FCCO Sermons: Take 2

(Sermon preached February 16, 2025) Luke 7:18-35 is a  long reading included in the narrative lectionary for this year.  John the Baptist is in prison and sends messengers to Jesus to ask him if he is the one.  It is an important question for our time as we strive to understand what it means to be a Christian and follow Jesus today.

(Sermon preached February 9, 2025) Two healing stories (Luke 7:1-17) show Jesus' mercy toward two dramatically different people. The challenge of Jesus, regardless of who is in need, is to show mercy  anyway .

(Sermon preached January 25, 2025) Luke 5:1-11 tells the story of Jesus calling his first disciples.  He tells Simon Peter, "From now on you will be catching people." This sermon invites us to re-imagine our understanding of "catching" in the context of this story. 

(Sermon preached January 19, 2025) The sound quality is not very good - sorry!  My microphone died.  In Luke 4:14-30, Jesus gives his inaugural address. It is an opportunity for us to consider what it means to be a Christian in this time.

(Sermon preached January 12, 2025)  John the Baptist and Jesus had different messages related to their eschatology, but they both agreed that the measure of the fruit we bear is reflected in how well we love our neighbor.  Luke 3:1-22 portrays John as the one who prepares the way for Jesus and Jesus' message and gives us a glimpse of John's preaching and message.

(Sermon preached January 5, 2025) The only story of Jesus as a boy is told in Luke 2:41-52. Jesus is 12, and separated from his parents, who spend three days searching for him. They are frantic, while he is "at home" in the temple.

(Sermon preached December 29, 2024) Luke 2:22-40 tells the story of Simeon and Anna as they encounter Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in the temple.  The hope and fears of all theirs years were met in Jesus that day.  

(Sermon preached December 15, 2024 - Third Sunday in Advent)  Mary's singing about a revolution as she announces the dethroning of the powerful.  Luke 1 gives us a Mary that is anything but meek and mild.  She resists her status as a lowly girl and births a revolution of love.

(Sermon preached December 8, 2024)  Isaiah 7:10-14 and Matthew 1:18-25 speak about the promise of a child to be born who will be "God with us." Jesus pointed to children as signs of God with us. How do we receive the child?

(Sermon preached December 1, 2024) Isaiah 40:1-11 and Mark 1:1-15 both speak of preparing a way forward toward the Kindom of God that God imagines for creation. And yet, sometimes a hope this big can seem too out of reach and become discouraging.  We need our big hope for direction, but our journey is one of doing the next right thing, one after another.  We can build our resilience and find joy a...

(Sermon preached November 24, 2024) Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday of the Christian year.  John 18:33-37 describes the moment Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king.  Is he?  What does it mean to say Christ is King today?

(Sermon preached at an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on November 17, 2024) 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to "rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances." How is that even possible?  And yet, when gratitude becomes a disciplined practice, we discover it is not only possible but essential.

(Sermon preached November 3, 2024) The scripture associated with this sermon is the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30.  Frederick Buechner makes the association of the stewardship of pain and this parable.  This sermon asks, "What do we do with our pain?  How do we steward it well?"  A comment related to the parable.  This sermon does not exegete this parable.  If I were to preach on this p...

(The sermon preached October 27, 2024) Many congregations with property, like FCCO, are approaching the crossroads of declining numbers and rising costs. Tough decisions have to be made when the property ceases to serve the ministry. This sermon explores how our campus is currently used and appeals to steward it well.  

(Sermon preached October 20, 2024) 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, along with passages in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, name spiritual gifts.  Everyone is gifted by the holy spirit, but our gifts differ so that we can work together, like parts of a body.  What's your spiritual gift?  Who are you, really?

(Sermon preached October 13, 2024) In John 6:1-12 we read John's version of the story of the feeding of the 5,000.  With just five loaves and two fish the whole crowd is fed. The story challenges us to imagine God's abundance when our default is scarcity.  What are your five loaves and two fishes?

(Sermon preached October 6, 2024) Micah 6:8 tells us that God requires us to "do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with God." This sermon invites us to think about ways we can steward our citizenship to love our neighbor, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. 

(Sermon preached September 29, 2024) This sermon concludes a five-week series called "Matters of the Heart." Mark 9:38-50 challenges us to examine ourselves and to sift out things in us that do not serve the kingdom/kindom.  

(Sermon preached September 15, 2024)  In Mark 8:27-38, Jesus asks, "Who do people say that I am?" And then he asks his disciples, "Who do you say I am?" The rest of the passage reveals that they are still "on the way" to understanding, but not there yet.

(Sermon preached September 8, 2024) Mark 7:24-37 tells the story of a gentile woman falling at Jesus' feet, pleading for him to heal her daughter.  His reply is troubling.  It appears he is denying her request and calling her a dog.  Would Jesus do that? What can we learn from this story?

(Sermon preached September 1, 2024)  This is the first of five sermons from the gospel of Mark, a series I am calling, "Matters of the Heart." Mark 7:1-23 addresses the challenges of trying to be pure and spins back around to tell us we are the ones who need our hearts examined.

(Sermon preached August 18, 2024) What is wisdom and why should we care?  In Proverbs 9:1-6, wisdom cries out to us, inviting us to a feast.  She invites us to seek insight and to walk in the way that bends toward life in all its fullness.

(Sermon preached August 11, 2024)  The lectionary reading for today from Ephesians (Ephesians 4:25-5:2) is an appeal to a Christian community to embody the love of Jesus and to walk in love with one another.  Sometimes its messy.

(Sermon preached August 4, 2024)  God is not happy with King David so God sends the prophet Nathan to David with a little story that packs a big punch.  He is humbled and will forever bear the consequences of his actions. The scripture is 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a.

(Sermon preached July 28, 2024) 2 Samuel 11:1-15 tells the story of King David grossly abusing his power to rape and murder.  Why do we need to know this? What about Bathsheba?