Sermons from 2011

By The Rev. Sherry Deets Christmas Eve – December 24, 2011 Luke 2:1-20 It is Christmas Eve – that time when there seems to be a bit of magic in the air. Or to put it another way, that night when the membrane between heaven and earth is so thin that we can almost see through it. It is a night in which we often soften the image of the holy family as Jesus is born. We like it to…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Advent – December 18, 2011 Luke 1:26-38 I have a question for you. Do you believe that God is still active in the world? Do you believe that God is still active in our world today? “How can this be,” Mary asks in Luke’s gospel today, “since I am a virgin?” And the angel replies, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 3 Advent – December 11, 2011 John 1:6-8, 19-28 Today’s gospel reading is about the John the Baptist from the perspective of the Apostle John. Last week we heard the story from Mark’s perspective. If you will recall, Mark’s story was more concerned with the baptism of repentance, while John’s telling of it is more concerned with the testimony, or the witness, of John the Baptist. Rather than placing a focus on the character of…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 2 Advent – December 4, 2011 Mark 1:1-8 We should not miss the first word of this Gospel, “Beginning.” We are reminded of the book of Genesis, which begins, “In the beginning.” Just as that book describes the beginning of all creation, this Gospel, Mark’s gospel, describes the salvation work of Jesus Christ — the culmination of God’s creative relationship with the world. The beginning, for this Gospel, does not start with a baby in a…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 1 Advent – November 27, 2011 Mark 13:24-37 “Keep awake!” “Stay alert” Keep awake. We hear this every year in Advent – this church season before Christmas in which we anticipate, we wait and prepare for the coming of Christ. We wait. Consider the different ways in which we wait. Is there a difference between waiting for Christmas and waiting for Christ? Obviously, we know when Christmas will arrive and mostly what it will be…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets Last Sunday in Pentecost – November 20, 2011 Matthew 25: 31-46 The portrait of Christ as King is a fearsome one in our gospel reading for this morning. All the nations of the world have gathered before him and behold his majesty. From the throne, the king uses his authority to separate the people. To illustrate the separation of one individual from another, Jesus likens himself to a shepherd who separates his flock of sheep…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 22 Pentecost – November 13, 2011 Matthew 25:14-30 Our gospel reading this morning is usually called the Parable of the Talents. The parable is about a wealthy man who goes away on a long journey. Before he departs, he distributes his property to three servants. It is a great deal of money. The first two servants put their money to work and double it. The third servant takes a different approach with his money, his…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets November 6, 2011 Revelation 7:9-17 and Matthew 5:1-12 “All through the years, love found its ways following the sacred song whose first note began the lullaby that God sang to each of you before you were born then sent you on a lifetime of seeking to hear it again and again and again”. (the Rev. Paula Lawrence Wehmiller) This day we celebrate All Saint’s Day, remembering, in love, all those who have gone before, who…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets October 30, 2011 Matthew 23:1-12 Do as they say, not as they do. Jesus is calling the scribes and the Pharisees hypocrites. And we think to ourselves, yes, go get ‘em Jesus! But, there is movement in this story of Jesus’. The focus shifts from the scribes and the Pharisees – to Jesus’ first disciples – to the Christians of Matthew’s day – to us. Yes, us. As long as Jesus is talking about the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets October 23, 2011 Matthew 22: 34-46 So, we hear in today’s gospel reading that a lawyer asked a question to test Jesus. He asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” And there is nothing new in Jesus’ answer. It is not something original. In Jewish writings long before Jesus’ time, these two commandments summarized the whole of the law. In fact, Luke’s Gospel attributes this summary not to Jesus but to the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets October 16, 2011 Matthew 22: 15-22 What we are witnessing in this confrontation between Jesus and some Pharisees is precisely that: a confrontation. The “Pharisees” represented here do not represent all of the Pharisees. There were some who saw Jesus as a worthy debating partner, perhaps even as a friend. The Pharisees we see in this passage, though, despite their flattering descriptions of his integrity, are not remotely interested in honest debate. These represent the…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets October 2, 2011 Matthew 21:33-46 He was, by all accounts, a successful man. This builder of fine homes in an upscale American suburb was known to all as a creative craftsman, a shrewd businessman, a fair-minded employer, and a generous benefactor. But he was aging now, and before he set out for Florida for the winter, he approached his top superintendent and told him that he was retiring. “I want you to build me a…