A Sermon for a Summer Sunday
June 6, 2010
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, Psalm 90:1-6
The day I called the bishop to tell him my yes answer to his question about moving to Saint John, the move seemed so very far away. The day I wrote the letter to you all, letting you know that in five months I would be moving and you would be receiving a new pastor, the move still seemed so far away.
Today…, it does not seem far away. I know that one month from now, I will be preaching at Saint John, and my friend Paul Caseman will be here, getting to know you and love you as I have over the past three years.
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Posted by admin at 1:27 pm on June 8th, 2010.
Categories: Sermons.
Danger of Fire
Acts 2:1-12, 37-42
Pentecost and a Vital Church
May 16, 2010
There was danger of fire among the believers in Jerusalem. Jesus was crucified, risen, and ascended. Those who had followed him were trying desperately to make sense of all that had happened. They gathered one Sunday morning to remember and reflect. They had just finished dealing with some practical and political matters, choosing Barnabbas to be the successor of Judas who had betrayed Jesus. What would they become? What would they be? Where would they go? The believers had been on an emotional roller-coaster. Mourning for the crucified Jesus, marveling at the miracle of the resurrection, rejoicing at the victory of life over death. They were filled with questions and anxious for answers. Anything could happen. And something did. More… »
Posted by admin at 10:16 am on May 17th, 2010.
Categories: Sermons.
Granny Is Spinnin’ Again!
A Sermon on 2 Samuel 6:12-22 and Luke 15:3-7
May 9, 2010
This may be a day for remembering mothers, but this morning I want to remember my grandmothers. They had some things in common. They both loved me very much. Both lived in the same town. Both were very involved in the church in which both of my parents grew up. Yet they were very different women. They were 16 years apart in age. My maternal granny was born in 1881, and my paternal granny was born in 1897.
Mom’s mom, Alma, was a straight-laced old gal, very Victorian in her ways. She raised my mother in a home where there was no swearing, no drinking, no card playing, and most assuredly, NO DANCING!
My other grandmother, Dad’s mom, Nellie, was wild and crazy. She was divorced back in the days when divorce wasn’t common. She was known to let slip the occasional expletive, and bet a chip or two on a poker game. She was especially fond of DANCING! She used to do the Charleston in our living room. More… »
Posted by admin at 10:24 am on May 10th, 2010.
Categories: Sermons.
On Your Marks, Get Set, Go!
Matthew 28:16-20
A Sermon on the Mission of the Church
April 25, 2010
Seward and Moose Pass UMCs
Once upon a time there were three little pigs. Their mother sent them out to seek their fortune. Of course, you remember the story. Little pig number one built a house out of straw… along came the big bad wolf (who presumably had just eaten Little Red Riding Hood and thought a bit of pig for desert would be nice). The wolf huffed and puffed and blew down the house of straw and gobbled up the piglet.
Little pig number two fared no better with his house of sticks and the BBW enjoyed pork a second time in as many days.
Little pig number three built his house of brick, and all the huffing and puffing the big bad wolf tried couldn’t blow the house down. But the BBW is a cagey fellow and, you remember, he tries to trick the pig into leaving the safety of his home. The pig repeatedly outsmarts the BBW. Finally the BBW decides to come down the chimney, which is never a good idea. The pig traps him in a kettle and boils him up and, in a satisfyingly ironic turn of events, has wolf for dinner. More… »
Posted by admin at 10:17 am on April 26th, 2010.
Categories: Sermons.
