Sermon Archive (Page 22)

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Pentecost, Proper 9 – July 6, 2014 Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Jesus says to us, “…my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Sometimes we hear this and think, “yea, right, Jesus?” How can you ease my burden? In Pat Conroy’s memoir, My Losing Season, Pat tells the story of his senior year as point guard during the Citadel’s basketball season, and what he learned from losing. He also describes the people in his…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 3 Pentecost, Proper 8 – June 29, 2014 Genesis 22:1-14 “It’s not about you.” Did anyone ever say that to you? Something is going on. Some conflict is being worked out or some decision is being made about something that is going to happen and you are feeling threatened or put upon or involved in some other way. Then someone who is more deeply involved says to you, “This is not about you.” At first…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 2 Pentecost – June 22, 2014 Matthew 10:24-39 Lucy, the psychiatrist of Peanuts fame, sits waiting in her booth. Frieda comes seeking help. “My problem is that I’m afraid of kindergarten. I don’t even know why! I try to reason it out, but I can’t … I’m just afraid … I think about it all the time … I’m really afraid….” Lucy responds, as only Lucy does, “You’re no different from anyone else. Five cents,…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets Pentecost – June 8, 2014 Acts 2:1-21 and John 20:19-23 Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. The day in which we mark and remember the gift of the Holy Spirit. Often called the birthday of the Church. The coming of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, that will never, ever leave us alone, just as Jesus promised. So, if we wanted to encounter the Holy Spirit of God, where would we look? And how would…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 7 Easter – June 1, 2014 Acts 1:6-14 and John 17:1-11 We just heard Jesus say, in John’s gospel: “and this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. It’s not too often we get a straight forward definition of eternal life and here it is. Eternal life is to know God and Jesus. So what if it is that simple? How would that…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 5 Easter – May 18, 2014 John 14:1-14 Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”. He says this in response to Thomas’ honest questioning – “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” How can we know the way? If we’re honest with ourselves, we have the same question. How can we know the way?” Jesus is speaking of a way of life…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Easter – May 11, 2014 John 10:1-10 Jesus says, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved…. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” We understand a gate as a means of access, or an entryway. Jesus says that he is the gate – the access to salvation and not just life, but abundant life. Abundant life isn’t defined by Jesus, but this piece of scripture comes…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 3 Easter – May 4, 2014 Luke 24:13-35 The most striking words in our gospel story today are these: “We had hoped.” “We had hoped.” We hear families use that phrase when they are packing up the things they had brought with them to the ICU. “We had hoped … ,” they say, and then they go home alone. Families use this phrase when addictions return, or jobs go away. Although theologies of hope focus…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets Easter Sunday – April 20, 2014 Matthew 28:1-10 Happy Easter! Matthew presents us with one of the most dramatic readings of the resurrection. There was a great earthquake and an angel of the Lord descended, his appearance like lightening. In other words, light has split a crack in the universe and everything we thought we knew has changed. To meet Jesus is for the ground to move beneath you, nothing remains as it was. The…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 5 Lent – April 6, 2014 John 11:1-45 The Lenten journey, which has taken us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death last Sunday, now leads us to the dry bones of Ezekiel and the tomb of Lazarus and the gift of life out of death. This morning’s gospel story began a few weeks earlier. The brother, Lazarus, was taken ill. We have no details, but the illness frightened his two sisters so much…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Lent – March 30, 2014 John 9:1-41 This is another long gospel story this morning and I can’t begin to touch on all that’s here. But, sinfulness is a theme that runs through this powerful story. The Pharisees discuss Jesus’ sinfulness in several verses. In v. 34, they return to the sinfulness of the man born blind, with another reference to his birth in sin. But the story ends with Jesus’ condemnation of the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 3 Lent – March 23, 2014 John 4:5-42 The story of the woman at the well may surprise you. The way it’s commonly told goes like this: Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and asks her for a drink of water. They talk. In the process, she confesses to have been married five times. He confronts her sinfulness. She recognizes him as the Christ and rushes off to tell the others, shouting, “Come,…