Sermons from 2008 (Page 4)

By The Very Rev. Sherry CromptonFebruary 24, 2008John 4:5-42 Wow! John’s gospel story is rich, it’s loaded with meaning….deep, spiritual meaning. I can’t begin to touch everything that’s happening in this story today, but I’ll share what seems important for us now, here, today. First of all, it is a surprising story….a remarkable story….because the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman shouldn’t have happened. The barriers to the conversation are great. Jesus is a Jew and the woman is…

By The Very Rev. Sherry CromptonFebruary 10, 2008Read: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11 This morning we hear two very familiar stories…Adam and Eve with the serpent, eating the forbidden fruit. And Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. Temptation is a prominent theme. But what about temptation? What about Satan? What about the serpent? It seems that the temptations we face are really the same temptation, to take charge..to take control and not let God be God. Or…

By The Very Rev. Sherry CromptonFebruary 6, 2008 (Ash Wednesday)Read: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Tonight we are reminded that we are all sinners…that we are all in need of forgiveness. We are also reminded that we are God’s property. God is the ultimate forgiver. God is the healer who begins to change us from the inside when the sick soul cries out for help. God is the one who creates a clean heart. The Gospel doesn’t guarantee our physical well-being, or…

By The Very Rev. Sherry CromptonFebruary 3, 2008 Transfiguration (Last Epiphany)Read: Matthew 17:1-9 The Transfiguration. Jesus on the mountaintop transformed, an awe-inspiring vision of the presence of God for Peter, James and John. Unmistakable. And I wonder, what can I say about such an experience. The Bible is filled with these encounters, these epiphanies. There is Moses and the burning bush, Jacob and the ladder full of angels, Job and the voice out of the whirlwind. “They are all cracked…

By the Very Rev. Sherry CromptonJanuary 27, 2008Read: Matthew 4:12-23 Today we heard twice, from Isaiah and Matthew… “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light..” Light in the midst of darkness is a familiar metaphor used throughout the scriptures. It is comforting because it implies hope. An opportunity for something different, something better; an opportunity for new life. And so perhaps that is why, when Jesus says to the two sets of brothers “Follow me, and…

By the Very Rev. Sherry CromptonJanuary 13, 2008Read: Matthew 3:13-17 Today we remember and celebrate Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. It seems a little strange to jump from Jesus as a baby, the Christmas story, to Jesus being Baptized as a man. In Matthew’s gospel, though, the baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of his ministry to the world. Like being born, it is a new beginning. It also seems strange that Jesus would actually…

By the Very Rev. Sherry CromptonJanuary 6, 2008 (Epiphany)Read: Matthew 2:1-12 Today is Epiphany and marks the end of our church season of Christmas – the twelve days of Christmas. You know that Epiphany means “manifestation”, “to show”, “to reveal” and is the story of how Christ became known to all people. I just read the story about a diamond that was found in Murphreesboro, Arkansas recently. Apparently the Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only place in the…