Sermons from 2015

3 Advent – December 13, 2015 Luke 3:7-18 There was a recent segment on the Today show about what values we want to teach our kids. Honesty topped the charts (43%), followed by kindness (29%), a strong work ethic (11%) and a variety of others. What is interesting about this survey is that it lines up pretty closely with John the Baptist’s preaching in this Sunday’s passage from Luke. “What should we do?” the crowds asked John after his exhortation. “What should we do?” asked…

2 Advent – December 6, 2015 Luke 3:1-6 In the fifteenth year of the twenty-first century, when Barack Obama was President of the United States, and Tom Wolfe was governor of Pennsylvania, and Michael Trio the City Manager of Coatesville, and Michael Curry was Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the word of God came to Church of the Trinity, in downtown Coatesville. Somehow, we have a hard time believing that, if God were to reveal himself to the world that it would be here…

Last Sunday after Pentecost (Christ the King) – Nov 22, 2015 John 18:33-37 “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” And “My kingdom is not from this world”. So, what is truth? This is a question that Pilate asked of Jesus after these statements and shortly before his crucifixion. What is truth? This is Christ the King Sunday and it’s why we have this reading from John today – Jesus being questioned…

20 Pentecost, Proper 23 – October 11, 2015 Mark 10:17-31 A man knelt down before Jesus and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Mark tells us that the man went away grieving, because he was shocked by what Jesus had to say: “…sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”  We are never told what happened to that man? Let’s…

19 Pentecost, Proper 22 – October 4, 2015 Mark 10:2-16 So, here we go. Divorce. Divorce was a significant and disputed issue in Jesus’ time, and it was a complicated matter, as well, in the first century. There were differing perspectives between Jews and Romans and also within Judaism itself. Here’s what you need to know. In general: The ancient world was patriarchal, and wives were regarded as the property of their husbands. Among Jews, technically only the husband could…

18 Pentecost, Proper 21 – September 27, 2015 Mark 9:38-50 “We saw someone….” That’s how a lot of judgment starts, doesn’t it? “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” “We saw someone….” That’s how a lot of judgment starts, doesn’t it? “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” The words…

16 Pentecost, Proper 19 – September 13, 2015 Mark 8:27-38 Good-byes never get easy, especially when they seem premature. So we can really appreciate Peter’s predicament that we encounter in this week’s gospel story. Jesus has turned his face toward Jerusalem and, in doing so, he begins to tell the disciples what awaits him there. Peter cannot abide Jesus’ talk of his coming death. Taking Jesus aside, he argues with him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen…

Mark 7:24-37 15 Pentecost, Proper 18 – September 6, 2015 A tired and exhausted Jesus seeks solitude. A woman hears about him and asks that he might cast a demon out of her daughter. The details are sparse. Whose house? How did the woman hear about him? Mark seems uninterested in these questions. Some details, though, are intentionally emphasized.  He writes: “Now, the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by descent”. And this introduces a twist to the story, making…

14 Pentecost, Proper 17 – August 30, 2015 Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23 After six weeks in John’s “bread of life” chapter, we are back to the gospel of Mark. But what an odd place to land: right in the middle of an argument. Actually a familiar argument, a routine argument. Haven’t we all been in that argument about telling kids to wash their hands before dinner – either as the kid or the adult trying to get them to wash their hands?…

11 Pentecost, Proper 14 – August 9, 2015 John 6:35, 41-51 Once again I wonder about that crowd who follows Jesus speaking for us, today. St. John narrates that these people who have followed Jesus, regarded him as a teacher, and witnessed his miracles, also know him as one of their own. They knew his parents and his brothers and sisters, they watched him play and learn his trade, grow up and eventually leave home. In other words, they know…

10 Pentecost, Proper 13 – August 2, 2015 John 6:24-35 Some things are worth complaining to God about. Sometimes, asking God for assurance that God is still with us is understandable, even appropriate. When Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (John 6:26), I don’t think Jesus was scolding the crowd for seeking bread because they were hungry. Perhaps Jesus was…

9 Pentecost, Proper 12 – July 26, 2015 John 6:1-21 So, do you all know Dorothy? Dorothy Gale, an orphaned teenager who lived with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry on a Kansas farm in the early 1900s. Like most teens, in fact, like most adults, if we’re honest, the grass was greener on the other side of the fence. Or, more specifically, for Dorothy, it was brighter somewhere over the rainbow. If Dorothy’s life wasn’t bad enough, always daydreaming…