Sermons from 2012 (Page 4)

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 6 Epiphany – February 12, 20122 Kings 5:1-14 This morning I want to talk about the passage from 2 Kings – Naaman and his leprosy. This is a wonderful story for many reasons. It is a passage about the breaking down of barriers and the beginning of new life. You know, one of the oldest story lines in literature is “a stranger comes to town.” In this case, the stranger is Naaman, a powerful commander…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 5 Epiphany – February 5, 2012Mark 1:29-39 As Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee he has called disciples. In the Capernaum synagogue he healed a man with an unclean spirit by “rebuking” the spirit and calling it out of him. The amazed local folks talk about this new teacher and exorcist everywhere. Meanwhile, after this healing in the synagogue, Jesus returns to Simon Peter’s house. There lies Simon Peter’s mother-in-law in the grip of a…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Epiphany – January 29, 2012Mark 1:21-28 So, truthfully, don’t you just dread exorcism stories? I mean, if there’s one kind of biblical story we have a hard time relating to, it has to be this one. Miracle stories are hard enough in our post-Enlightenment, scientific age, but at least we have experience with longing for healing or a desire to feed those who are hungry. But demon-possession? This is simply beyond the experience and…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets 2 Epiphany – January 15, 20121 Samuel 3:1-20 and John 1:43-51 Tomorrow we celebrate the person and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And Martin Luther King loved to tell his story. He did not want to be a national civil rights leader. He had gone into the ministry mostly because his father was a pastor (his grandfather too) and he always did what Daddy King wanted him to do. Martin wanted a quiet…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets The Baptism of our Lord – January 8, 2012 Mark 1:4-11 “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” If you are looking for hope, then remember these words, dwell on them. For in a sentence they contain the entire good news of the Gospel. “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Well, you say, that’s great for Jesus, but what about us? Here’s the great…

By The Rev. Sherry Deets Epiphany – January 1, 2012 Matthew 2:1-12 Happy New Year! Happy Epiphany! Today we celebrate the church feast of Epiphany and begin that church season. So what is Epiphany you ask? Well, Epiphany means, a “showing forth,” or the “revealing of something,” that previously had not been seen. A modern writer described an epiphany as, “an AHA moment,” the moment when the light bulb goes on above our heads. The word epiphany means an appearance…