Sermon Archives

June 14, 2020

Chasing the Harvest

Marisol is a farm worker and single mother from Mexico. She came to the United States to work in the seasonal fruit harvests She is vice-president of the local chapter of Lideres Campesinas, a farmworker women’s leadership and outreach group. In her own words:      Working in the fields I earn $300 weekly before taxes. […]

June 7, 2020

We Can’t Breathe

We can’t breathe. I realize the strangeness of me saying that. In our current context, many of us are free from the worry of having someone’s knee crushing our neck, of being shot in our own home, or having the police called on us for something as simple as birdwatching. In that sense, many of […]

May 31, 2020

Looking for the Spirit of Life

A common phrase lots of people have been using the last few months is “go back to normal.” You’ll hear it in sentences like, “When we go back to normal, I want to take a cruise in the Caribbean,” or “I’m so ready for everything to go back to normal, like it was before the […]

May 24, 2020

Up . . . and away

The very first verses of Acts tell us that after Jesus was crucified and died, he appeared to the disciples over a period of forty days. He spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, the writer of Acts tells us, disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit.

May 17, 2020

Jesus, in particular

My scripture comes from Acts chapter 17, verses 21 through 34. Before I read it, though, I want to give you a little context on what’s been happening, So, “Previously, in Acts . . , “ Paul, Silas, and Timothy, have been on the road traveling through what is now modern-day Turkey and Greece. When […]

May 10, 2020

Reflections of the Way Life Used to Be

I’ve spent the last few weeks running away from my reflection. I’m talking about my literal reflection and metaphorical reflection. Any haircuts or personal grooming habits have sort of gone out the window given that Zoom doesn’t produce the sharpest image of ourselves. My lowered levels of vanity is probably a good thing. But I’ve […]

May 3, 2020

Loving our neighbors while suffering

Are you suffering? I think many of us are. Maybe not all the time, but likely more than before the lockdown. This pandemic has gotten the best of us – we are more isolated from each other, or homebound togetherness may be leaning toward the tedious. Just going out of the house may feel riskier […]

April 26, 2020

The Long Slog to Communion

Now, what? Every single one of us asks that question at some point in our lives, several points, probably. Now what? Maybe you are asking that question right now. Maybe those of you with children are being asked that question a lot these days. You see, we ask that question whenever we find ourselves taking […]

April 19, 2020

This is a dangerous sermon

Everywhere you look, there are warnings reminding you to be careful. On a Starbucks cup: “Careful, the beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot.” On a super glue bottle, it says this: “Warning: Bonds instantly. Do not swallow. Do not get in eyes.” A beach ball, for those of you that are wondering, […]

April 12, 2020

Practicing Resurrection

I In the last four weeks, I’ve been talking with Christians across the United States, from Virginia in the east, to California in the west; and from Minnesota in the north, to Florida in the south. I’ve listened to pastors, conference ministers, therapists, and spiritual directors. All of them are asking the same underlying question: […]

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