Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote: “Below the thunders of the upper deep; Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea, His ancient, dreamless, uninvited sleep The Kraken sleeps: faintest sunlights flee About his shadowy sides: above him swell Huge sponges of millennial growth and height; And far away into the sickly light, From many a wondrous grot … Continue reading When is this going to get easier?
Category: Sermons
Are you sure it’s me you really need?
“Once there was a tree…. and she loved a little boy. And everyday the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek. And when … Continue reading Are you sure it’s me you really need?
Did Jesus Redefine ”Family”?
I’m not a joke teller. I couldn’t even tell a knock knock joke to save my life. I always get the punch line wrong or I forget to tell an important nugget of the story that is critical to making the joke actually work. So, if you ever hear me tell a complete and funny … Continue reading Did Jesus Redefine ”Family”?
Is There a Place for Me?
I read of a Sunday School class that was studying the Apostles Creed in order to more fully understand God and the Trinity. Each member of the class was given a section of the creed to learn by heart, then Sunday by Sunday they would take turns reciting the creed, each student repeating his or … Continue reading Is There a Place for Me?
What?! Those People Too?!!
One of my favorites movies, probably in my top 5 favorites, is a movie called High Fidelity. It’s about a man, John Cusack, who owns a record store and measures the activities and reactions of his life to the lyrics of music. And everything is measured on a “top 5” scale. He has a conversation with … Continue reading What?! Those People Too?!!
Are You a Liar?
It’s Spring, and many of you are outside working in your gardens, gathering up the few piles of dried leaves, pulling weeds, and planting new flowers and bushes. The process of planting and nurturing and growing can be challenging and incredibly rewarding. Click here for a link to the lectionary reading for the day. When … Continue reading Are You a Liar?
Who Is the Bummer Sheep
Every once in a while, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor babe away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind. These little lambs will hang their heads so … Continue reading Who Is the Bummer Sheep
It Doesn’t Matter What They’re Doing
We “title” this text as the parable of the talents, and we view it as the one worker who squanders his gift. But, I want to highlight a different player in the game: the landowner. The Gospel text tells us that the landowner was “a harsh man, reaping where [he] did not sow, and gathering … Continue reading It Doesn’t Matter What They’re Doing
Gratitude
My parents and I went to Branson Friday and Saturday to see Samson and another show called Six. The main show to see, though, was Samson. Several people in Mom and Dad’s church had seen the show and were going on and on about it. This was the last weekend for it, and it was worth the trip. … Continue reading Gratitude
I See You
“You is good. You is smart. You is important.” These are familiar words from the movie The Help. Many of you know this story, how it depicts the discrepancies within our history between the races, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement. In this film the main character Skeeter, a young, white, female journalist, asks a significant … Continue reading I See You