Sermons from 2021 (Page 2)

14 Pentecost, Proper 17 – August 29, 2021 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Sometimes our insight into Scripture can be enhanced by hearing a story from another source. In considering today’s Gospel, let’s look at the message through a Zen Buddhist story told about Nan-in, a teacher who was active a hundred years ago in Japan. It seems that one day, Nan-in received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.  Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full,…

Proper 16 – August 22, 2021 Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 and John 6:56-59           Today marks the end of John’s long discourse on the bread of life.  I have to admit that this year, after having just discovered that I am gluten intolerant, the concept of bread takes on whole new meaning. So, this year more than any other, I “get” the spiritual meaning behind what Jesus is saying. Bread was considered daily sustenance, and the physical body needed bread to…

11 Pentecost, Proper 14 -August 8, 2021 1 Kings 19:4-8 and John 6:35; 41-51           Jesus tell us “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”  We heard about Jesus as bread, as manna, last week too and it is Jesus’ metaphor for daily sustenance. We talked about the need for our spiritual bread,…

10 Pentecost, Proper 13 – August 1, 2021 John 6:24-35         Last week we talked about the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus’ view of opportunity or abundance, rather than scarcity. The disciples had viewed the situation as impossible, and Jesus suggested possibility. The crowds then ate the multiplied bread and their physical hunger was satisfied, but they were apparently so focused on feeling full that they missed what was really happening at that free lunch. Jesus, in today’s story,…

9 Pentecost, Proper 12 – July 25, 2021 John 6:1-21          The feeding of the 5,000 is one of the most iconic stories in the gospels. In fact, it is the only miracle story to appear in all four of our gospels. It is termed iconic because it is a multi-dimensional story. An icon is a doorway into a deeper mystery. This story is iconic because it points to something deeper than just an amazing feat. This story illuminates our…

Service of Light – July 11, 2021 Ezekiel 37:1-14 and John 11:17-45 I’ve said this before, but for many of us, it has been an extremely challenging pandemic with loss and change. And now, as things are opening back up for us, we are entering into a liminal space – living between what was, for the last 18 months, and what will be; and we aren’t sure what “will be” looks like. It’s important to acknowledge and recognize that some…

6 Pentecost, Proper 9 – July 3, 2021 Mark 6:1-13          So, this morning Jesus travels back to his hometown; and we’re presented with the story of how his hometown people had difficulty believing in him. In fact, they took offense. What’s that all about? Jesus enters the synagogue of his boyhood, and begins to teach in the tradition of the rabbis.  At first, things seem to go very well; his townspeople receive his words with astonishment and curiosity, saying: …

3 Pentecost, Proper 6 – June 13, 2021 Mark 4:26-34           This morning we’re hearing the parable of the mustard seed. Eugene Peterson, somewhere, has called parables “narrative time bombs” and that is certainly what today’s parables are.  They are meant to undermine our assumptions of what we think are the “givens” and even the “realities” that we accept without question and offer us a vision of something different. In Greek “parable” comes from two words: para, meaning “beside,” and ballein,…

2 Pentecost, Proper 5 – June 6, 2021 Mark 3:20-35           It is still early in Jesus’ ministry; but already, he has driven out unclean spirits, healed the sick, eaten with sinners, chosen his disciples when we come to today’s story. He has mesmerized every crowd he’s come into contact with, stirring up such hope, excitement, and yearning in people’s hearts that they just can’t leave him alone.  So they follow him to Nazareth and pour into the house where he’s…

Trinity Sunday – May 30, 2021 John 3:1-17           You may know that I have a habit of listening to podcasts while I take my walks. I just listened to an interview with an astronomer, Jill Tarter, who is one of the pioneers in the field of SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and she shares how their understanding of what’s out there continues to evolve – “we see the world one way, and then we see something that changes…

 Pentecost – May 23, 2021 Acts 2:1-21 and John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15          It’s Pentecost!  This day is considered the birthday of the church, the remembrance of the day marked by wind and flames and the filling of the Holy Spirit which brought with it speaking in different languages. Some speaking a language they had never spoken before, others hearing in a language they never understood before. That Spirit of God—the Holy Spirit—has always been around. From the beginning of time,…

6 Easter – May 9, 2021 John 15:9-17           Last Sunday we heard about vines. Jesus used a vivid image of a branch abiding in a vine. If the branch were to separate itself from the vine, it would wither and die. But if it simply stays connected, the vines aliveness flows into the branch and bears fruit through it. So, if we abide or remain in vital connection to Christ, the Spirit will flow with God’s aliveness in and…