FCCO Sermons: Take 2

(Sermon preached August 6, 2023) What does it mean to be Christian?  How do the concepts of heaven/hell impact the way we understand what it means to be Christian?  This sermon is just an introduction to an alternative to the heaven/hell framework.  It is the first in a series called "Speaking Christian" based loosely on the book with the same name by Marcus Borg where we will be exploring the lan...

(Sermon preached July 23, 2023) The Kingdom of God can be compared to a....mustard seed.  This parable is so well known it is challenging to hear it with fresh ears.  While in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the tiny mustard seed becomes a tree, in the Gospel of Mark it remains a large shrub (Mark 4:30-32). Does size matter?  What if the fruits of our efforts are just average?  

(Sermon preached July 16, 2023) The story of the tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11:1-9.  This sermon is the third in a series titled the Kindom of God: Among Us, Within Us ( a series created for congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in anticipation of the General Assembly of the church held in Louisville, July 29 - August 1.)  When we compare the story of the tower of Bab...

(Sermon preached July 9, 2023)  Isaiah speaks to God's people about what God wants from them; to give up their superficial piety for genuine concern for their neighbor.  (Isaiah 58:11-12) 

(Sermon preached July 2, 2023) This sermon is the first in a series titled, "The Kindom of God: Among Us, Within Us," which is the theme of the 2023 General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  In Luke 17:20-21, Jesus says, "The Kingdom of God is Among us." Other translations say, "within us," and "in your midst." The word "kindom" is not a replacement for the word "kingdom," b...

(Sermon preached June 18, 2023) The call of Matthew is found in Matthew 9:9-13.  As a tax collector, he is despised, yet Jesus makes a beeline for him and invites Matthew to follow him.  When Jesus eats a meal with Matthew and his friends, the Pharisees criticize him.  Jesus sees Matthew as beloved, and that makes all the difference in what follows.

(Sermon preached June 4, 2023 at Norwalk Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Norwalk, Iowa) I served as the pastor of Norwalk Christian Church for 11+ years before moving to California.  I had the honor of preaching on June 4, just as they are beginning the Open and Affirming process.  

(Sermon preached May 21, 2023)  Matthew 18:21-22 can be a dangerous passage when used to send people back to their abusers.  So what are we to make of it?  What is and isn't forgiveness?  Why is it important?  How do we do it?  

(Sermon preached May 16, 2023)  Jesus tells his disciples that he is about to leave them.  In John 14:15-21, he tells them he will not leave them orphaned, he will be with them.  What we discover, with a little help from Tom Joad is that Jesus is with us "on the way." As we carry on the work Jesus began, the work of love, compassion, forgiveness, healing, and justice, Jesus assures us, "I'll be th...

(Sermon preached May 7, 2023) In John 14:1-14, Jesus tells his disciples to not let their heart be troubled.  What sounds like bad grammar may actually be speaking to the collective heart of the disciples.  

(Sermon preached April 30, 2023).  John 10:1-10 is a jumble of mixed metaphors related to shepherding that Jesus' audience doesn't understand.  Midway through the passage, he says, "I am the gate," which is a challenging metaphor to unpack.  Is Jesus the only way into an exclusive community of the saved or are the teaching of Jesus and his example the way of abundant life for all people?

(Sermon preached April 23, 2023) Galatians 5:13-15 may not be the most obvious text for an Earth Day Sermon, and yet, when we consider the impact of our practices of consumption and production we learn that it is the most vulnerable people that suffer the consequences. Every act, large or small, that we do in care of creation, is an act of neighbor love.

(Sermon for Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023) When you read the story of Jesus' dramatic entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11, the appropriate question to ask is "What's going on?"  It's so much more than a joyous parade.  When we step back and ask a few questions about this text we quickly realize that we are being presented with a choice; the choice between violence and nonviolence. Our seeking que...

(Sermon preached March 25, 2023)  John 11:1-45 describes the raising of Jesus' friend Lazarus.  Lazarus has already been dead for four days.  What Jesus knows all along is that this is going to be a resurrection story.  Believing that Jesus is the resurrection and the life; believing that this is going to be a resurrection story, is the promise that sustains us when we find ourselves entombed by t...

Jesus HAD to go through Samaria.  So begins, the story of Jesus and his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, found in John 4:1-42.  Where is our Samaria?

(Sermon preached March 5, 2023).  We meet Nicodemus in John 3:1-17.  As a Pharisee, Nicodemus is troubled by Jesus.  Jesus doesn't fit in Nicodemus' box, and yet he knows Jesus cannot do what he does apart from God.  So he gets curious and opens his box of beliefs a crack.  Is it enough for the Spirit to stir?  Is Nicodemus reborn?  Are we?

(Sermon preached February 26, 2023) The story of the temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11) invites us to think about how temptation functions in our own lives.  In this sermon, I turn to the writings of Evagrius Ponticus and his "Eight Bad Thoughts," and then I add one of my own. Understanding how temptation is at work in our lives can help us to address it before it becomes sin.

The loudest words we hear in the story of Jesus' transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9) are, "Listen to him!"  This story happens after the disciples struggle to hear what Jesus is saying about being arrested and killed in Jerusalem and the cost of discipleship.  Sometimes, like the disciples, we have a hard time listening to Jesus.  When is that for you?

(Sermon preached February 6, 2023)  In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus says, "You are the light of the world?"  Are we going to hide that light or let it shine?  

(Sermon preached January 22, 2023) Micah 6:1-8 tells us what God wants; to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. How are we doing with that?

(Sermon preached January 15, 2023)  Two months before Dr. King was killed, he preached a sermon that included how he wanted to be remembered.  He preached on the "Drum Major Instinct" which was inspired by a sermon by J Wallace Hamilton and based on Mark 10:35-45.  You can read Dr. King's Sermon here:  Sermon You can read J Wallace Hamilton's Sermon here: Sermon I have included my "Invitation to C...

(Sermon preached January 8, 2023) The story of Jesus' baptism is told every year on the First Sunday of Epiphany.  Every year we have the opportunity to remember our own baptisms and grow our understanding.  Every year we have the opportunity to remember who we are, and what we are called to do.  In Year A we read the story from Matthew. (Matthew 3:13-17)

(Sermon preached January 1, 2023) The magi were seekers, and when they set out to find the newborn King of the Jews, they discovered him in a place unexpected.

This sermon is based on Luke's version of the Christmas story as found in Luke 2:1-20.  

(Sermon preached December 18, 2022). In the encounter between Elizabeth and Mary, we see how Elizabeth's affirmation helps Mary to feel her worth.  Luke 1:39-58