Walk in the Light
Walk in the Light 4th Easter Psalm 23 Acts 9:36-43 John 10:22-30 Years ago, I went to the hospital to visit a new mom and dad, and see their baby. On the way to their room, I passed the nursery where there was a baby in sunglasses lying underneath a sunlamp! Strange, but cool! When I had a chance to ask a nurse, she told me that the baby had a little jaundice, and spending time under the sunlamp was helping him to…
So I Send You
So I Send You 2nd Easter Acts 5:27-32 April 28, 2019 John 20:19-31 Have you ever stood up from where you were sitting and gone into another room and then stopped and asked yourself, “Why am I here?” Believe me, if you haven’t had that particular experience, you will…many times! It’s kind of a universal experience for those of us who are “seasoned citizens.” But not everyone gets around to asking the deeper question, the more important one, “Why am I here? What is the purpose of…
It’s Friday but Sunday’s Comin’
It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Comin’ Easter 2019 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 John 20:1-18 Intro: I need to ask you to do a difficult thing. I’m asking you to dwell on a very difficult time in your life, a time of deep disappointment. Perhaps you were disappointed in a relationship that didn’t work out; or some cherished dream you had was shattered; perhaps being passed over for a promotion or not getting that job you were qualified for; perhaps one of your kids didn’t…
Just as I Have Loved You
Just as I Have Loved You Maundy Thursday Psalm 116: 1-4, 12-19 John 13: 1-7, 31b-35 Every now and then, a preacher finds a story that beautifully illustrates the Scripture passages she or he is working on. I’ve used this one before, and I’m going to use it again, because it is SO PERFECT! Rodney Roberson was working in a homeless shelter while he was going to seminary. One night, he learned a truly valuable…
Adulation!
Adulation! Palm Sunday Psalm 118:19-29 Philippians 2:5-11 Luke 19:28-40 Intro: You may know that the Japanese Imperial Army ran the deadliest prison camps in World War II. At one camp, starving military prisoners of war were huddled in dozens of bamboo huts. They had experienced terrible deprivation and cruelty under the iron fist of the camp commander. But it was Christmas! They had been told that there would be NO religious celebration in the camp. But about midnight,…
Don’t Be Denied
Don’t Be Denied 5th Lent Psalm 126 Philippians 3:4b-14 John 12:1-8 Hello. My name is Lazarus. You probably remember me because Jesus brought me back from the dead. Now, that was pretty spectacular, but I want to share with you the tremendous impact that Jesus had on my whole family—especially my sisters, Mary and Martha. I guess I ought to start with Mary, because she’s the one who introduced us to Jesus in the first place. I’m not exactly sure what happened to Mary—how she started going wrong—but…
Welcome, Sinners!
March 31, 2019 Psalm 32 2 Cor. 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Intro: Home. HOME. I hope that, when I say this word, it conjures up for you images of peace and security and happiness. For some, home is a certain place, like a little village in Nova Scotia. For others, it’s a specific building. And for others, it is a person or group of people with whom one really feels “at home.” Like the young adolescent who had just discovered…
A Light to the Nations
“The Light to the Nations” Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-9 Acts 10:34-43 Matthew 3:13-17 We have all been taught that “beauty is only skin deep,” but I say unto you, “real beauty is beyond the reach of the eyes.” But I wonder what it would be like to be able to perceive the REAL BEAUTY in every person I meet? Well, it’s Awards Season in Hollywood, and everyone is concerned with being “red-carpet ready.” The message we usually get from Hollywood is…
A New Light is Shining
January 5, 2020 A New Light Is Shining Epiphany Isaiah 60:1-6 January 5, 2020 Eph. 3:1-12 John 1:1-18 Do you remember the movie Hook? Captain Hook (played by Dustin Hoffman) and Peter Pan (played by Robin Williams) continue their epic struggle when Hook steals Pan’s kids in order to draw him back to Neverland. There’s one scene in which Captain Hook is talking to his sidekick, Smee, and he says that he’s had a “sublime vision”—an “epiphany”—and he shares his insight with…