While sermons are best enjoyed live and in-person, you can view our archive here. Clicking the Facebook or YouTube links at the top of the site will also allow you to watch a recording of many of them.
It is Easier Going Up Than it is Going Down
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton February 22, 2009 Read: Mark 9:2-9 This morning I’m going to begin with a little meditation. So I ask that you close your eyes, relax, listen to my words and let your imagination put yourself in the story. Walk up the hill with Jesus, Peter, John and James…..Feel the hot afternoon sun on your face…..Listen to feet hit the dusty path….Shoo away a few pesky bugs…You finally reach the top and wonder why you’re…
We Can’t Lose
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton February 8, 2009 Read: Isaiah 40:21-31 and Mark 1:29-39 We hear again this week about healing and demons in Mark’s gospel. Here in Coatesville, we are still faced with the terroristic acts of an arsonist or arsonists. It is difficult to sleep well at night, wondering about each little sound that is heard in the darkness. We don’t know what motivates someone to do this to an entire community; what we do know is…
Jesus’ Spirit Within Us
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton February 1, 2008 Read: Mark 1: 21-28 I’m not sure where to begin with today’s gospel reading. Jesus is in a holy place, a synagogue, where the people were astounded because he teaches as one with authority. And then a man with an unclean spirit, in the synagogue, recognizes Jesus for who he is, the Son of God. And Jesus commands that spirit to be silent, and come out of the man. Again, the…
The Time is Fulfilled
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton January 25, 2009 Read: Mark 1:14-20 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” The time is fulfilled. Again, the Greek for time here is kairos….meaning this is significant time; the moment of truth; a decisive moment; God’s time. Jesus says the time is fulfilled but…
The Rose
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton January 11, 2009 Read: Genesis 1:1-5 and Mark 1:4-11 “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-2) In the beginning. And from Mark…“.. just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending…
Light Shows Up Best in a Dark Place
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton January 4, 2009 (Epiphany) Read: Matthew 2:1-12 Some say that the story of epiphany is “the story of dreamers and visionaries”. It is the celebration of the Magi who saw visions, who followed a star….the child in the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors sings, “Oh, Mother, you should go out and see! There’s never been such a sky! …Hanging over our roof there is a star as large as a window, and the…
A Baby Changes Everything
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton December 24, 2008 – Christmas Eve Read: Luke 2:1-14 Teenage girl, much too youngUnprepared for what’s to comeA baby changes everything Not a ringOn her handAll her dreams and all her plansA baby changes everythingA baby changes everything The man she loves she’s never touchedHow will she Keep his trustA baby changes everythingA baby changes everything And she cries, oh she cries She has to leave, go far awayHeaven knows she can’t stayA baby…
I Accept Your Choice
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton December 14, 2008 Read: John 1:6-8, 19-28 We have John the Baptist with us again this Sunday. John, a man sent from God to be a witness to the Light. John seemed pretty clear about who he was and who he was not. When he was under interrogation about just who he thought he was, he didn’t waver. He was clear about who he was not and as for who he was, he said.…
Mark Invites Us to Repent
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton December 7, 2008 Read: Mark 1:1-8 “In the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”. Isn’t it striking how Mark begins his gospel? There are no angels appearing, no wise men from the East, no long list of geneology, no journey to the Inn; but an intriguing statement: “In the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” and a strange messenger in the wilderness.…
The Little Apocalypse
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton November 30, 2008 Read: Mark 13:24-37 Chapter 13 of Mark’s gospel is often referred to as “The Little Apocalypse” based on it’s similarity to the Great Apocalypse of the Revelation of John. Our piece of scripture today is taken from that chapter, The Little Apocalypse. Last week I asked the question, what if today were the end of the world? As C.S. Lewis said, once the author walks onto stage, the play is over.…
If Today Were the End of the World
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton November 23, 2008 (Christ the King) Read: Matthew 25:31-46 Judgment Day. Our Last Sunday in Pentecost, this Christ the King Sunday, gives us imagery of Judgment Day. A great lead in to the season of Advent. I’ll begin with the words to a song by Johnson Oatman entitled “If Today Were the End of the World”. “If Today Were the End of the World,” By Johnson Oatman. The chorus is: If the sun should…
Let Your Light Shine
By The Very Rev. Sherry Crompton November 9, 2008 Read: Matthew 25: 1-13 Today Matthew gives us the parable of the ten bridesmaids–Five are wise and five are foolish. This parable can seem, on the surface, to be a tough one. There is the uncomfortableness surrounding staying awake, the wise not sharing their oil with the foolish, and the seemingly closed door. That’s on the surface, though. Let’s dig deeper. Jesus says, “The Kingdom of heaven WILL BE like this.”…