Sermons from December 2007

By the Very Rev. Sherry CromptonDecember 30, 2007 (Christmas Eve)Read: Why The Bells Chimed by Raymond MacDonald Alden(This story is found all over the Internet and apparently comes originally from Alden’s Why the Chimes Rang and Other Stories, (The Bobbs-Merrill Co., Inc.)) Christmas Day is past, but it is still the season of Christmas and today I want to share a wonderful Christmas tale written by Raymond MacDonald Alden many years ago. It is a story that is delightful and…

By the Very Rev. Sherry CromptonDecember 24, 2007 (Christmas Eve)Read: Luke 1:1-20 Heidi Neumark tells of her ride down Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. Before my 11-year-old son Hans and I could begin a trip down the Grand Canyon on mule back, I had to sign documents indicating that I understood that the National Parks Service did not guarantee the safety of any participant and was not responsible for any injury, major or minor, brain damage or death,…

By the Very Rev. Sherry CromptonDecember 23, 2007Read: Matthew 1:18-25 Stephen Beck told about crossing a narrow bridge on a country road. It was one of those narrow, one-lane bridges. Two cars cannot pass each other on those bridges. If there was a car on the bridge when you got there, you had to stop and wait for it to finish crossing before you could go. If you and another car got on the bridge at the same time, you…

By the Very Rev. Sherry CromptonDecember 16, 2007Read: Matthew 11:2-11 Today I want to tell you about my buddy, Matthew. When Matthew was 3 he asked Santa for a teddy bear. His parents were surprised because he already had a teddy bear that he took everywhere with him—to bed, to day care, shopping. When he was sent to his room for time out, he had his teddy bear..his best friend, Koko. So, when Matthew asked for a second teddy bear…

By the Very Rev. Sherry CromptonDecember 2, 2007Read: Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44 You may have heard about the idea of the Rapture….The Rapture where, at the end of time, some people are spirited away, they just disappear, and others are left behind. It is today’s reading from Matthew that can give that idea. Except, I think these readings for the First Sunday of Advent are much more challenging than that. First, in the prophet Isaiah, we read about…