FCCO Sermons: Take 2

(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

(Sermon preached December 11, 2022)  Joseph is often a neglected character in the Christmas story.  He never speaks.  The one thing Matthew tells us about Joseph is that he is righteous and in the story told in Matthew 1:18-25 he exemplifies the kind of righteousness that Jesus went on to teach and model.

(Sermon preached December 4, 2022) In the story known as the annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), the angel Gabriel calls Mary to bear God to the world.  This sermon explores the mystical tradition that teaches we are all called to be Mothers of God and that the true birthplace of Jesus is not Bethlehem, but us, now.  

(Sermon preached November 27, 2022 on the occasion of the installation of the Associate Pastor and the first Sunday of Advent.)  The gospel writer, Matthew, opens his gospel with a genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17) that includes five unexpected women.  This sermon explores what these women have in common and why Matthew chose to include them.

(Sermon preached November 20, 2022)  In Philippians 4:4-9, Paul tells us that rejoicing is appropriate for all occasions and is the gateway to the peace that passes all understanding.  He wrote these words from a prison cell.  We can choose joy.  Dr. Edith Eva Eger, wrote the book, "The Choice" in 2017.  She is a survivor of Auschwitz and earned her degree as a Clinical Psychologist at the age of...

(Sermon preached November 13, 2022)  Isaiah 65:17-25 paints the picture of a vision that stirs our imaginations for a hopeful future.  Can you see it?  

(Sermon preached on October 30, 2022).   In1 Corinthians 12:23:31, Paul uses the metaphor of a body to explain how all the unique individuals who comprise the church are to work together.  All parts are valued.  All are necessary.  The church is an intentional community where people both experience the love of God and make visible the love of God to the world.  

(Sermon preached on October 23, 2022) Thia is the final sermon in a series based on the book, "Freeing Jesus," by Diana Butler Bass.  At the conclusion of Matthew, Jesus says, "I am with you always, to the end of the age."  The scripture reading is Matthew 28:16-20.  The sermon explores how to cultivate continual awareness of God's presence in our daily lives.