Sermons from 2015 (Page 3)
Jesus Had Zeal for God’s House
3 Lent – March 8, 2015 John 2:13-22 It had started innocently enough! People were coming from everywhere to worship God, and in those times, that required animal sacrifices. Most of them were not able to bring their own livestock on their long journey, so they had to purchase a suitable animal in Jerusalem. Merchants began to set up booths to accommodate the needs of the pilgrims. Then they began to realize that there was money to be made at…
Commercials Are a Lie
2 Lent – March 1, 2015 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 5,000. They were there for the healing of sick people, the winning of debates against critics. They were learning from Jesus how to calm…
It’s Still Raining
1 Lent – February 21, 2015 Genesis 9:12-13 and Mark 1:9-15 The first Sunday in Lent is always Jesus’ temptation. Always. The story is also in Matthew and Luke. But when was the last time you noticed just how brief Mark’s temptation story is? It’s virtually non-existent. It’s really a summary. To the point. No details really. Just that it happened. I could bring in the details from Matthew and Luke, but that is Matthew and Luke. What if we…
Jesus Frees Us
By The Rev. Sherry Deets 5 Epiphany – February 8, 2015 Mark 1:29-39 Last week we watched as Jesus’ first action in Mark’s Gospel is to cast out an unclean spirit and interpreted that as God’s commitment to stand against all the powers that keep us from abundant life. We talked about breaking through boundaries. The boundaries that keep us from abundant life. This week that pattern continues. Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law and she begins to serve them. It’s the…
The Nine Dot Puzzle
By The Rev. Sherry Deets 4 Epiphany – February 1, 2015 Mark 1:21-28 Possessed by the Holy Spirit, fresh from successfully confronting Satan in the wilderness, preaching the reign of God, and now in the company of at least four followers, it’s time for Jesus’ public ministry to gather momentum. The man with the unclean spirit finds Jesus, initiating the exchange. His opening question, asked by the spirit that possesses him, is idiomatic and therefore difficult to translate. It conveys…
Jesus Just Happens
By The Rev. Sherry Deets 3 Epiphany, January 25, 2015 Mark 1:14-20 So, we are in the church season called Epiphany and you recall that Epiphany is an immediate and meaningful understanding of something. Surprising. Sudden. Profound. There are several things I could focus on with our gospel reading this morning, but this time the word ‘immediately’ caught my attention. I think that “immediately” can be less about marking time and more about describing action. Immediately does not only designate…
The Year of Outrage
By The Rev. Sherry Deets Epiphany – January 4, 2015 Matthew 2:1-12 Happy New Year! Happy Epiphany! Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany and the beginning of a new church season. Matthew tells us of the wise men, gentiles, also known as the Magi, who observed a star and came in search of the child, born king of the Jews. Not unheard of in that day – the idea that heavenly signs marked the births and deaths of…