t raise your hand (or are in denial), I apologize and hope you’ve encountered someone like me so that you can understand everything that I’m about to say on some level (I assume that you have…it IS 2017…).
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Before I launch into my sermon today, I need to admit something to you all: I’m somewhat of a technology addict. Specifically, I’m addicted to my cell phone. Whenever I’m bored, the first thing I do is pull out my phone and check Facebook (even if I already checked it 30 seconds ago) or play a game or read an article that I saved from the internet. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I’m fairly confident that I’m not alone here. How many of you are like me? For those of you who didn’t raise your hand (or are in denial), I apologize and hope you’ve encountered someone like me so that you can understand everything that I’m about to say on some level (I assume that you have…it IS 2017…).
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