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Text of Sermons
Most Recent Sermon
“The Green Eyed Monster” – Sermon for Genesis 37.1-5, 12-28
Here we go again. The generational saga continues. Isaac prefers his son Esau. Isaac’s wife, Rebecca, prefers the other son, Jacob. And Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. But did Jacob love all of his 12 children equally? No. Jacob loved Rachel’s son, Joseph, more than any of his other children. And all of his children knew it. Can you imagine how it would feel to see one of your parents lavish an extraordinary gift on one child but not the others? No wonder Joseph’s brothers were...
Previous Sermons
“Blessed Struggle”
Jacob’s deceit is finally catching up with him. No more running away. No more hiding from the consequences of stealing his brother’s birthright. No more lying to himself about who he is or what he’s done. It’s time for Jacob to face the music. Among the most pivotal...
“A Love That Will Not Let Us Go”
Isaac prefers his son Esau. Isaac’s wife, Rebecca, prefers the other son, Jacob. And Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. Family drama. Imagine you were writing the story of your family of origin… Did you ever get the sense that your mother or father preferred one...
“Beyond Expectations”
Guilt. Shame. Fear. States of mind that can block our awareness of the presence of God. And Jacob, likely, had all of them. Guilt. Shame. Fear. He has just stolen his brother’s birthright and been sent away from home for the first time in his life, to a foreign land,...
“You Call This A Blessing?”
Pity Rebecca. For 20 years, she longed for a child. For 20 years, her husband, Isaac, wanted a child. The fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham depended on her having a child. 1 year…2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. 20 years of...
“The Challenge of Freedom”
What does freedom mean to you? I suspect that for many of us, our definition of freedom has more to do with how we were raised as Americans than it does with Paul’s teaching - which, let’s face it, we are just not as familiar with. From the time we are very young,...
“What’s Love Got to Do with It?”
Pity Abraham. After all that he and Sarah went through to finally welcome an heir, God now tells him to offer Isaac for sacrifice. What????????? It makes no sense. It’s as if God is pulling the divine rug out from underneath Abraham. What kind of a God would take...
“Love Letter to the Earth” Worship Service Sermon: “A Sacred Relationship”
Think about a time you were aware of the simple joy of being alive… Where were you? Now consider a time when you felt a sense of awe and wonder, of deep peace, and connection to the Divine? Where were you? Outside? For all that the earth, all that nature gives us,...
“Holy Encounters” – A sermon based on Genesis 18.1-15
Last week, the Lord tells Abram, “I will bless you that you will be a blessing.” Abram takes him at his word. Immediately before the passage we just heard today, in Genesis 17, the Lord reiterates his covenant, “You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No...
“To Be a Blessing” – Sermon on Genesis 12.1-9
Commanded by God, Abram became an immigrant. The one whom Jews and Christians throughout the ages have claimed as the “Father of Faith” was an immigrant. Let that sink in. Whether he was in an untenable situation (as Jewish midrash suggests - that he was living...
“To Be One” – A Sermon for the 7th Sunday of Easter
Sometimes, I think that if Jesus were to come back, he would weep. It’s not just that the world continues to be fraught. I don’t think he ever imagined a time the world would be free from danger and evil. But, he hoped that his followers would live in such a way -...
“The Names of God: A Pathway to Relationship”
Over the last few weeks, we have been exploring a variety of biblical images about ourselves in relation to God. Scripture suggests that we are to be like sheep held securely in the sheepfold. We are to be like infants longing for milk, like living stones built into a...
“Living Stones” – A Sermon for the 5th Sunday of Easter
(N.B. Given the visual nature of this sermon, you are encouraged to view it on YouTube once available.) In this second half of Eastertide, these weeks between Easter and Pentecost, our scripture readings ask us to reflect on one question: what does the resurrection of...