Sermons from March 2009

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…