Sermons

February 4, 2018

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

Larry spoke about changes in his life, honesty, and doing the next, right thing. Retelling the Gospel reading about Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law, he said that all of us more readily think about God when we are in need than simply being grateful all the time. So often we look in the wrong places for happiness and salvation from our troubles. Christians should know better, he said. Jesus tells us to go out and live in service and in peace, and to thank God for our very lives.

January 28, 2018

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

My sermon this morning is about metanoia, a sudden moment of waking up after which we can never see the world in the same way.  I’m going to use the passage from 1^st Corinthians as a jumping-off place to think about this.  And since Paul in this reading has also invited us to think about the meaning of what we eat, I’m going to go ahead and do that too.

Metanoia is a Greek word that means “change of mind.”  It shows up fairly often in the New Testament, and is usually translated as “repentance.”  In Luke, for instance, when Jesus says, “It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” the word for repentance is metanoia.  So how does “change of mind” become “repentance”?

January 21, 2018

Third Sunday after Epiphany

Today the young people from Bokamoso again joined us, bringing us songs and stories from their lives in Winterveld, South Africa.

There is no text, but only our joyous memories of their visit, our anticipation of their return next year, and this recording of portions of the service in which they participated.

January 14, 2018

Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Kate Cudlipp and I shared the practice of beginning our sermons with a portion from Psalm 19, and by continuing the practice I like to think that Kate is whispering over my shoulder, I am here, and her gift to us of “we’re all in this together.” So I pray:

Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
find favor in your Heart
O my Beloved, my strength and
my joy!
Amen

A side note before I begin. There is a fair amount of reference to God as He, but only in quoted passages. Personally, I have no image for God beyond a poor attempt to describe the Holy One as the Great Mystery beyond my comprehension.

January 7, 2018

First Sunday after the Epiphany

What a fantastic story! A baby has been born in Bethlehem. Then some wise men from the East arrive in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising.” Herod, who is king of the Jews, feels threatened and asks his advisors where the prophets say the Messiah will be born. They tell him, in Bethlehem. Herod calls for the wise men, in secret, and, after questioning them as to the exact time of the star’s appearance, tells them to go to Bethlehem and bring back word of the child’s whereabouts. They leave Jerusalem, and now that star, which they had seen rising, is right there, moving ahead of them, then stopping over a house. The wise men, overcome with joy, enter the house and kneel down before the child. Then they offer him valuable gifts from their treasure chests.