Sermon Archive (Page 39)

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton June 7, 2009 (Trinity Sunday) Read: John 3:1-17 Several years ago in San Diego, a ship strayed off course and became stuck in a reef at low tide. Twelve tugboats were brought in. They attached cables from the tugs to the ship and tried to pull it, but that did not work. Then the tugs moved to one side and tried to push the ship off the reef. Black smoke was belching everywhere. The…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton May 31, 2009 Read: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Acts 2:1-21 & John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 Last Sunday we heard about the Ascension, when Jesus rose into the air and seemingly disappeared. We talked about God not saying goodbye, but saying Hello in a new and different way. We talked about it being an exchange. Jesus’ Ascension was necessary in order for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And today, is that great feast of Pentecost. Also called…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton May 24, 2009 (Ascension Sunday) Read: Acts 1:1-11 and Luke 24:44-53 Today we mark one of the great and often neglected festivals of the church: the festival of the Ascension. It winds up getting neglected, because it’s fixed on a Thursday, 40 days after Easter. That’s because of the note in Acts that Jesus appeared to his disciples for that period of time after his resurrection. So it’s often neglected, we moved it to…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton May 10, 2009 Read: John 15:1-8 Happy Mother’s Day! I found a short history of Mother’s Day that I thought you might find interesting: The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. It was a pagan celebration. As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the “Mother Church” – the spiritual power that gave them…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton May 3, 2009 Read: Psalm 23 and John 10:11-18 We heard a great deal about shepherds in our scriptures for today. And, not surprisingly, today is referred to as “Good Shepherd Sunday”. Psalm 23 tells us that “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. ..he leads me beside still waters. He revives my soul”. And in John’s gospel, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” Today, let’s consider the difference…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton April 26, 2009 Read: Luke 2:36b-48 Jesus was the talk of the town! Everyone wondered what the events in Jerusalem meant. What were they to make of the disaster of that Friday and the mystery of that Sunday? And now rumors abounded that Jesus was still alive. The disciples and the others gathered in Jerusalem were immersed in chaos and confusion—fear, frustration, guilt, grief, doubt, anxiety, suspicion, distrust, restlessness, despondency and terror. Their leader…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton Easter Sunday – April 12, 2009 Read: John 20:1-18 Our gospel story today begins with the words…. “early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb.” Mark’s version is also on your insert, although we didn’t read it this morning. It begins “very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen.” While it was still dark and at early…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton March 29, 2009 Read: John 12:20-33 Nice Greek girls are supposed to do three things in life,” says Toula’s father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. “Marry a nice Greek boy, make babies, and feed everyone till the day we die.” Not that Toula, a thirty-something single needs reminding. Day after boring day, she toils in the family Greek diner, her lank hair falling around her face, her body hidden in a sackcloth dress.…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton March 22, 2009 Read: Numbers 21:4-9 and John 3:14-21 In this morning’s passage from Numbers we hear about snakes; serpents. Poisonous snakes. Yuck. A recent Harris poll on “What We Are Afraid Of?” discovered that 36 percent of all adults in the United States list snakes as their number one fear. I, for one, am not fond of snakes. In a recent visit to the Inn at Freedom Village, I entered the front doors…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton March 15, 2009 Children’s Sermon Are any of you familiar with the book series written by Stan and Jan Berenstain called the Berenstain Bears?¹ The stories are all wonderful lessons of life for young people as Mama and Papa Berenstain Bear along with Brother Bear and Sister Bear encounter things like a bad dream, trouble at school and going to the dentist.There is a story “The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room.” It is…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton March 8, 2009 Read: Mark 8:31-38 Early in Jesus ministry, he chose 12 people to go with him into the future together. They were going to be leaders, proclaiming good news and preaching in front of throngs of people. And the early days of ministry were wildly successful. Together, they helped Jesus feed the 5000. They were there for the healing of sick people, the winning of debates against critics. They were learning from…

By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton March 1, 2009 Read: Mark 1:9-15; Genesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22 This is the first Sunday of Lent and the readings are simply packed full of meaning and are very nicely tied together. Lent is the church season, the 40-days, in which we intentionally focus on self-examination. Today we’ll focus on the wilderness experience as the basis for that self-eximation. A friend once received a postcard. He said, “On one side was a picture…