Sermons

“There was a man who had two sons.”  Thus begins what is probably the best known of all of Jesus’ stories, usually known as the parable of the prodigal son. This tale of the son who takes his inheritance, squanders it, then comes home to be greeted with joy by...

They have almost made it. After almost 40 years of in the wilderness, the Israelites are gathered on the plains of Moab, on the verge of entering the land that has been promised to them so long ago. After almost four decades of feeling lost, unsure, discouraged, and...

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Those somber words are at the heart of our Ash Wednesday service, a sobering reminder of our mortality. No matter how rich or powerful or beloved we may be, our end is the same. We all return to dust. I’ve...

On the top of a mountain,  Jesus kneels in prayer as his friends struggle to stay awake. As he prays, Jesus is suddenly filled with radiant light, his very face aglow.  Then two figures from another time and place appear, Israel’s two greatest prophets Moses...

Have you ever picked up a book, opened it about three-fourths of the way through and started reading? You don't know the characters, the plot, the context. Even if you can tell that something important is happening it doesn't quite make sense.  To read only the...

Blessed are the poor, we hear Jesus say today. Blessed are the hungry, those who weep, and those who are hated because they follow him. In these beatitudes, or blessings, Jesus is naming those on the margins, the outskirts of society, and saying that in God's kingdom...

We have competing events on the calendar today. On the secular calendar it is Groundhog Day. Sometime this morning a groundhog in Pennsylvania will come out of its hole and blink at the cameras surrounding it waiting to see if it sees its shadow, something to which...

Those of you who have been here for a while may remember that about 10 years ago I participated in a program put on by the National Park Service commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, and the ensuing successful voting rights march from Selma to...

It is one of my favorite images of Jesus, although I have never seen it visually depicted anywhere. There are dozens of portrayals of  Jesus being baptized – paintings of him standing in the river with his cousin John, going under the water, coming out it, the...

There were signs telling them change was coming. First was a large, brilliant star, almost as bright as the sun as it streaked south across the night sky.  Next came the birds, thousands of them, big and black, of a kind never before seen in the village, filling...

It is good to be gathered with you on this most holy of nights, the night that we celebrate the birth of a baby who will change the world. Everything about this evening is special -- the music that our choir and instrumentalists have practiced for so many hours; the...

When I looked at the scripture readings for this week I was reminded of a game from Sesame Street. Four objects would be shown on the screen while one of the characters sang these words: “One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn’t...

"Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." This is the prayer that begins the season of Advent, the beginning of a new church year, and time of preparation for the coming birth of the Messiah. Advent could well be...