Sermons from March 2022
Giving Up Judgment
A few months ago, we focused our Worship on this same text; and instead of a traditional didactic message, we heard the story through song. For the most part, congregation members were supportive. I confess that I worried it was too out-of-the-box. I worried about judgment. It occurs to me that this is similar to the worry that the prodigal son faced as he wrestled with going back home to his family. I wonder if the father experienced some worry…
Giving Up Expectations
I’ve often found wonderful humor in this familiar phrase: “If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans.” In our lives, we sometimes have a tendency to build up our expectations on how things are going to turn out with every circumstance. Even so, I find from time to time that God draws something unexpected—and sometimes incredible—out of whatever meager imaginings I may have had. Perhaps you have too… Scripture: Luke 13:1-9 (CEB)
Giving Up Fear
We live in a world that often feels like it’s ruled by fear. There are so many of us fearful of disease and illness, of being judged, of losing abilities or freedoms. Yet so often our scriptures remind us not to be afraid! Scripture: Genesis 15:1-12,17-18; Luke 13:31-35 (CEB)
Giving Up Control
This week we begin our Lenten Worship series entitled I Give Up that explores what we might give up during this season of introspection and preparation. In the Gospel text, Jesus is drawn into the wilderness for forty days and endures hardship and temptation. Understanding where this lies in the context of the Gospel of Luke, we may understand this in part as Jesus’ preparation for ministry. It is a time—remembering the mystery of trinity as both togetherness and separateness—that…