Sermon Archives

Advent
December 9, 2018

Speechless Wonder

MAKE READY FOR THE CHRIST, WHOSE SMILE, LIKE LIGHTENING, SETS FORTH THE SONG OF EVERLASTING GLORY THAT NOW SLEEPS IN YOUR PAPER FLESH…LIKE DYNAMITE! This is Advent and these words from Thomas Merton shape our calling: to Make ready for the Christ…to prepare for the birthing God has in store within each of us & […]

December 2, 2018

A Black Rook in Rainy Weather

I don’t particularly like thinking about the end times. For this year in the liturgical season, Advent 1 is apocalyptic. I understand, and yet, I’d rather not.  I grew up in a tradition that spoke of the end times most Sundays. I remember a particularly rousing sermon being given by our pastor telling us that […]

December 10, 2017

Preparing the Way for Blessedness

What does it mean to be blessed? I feel as if we live in a world where we have a tendency to say things without really thinking about what they mean, and this word is no exception. On Instagram you can find pictures of manicures and pedicures, or family, or even one’s dinner with the […]

December 3, 2017

Enthusiastic Collaborators

What do you think a holy person looks like? When you get to know someone, what clues suggest to you that this person may be holy? Do you know holiness when you see it? Consider Tom. Almost every Sunday, Tom came to church all alone and sat in the same chair. He was a quiet […]

December 18, 2016

Seeds of Hope

A few months ago during sharing time, I spoke about the peace accords in Colombia and how they were drawing to a close. After a war of more than 50 years, a war responsible for displacing 6.4 million people (second only to Syria), the FARC guerrilla group and the government planned to cease hostilities and […]

December 4, 2016

“What kind of leaders do you want?”

“Make America great again.”  We have heard this phrase over and over again for the last year.  Who wouldn’t like to see America be great?  But what are we hoping for when we want “greatness”?  Power?  Wealth?  Security?  Privilege?   And what would we hope for if we said “Make Goshen great again”?  Or if we […]

November 27, 2016

Living in the Present Moment

This year in July, Tim LaHaye died. He was co-author of the Left Behind series, a set of 12 fictional books on the end times. The Left Behind books tell the story of how all the true believers in Christ are instantly raptured away into heaven, leaving the world in chaos. In this chaos, a […]

January 3, 2016

The Refugee Option

Most of us grew up with nativity scenes in our homes. At the center of the scene is a cute baby Jesus, happily lying in a manger. Around him are a proud Mary and Joseph, along with three or four shepherds and maybe some chorusing angels flapping around on the roof of the shed. Of […]

December 27, 2015

God’s Presence in Our Worship: The Manger is Empty

God’s presence in our worship…we continue with our theme of God-with-us this morning, with the boy Jesus in the temple. Each week, we come to worship, expecting, hoping, longing to find God here; wondering perhaps how it is that God is here; wondering if God is here. In our worship, we offer to God all […]

December 20, 2015

In the Flesh

During these Advent worship services, we’ve been dancing around with the idea of the Incarnation. “Incarnation” is a big word in theology that describes the coming together of God’s life and human life in the person of Jesus. We Christians believe that Jesus was a unique person—there wasn’t anyone like him before in history, and […]

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