FCCO Sermons: Take 2

(Sermon for May 12, 2024 - Mother's Day) This sermon is what you get when you combine Ephesians 1:15-23 with Mother's Day, the current mental health crisis of our children and youth, the sermon title I picked three months ago, a quick trip to Iowa to celebrate the life of my stepdad, and the themes of prayer and encouragement.  Blessings!

(Sermon preached April 28, 2024)  The story of the Ethiopian eunuch is told in Acts 8:26-40. Here we see God's expansive love at work as these two individuals meet each other on the road.

(Sermon preached April 21, 2024) In 1 John 3:16-24, the call to lay down our lives for one another isn't just referring to grand heroic gestures.  Daily, we have the opportunity to lay down our lives in the simple choices we make, like laying down a convenience for the sake of the neighbor impacted by our use of plastics.  This sermon recognizes Earth Day 2024 and its theme, "Planet vs. Plastics."

(Sermon preached December 24, 2023) This sermon celebrates the courage and prophetic witness of Mary as she joins with Elizabeth and sings her revolutionary song known today as The Magnificat.  (Luke 1:39-56) Please note this is my last sermon until I return from Sabbatical in April of 2024.  

(preached December 17, 2023) Isaiah 61: 1-4, 10-11 is the text Jesus opened to as he preached his first sermon in his hometown synagogue.  He reads it like a mission statement, which it is, for Jesus and for us as his followers.  It is a holy calling - a calling that cannot be fully exercised without the other gift this passage offers - JOY.  

(Sermon preached December 10, 2023)  Building a highway to usher in God's coming reign of peace is no small endeavor.  Isaiah 40:1-11 reminds us of the leveling, filling, and demolition that needs to be done to prepare the way.  

(Preached December 3, 2023 - First Sunday of Advent)  Isaiah 64:1-9 plunges us into the darkness of a people desperate for God to act.  It is only when they can surrender to the hands of the potter that God can do a new thing.  

(Sermon preached November 19, 2023)  The story of the tenth leper turning back, found in Luke 17:11-19, is a scripture often read on Thanksgiving Sunday.  It is a story of appreciation.

(Sermon preached November 6, 2023) Using the story of the Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37, this sermon challenges us to be more than "not racist."

(Sermon preached October 15, 2023) Charity alone is not enough, we need charity coupled with justice.  Additionally, how we extend charity matters.  

(Sermon preached on October 8, 2023) Matthew 5:9 says, "Blessed are the peacemakers..." The Sermon on the Mount describes the path of peacemaking, from loving your enemies and refusing to retaliate, to taking the log out of your own eye. FCCO made a commitment to peacemaking when it became a Shalom Congregation and continues to promote peace.

(Sermon preached October 1, 2023)  Unity is part of our DNA, as a denomination and as a congregation.  In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul notes the patience, gentleness, and humility that is required to practice unity.  Unity is not the absence of conflict, nor is it uniformity.  Unity happens when we continue to gather in love, and deal with conflict in a way that affirms the dignity of all.  

(Sermon preached on September 24, 2023) This sermon concludes the series "Speaking Christian" based on a book with the same name by Marcus Borg.  The objective of the series was to revisit the "big" words of the Christian faith through the lens of a more progressive Christian perspective.  This sermon's focus is on the word "righteousness" which in the Biblical world is often synonymous with justi...

(Sermon preached September 17, 2023) What do you think of when you think of the word mercy?  How is God merciful?  This sermon invites us to revisit the word and see how it connects us to compassion.  The scripture reading is Luke 6:32-36

(Sermon preached September 10, 2023)  In the Christianity we have inherited, too often, the word "believe" means agreeing with a list of propositions or doctrines.  When we revisit what the earliest Christians meant by the word "believe" we discover words like trust, commitment, loyalty, and belove.  Mark 12:28-30 is where Jesus sums up all the commandments.  Love God, love what God loves, love th...

(Sermon preached August 27, 2023.)  This sermon explores the importance of returning to the pre-Easter (historical) Jesus.  The scripture reading is John 1:1-5.

(Sermon preached August 20, 2023) This is the third sermon in a series titled "Speaking Christian" loosely based on a book by the same name by Marcus Borg.  Salvation, in recent history, has become narrowly defined to mean Jesus dying for our sins to save us.  Yet, when we revisit this word in its Biblical context - it means wholeness, liberation and deliverance, rescue, transformation, healing......

(Sermon preached August 13 2023) This sermon is for anyone who has ever struggled with the Bible.  This is the second in a series titled "Speaking Christian" which is a series to revisit the foundations and language of our faith from a Progressive Christian perspective.  The scripture is 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

(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.