Click here to listen: “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Jesus in the Gospel of Mark seems to appear out of nowhere. The story begins, “The good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” The story begins so immediately that the opening verse is… Read more »
Posts Categorized: sermons
Matthew’s Breaking News
Click here to listen: “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Jesus in the Gospel of Mark seems to appear out of nowhere. The story begins, “The good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God.” The story begins so immediately that the opening verse is… Read more »
Mark's Breaking News
Click here to listen: Some stories begin dramatically—“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . .” Other stories offer lots of background or extended prologue before getting to the story at hand, like the fifteen minute prologue of Lord of the Rings or the even longer introduction to Les Miserables, or… Read more »
Mark’s Breaking News
Click here to listen: Some stories begin dramatically—“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . .” Other stories offer lots of background or extended prologue before getting to the story at hand, like the fifteen minute prologue of Lord of the Rings or the even longer introduction to Les Miserables, or… Read more »
They Watched Him Closely
Click here to listen: In Luke chapter 14:1-6 Jesus is enjoying a meal with some Pharisees on the Sabbath, and scripture says that they were watching him closely. Coincidentally a man with dropsy approaches, so Jesus asks the Pharisees a question. “Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath, or not.” The Pharisees have… Read more »
Ichabod and the Headless Statue
Click here to listen: Our scripture lesson is a joyful snapshot of the Ark of God’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, but just as Easter is misunderstood without Good Friday, David’s dance before the ark doesn’t seem to make sense without remembering the ark’s journey into exile and captivity. Our story begins in 1 Samuel 4. … Read more »
On the Mountain of Moriah
Click here to listen: I’ve been rereading The Lord of the Rings because it is one of my favorite set of books and . . . it’s one of the few books that I was able to find as we were unpacking boxes. There is a scene about three quarters through the book where the… Read more »
Rejoice with the Prodigal
Click here to listen: “A man had two sons.” It is the most familiar story with a most ambiguous beginning. “A man had two sons.” Who is this man? Where did he live? What were his son’s names? How old were they? It doesn’t matter. Scripture doesn’t tell us everything we want know, just… Read more »
The Beatles, Meatloaf, and Love Abide . . .
What am I to say about love? Culturally we seem to be confused about just what love is. The Beatles suggest that you can’t buy it and it’s the only thing you need. The band, “Nazareth” suggests that love hurts. The Righteous Brothers tell us that we can lose that loving feeling, but according to… Read more »
Unlovable?
click here to listen: Podcast 071413 edited When I was in undergrad at LSU, several of my friends formed a club called the MEAN TEAM—Meat Eaters Across the Nation, Together Eating Assorted Meats. The team was formed in response to the Wesley Foundation’s policy on providing dinner. When a meat eater would prepare the meal… Read more »