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A Positive Decrease
John 3:29b-30. “For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” I wonder what John the Baptist’s disciples are thinking when they hear him talk about becoming less....
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When A Loved One Dies – A Funeral Sermon on John 14:1-6
I generally do not post funeral sermons. I am, however, posting this one with the permission and encouragement of Janice, Brian’s mother. Brian was forty-three years old when he died and is survived by...
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Displaying the Ten Commandments
Deuteronomy 11:18. “You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead.” I’m not interested in joining...
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Leaving It All Behind
Genesis 12:1. “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’” Many hear God’s call to Abram as a call to a new place. I...
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In the Nighttime of Life – A Sermon on Genesis 12:1-4 and John 3:1-17
Photograph by Michael J. Bennett – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons, (modified with text). Lent 2A: Genesis 1:1-4 and John 3:1-17 Nicodemus has stepped into the nighttime of his life. He wants...
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Secondhand Faith or Firsthand Experience?
John 4:42. “[The Samaritans] said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.'”...
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Prayer Begins When the Words End
Psalm 62:1. “For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation.” One Sunday, years ago, I knelt to pray before the liturgy began, as was my usual practice. I always had something to...
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Getting Unstuck
John 5:8. “Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’” I sometimes need to get up and get going. At times, I have put my life on hold. I’ve pushed the pause button. I’ve filed my life in a...
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A Prayer for Interfaith Conversation and Friendship
I recently had the opportunity to attend the 12th Annual Dialogue and Friendship Dinner sponsored by the Dialogue Institute of the Southwest. Diverse people, cultures, and faiths gathered around a meal...
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Doing the Law
Romans 2:13. “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” There is more to doing the law than simply following the rules....
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Inside Out Living
Romans 2:29. “Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart— it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from...
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The Things I Want
Psalm 23:1. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.” I have a pretty long wish list. I have places I want to go. I have things I want to do. I have dreams I want to come true. I have visions...
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Where Do You Get That Living Water?
John 4:11. “The woman said to [Jesus], ‘Sir, you have no bucket and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?’” The Samaritan woman’s question about living water is not just a question; it...
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Growing Up
Luke 2:49. “[Jesus] said to them, ‘Why are you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?'” Growing up isn’t limited to children or a particular age group. Regardless of...
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Ears Are a Gateway to the Heart
Psalm 78:1. “Hear my teaching, O my people; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.” Several years ago, I spent a summer participating in a pastoral care internship. As the summer progressed, I...
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The Light By Which We See
John 8:12. “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” When the sun sets and night comes, many...
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The Antidote is Wholeheartedness
Psalm 86:11. “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.” The palmist has named a truth about my life: I live with a divided heart. My...
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Thanksgiving for Everything
Psalm 92:1. “It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to your Name, O Most High.” When I was a child, I always received a box of blank thank you notes as a Christmas gift. I...
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Parting the Veil of Impossibility
Luke 1:43. “Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’” In the innermost courts of the temple in Jerusalem, a veil separated humanity from the Holy of Holies, where the Spirit of...
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Walking Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
Psalm 23:4. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Someone whose husband recently died said to...
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