“The Antidote To Exhaustion”– A Sermon On Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
“Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while,” Jesus says in today’s gospel (Mark 6:30-34, 53-56). That sounds pretty good to me, how about you? What does that mean for you today?...
View ArticleLiving Bread Or Manna? – A Sermon On John 6:35, 41-51
My parents have some life-long friends named Nick and JoBeth. They all grew up together and married about the same time. Their kids were friends with my sister and me. Nick died a few years ago but my...
View Article“God Put Faith In A Body”– A Sermon On John 6:51-58
I enjoy watching and listening to children receive communion. Even if they don’t understand what we are doing they just seem to get it. Let me give you a couple of examples of what I’ve seen and heard....
View ArticleDon’t Just Vote, Choose Words Of Life – A Sermon On John 6:56-69
Does the bread of life ever give you indigestion? Have Jesus’ words of life ever soured and upset your stomach? When has that happened to you and what was it about? What words, ideas, or teachings of...
View ArticleDoers of the Word, A Remedy For Tired Ears – A Sermon On James 1:17-27
“My ears are tired.” That’s what our older son, Brandon, said one day. “My ears are tired.” I don’t remember what had happened or if it was my words or someone else’s that had exhausted his ears, but...
View Article“That’s Just How I Am”– A Sermon On Mark 7:24-37
A few weeks ago I was listening to a man who wants to make some changes in and deepen his life. He described some patterns, beliefs, and behaviors in his life that in many ways have served him well but...
View ArticleGOATs, Cleaning Ladies, And Greatness – A Sermon On Mark 9:30-37
Are you familiar with the acronym GOAT? G-O-A-T. It means Greatest of All Time. Many trace its origin to the early 1960s and Muhammad Ali saying, “I am the greatest!” and his wife in 1992 creating a...
View ArticleDesperate Measures – A Sermon On Mark 9:38-50
The unquenchable fire of hell, plucked out eyeballs, amputated limbs, and forced drownings – welcome to the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Mark (Mark 9:38-50). What a friend we...
View Article“It’s Not About What It’s About”– A Sermon On Mark 10:2-16
Let’s begin with a survey. Who thinks today’s gospel (Mark 10:2-16) is about marriage and divorce? Who thinks it’s about something else? Not much response to either. Who’s going to just wait and see?...
View ArticleStuff – A Sermon On Mark 10:17-31
Many years ago a good friend of mine showed me a book he’d recently been given. The abbott of a monastery gave it to him. My friend said, “It came from the abbott’s personal library. It’s very rare and...
View ArticleHow Will You Vote? – A Sermon On Mark 10:35-45
As you may know, yesterday we elected the Rev. Angela Maria Cortiñas to be the next Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of West Texas. Before we began the election Bishop Read reminded us that the election...
View ArticleThe Eye Of The Heart – A Sermon On Mark 10:46-52
One of the things that strikes me about today’s gospel (Mark 10:46-52) is Jesus’ question to Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” My first reaction is, “He’s blind. What do you think he...
View Article“Lazarus, Come Out”– An All Saints’ Day Sermon On John 11:32-44
“Lazarus, come out!” Jesus says in today’s gospel (John 11:32-44). He is calling Lazarus I hope you will hold onto those words. Let them sink into your heart and fall from your lips. “Lazarus, come...
View ArticleLessons From A Sunrise
I need to see the sun rise. I said it first to myself then I said it aloud to others. I knew it would rise but I had to make sure, to remind myself. I needed to bear witness to the dawn of a new day...
View ArticleBeing All In – A Sermon On Mark 12:38-44
“Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.” That’s what Jesus sees in today’s gospel (Mark 12:38-44). Jesus says those two small...
View ArticleWhen Our Great Buildings Fall – A Sermon On Mark 13:1-8
What do you do when the great buildings of your life fall, when not one stone is left upon another, and all has been thrown down? I think that’s the question Jesus is answering in today’s gospel (Mark...
View ArticleLiving Power Differently – A Sermon On John 18:33-37, Christ The King
Today is the Feast of Christ the King. Throughout history kings and kingdoms have at some level been associated with power. So today seems like a good day to reflect on power in our lives and world....
View ArticleLife In The Gap – An Advent Sermon On Jeremiah 33:14-16 And Luke 21:25-36
Recently, someone said to me, “I’m ready to move on. I don’t like being in this in between place.” I know what he means and I’ll bet you do too. I sometimes think about it as life in the gap. It’s the...
View ArticleA Word In The Wilderness Of Life – An Advent Sermon On Luke 3:1-6
When was the last time you were in the wilderness of life? Maybe you are there today. We all come to wilderness times in our life. Sometimes the choices we make bring us to the wilderness. Sometimes...
View ArticleHow Are You? – An Advent Sermon On Zephaniah 3:14-20
What comes to mind when you think of repentance? What does it look like and mean in your life today? What is it asking of you? My guess is that for most of us, especially during Advent, our image and...
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