Sermon Archive (Page 26)

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Easter – April 21, 2013 John 10:22-30 In John’s gospel for today, it was winter; the festival of the Dedication in Jerusalem. We know this as Hanukah today; the festival of lights, which commemorates the rededication of the temple in 164 BC after its destruction. So, we watch as a lone figure approaches and walks in the temple. Jesus is walking in the portico of Solomon, not out in the open; perhaps sheltered from…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 3 Easter – April 14, 2013 John 21:1-19 Redemption. Today’s scripture readings have me thinking about redemption. And according to Dictionary.com the definition of redemption is: 1) an act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake, or the state of being redeemed. 2) deliverance, rescue. 3) deliverance from sin, salvation. 4) atonement for guilt. Simon Peter had been one of Jesus’ most ardent disciples but, when the chips were down, he had stumbled.…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 2 Easter – April 7, 2013 John 20:19-31 We are so accustomed to comparing ourselves favorably with poor Thomas, whose famous doubt has come to be considered part of his name-Doubting Thomas-that we overlook something important about the way the resurrection works in us: Thomas isn’t the only one who must absorb the fact of the risen Christ in his own way. We all do that. That’s why people were often unable grasp who the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets Easter Sunday – March 31, 2013 Luke 24:1-12 Christ is risen! Alleluia! Parker Palmer wrote an Easter meditation entitled: An Upside-Down Easter Meditation. I love it. His focus was on the words that were the title of a book: Threatened with Resurrection. Threatened with Resurrection. Those words had a huge impact on his life at a time when he was suffering with depression – which he called a death-in-life experience. The title jarred Palmer into…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 5 Lent – March 17, 2013 John 12:1-8 Like last week’s story of a father offering an extravagant gift of love, our gospel story for today is another story of an extravagant gift of love. As Jesus and his disciples are going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival, they stop to have dinner in Bethany at the home of Jesus’ good friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. This event marks a turning point in Jesus’…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Lent – March 10, 2013 Luke 15:1-3,11b-32 This parable, often called the Prodigal Son, is one of my favorites from Luke’s gospel. But to focus only on the prodigal son, misses the full meaning of this parable. The man had two sons, not just one; and the man, the father, is an amazing example of a father’s love in this parable. I’d like to walk us through the parable, pointing out some of the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 3 Lent – March 3, 2013 Luke 13:1-9 While we read this story from Luke this morning in isolation, it doesn’t occur that way. In fact, we are entering an ongoing conversation midstream. Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem, teaching his disciples and the crowds as he goes. In chapter twelve he has told several potent parables on money and foolishness and always being prepared. He concludes by suggesting that those listening are not…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 2 Lent – February 24, 2013 Luke 13:31-35 Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest, tells in one of her sermons about a window in a small chapel at the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. The window is divided into sections by an iron grillwork and, at first appearance, looks like a stained glass window. But it is not stained glass. It is clear glass, and it looks out onto the city of Jerusalem. Below…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 1 Lent – February 17, 2013 Luke 4:1-13 So, today, this first Sunday in the holy season of Lent, we heard from Luke about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. I wonder if temptation is one of those things we have a hard time talking honestly about in church. We tend to jump to the cultural racy topics of sex, power and drugs, or we move to a more traditional view and get all full of…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Epiphany – February 3, 2013 Luke 4:21-30 So in the fourth chapter of Luke’s gospel, when those who thought they knew him because they had known him his whole life said of Jesus, “Is this not Joseph’s son,” the answer is no, actually, this is not Joseph’s son. This person you thought you knew is God’s son. And that changes everything. When Jesus read the passage from Isaiah about bringing good news to the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 2 Epiphany – January 20, 2013 John 2:1-11 You know what they say: timing is everything. Whether it’s telling a joke, making a dramatic entrance in a stage show, or popping the question, timing is everything. When the timing is right, people laugh at your joke, gasp at your entrance, or smile radiantly in response to your proposal. And when the timing is off, they are just as likely to gasp at your joke, smile…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets Christ the King, Proper 29 – November 25, 2012 John 18:33-37 Our scripture today from John’s gospel is called “the trial before Pilate”. It might better be called “Pilate on trial”, because Pilate knows that Jesus should not be on trial. Pilate likely considers himself the most powerful, most in-control person in Jerusalem. He is “the local representative of the greatest world power of that time.” In his encounter with Jesus he brags about the…