Sermons on Ephesians
Rhythm of the Saints
November 6, 2022 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 149; Ephesians 1: 15-23
The Glory of God: Beyond Comprehension
July 24, 2022—–7th Sunday after Pentecost—-Rev. Patrick Mecham Ephesians 3: 14-21; John 6: 1-21 I’d like you to imagine being on a commercial airplane. It’s a hot day, and the plane is lumbering down the taxiway. You reach up and adjust the air flow so that it’s just right, and you murmur, “Thank you, God, for air conditioning!” Then you begin to wonder: How does air conditioning work? I know there are compressors and Freon and fans—but how does all…
“Worthless Religion”
August 29, 2021 “Worthless Religion” Rev. Patrick Mecham James 1:17-27 ———– Mark 7:1-23 ———-14th Sunday after Pentecost In 1859, a French tight-rope walker by the name of Charles Blondin decided to pull a stunt that would guarantee him great fame. He walked 1100 feet on a highwire that was strung 160’ above Niagra Falls! Over the next few years, he returned to Niagra to repeat his feat, with further difficulties thrown in—crossing it blindfolded, manacled, on stilts, pushing a…
Body Armor
August 22 “Body Armor” Rev. Patrick Mecham Ephesians 6:10-20 John 6:56-69 13th Sunday after Pentecost We all understand that, when a new recruit joins the military, he or she goes through extensive training and physical fitness preparation before they are sent into action. But we wouldn’t think of deploying them without a helmet or body armor—that would be just plain foolish! In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he’s saying something similar: Christians need to put on body armor…
Becoming or Behaving
August 15, 2021 “Becoming or Behaving” Rev. Patrick Mecham Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58 I once heard a teacher describing the kids in his class. He said that some of the kids looked at him while he talked, nodded their heads when he made a point, chuckled when he said something funny, raised their hands when they wanted to speak—basically making his day easier. And then there were others—kids who didn’t seem to listen to him, who never seemed…
The Words of My Mouth
August 8, 2021 “The Words of My Mouth” Rev. Patrick Mecham Ephesians 4:25-5:2 John 6:35, 41-51 11th Sunday after Pentecost When you were growing up, I’ll be you were told, “If you can’t say something nice—don’t say anything at all!” Some attribute this to Bambi, but Bambi was just quoting our mothers, right?! Be nice. Be sweet. I’ll agree that we need to teach our children to be KIND, to hold back on those words that hurt. …
Works or Faith?
August 1 “Works or Faith” Rev. Patrick Mecham Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35
Drawn to Power
Drawn to Power 8th Sunday after Pentecost Ephesians 2:11-22 July 18, 2021 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 I’m willing to bet that something like this has happened to you: You’ve been working on something really hard (without a break), and you are really looking forward to a chance to kick back and relax. And just at the time when your break comes, someone asks you to help them—and it’s obvious that you have to defer that break. Something in you says,…
To Save, NOT Condemn
To Save, NOT Condemn—–4th Sunday in Lent Psalm 107: 1-3, 17-22—–Ephesians 2: 1-10—–March 14, 2021—–John 3: 14-21 When I was about 7 years old, I was playing over at a friend’s house. We were out in the shop with his dad, who was puttering around with an engine. My friend showed me something really cool—a miniature branding iron that he had made by bending a piece of wire into a shape. He heated up the brand part in a little…
Newborn King/Shepherd
Newborn King/Shepherd Epiphany Ephesians 3:1-12 January 3, 2021 Matthew 2:1-12 SQuire Rushnell believes that God is always at work, performing miracles right under our noses just to show us how much God loves us! SQuire calls these little miracles “God-winks,” and he compiled a book full of examples that he entitled When God Winks at You. He has continued to document these miracles from all around the world, and recently published a new collection, including this story from McAllen, Texas.…
To See the Blessings
Psalm 100 Ephesians 1:15-23 There’s an old song I know, much-loved but not much-used any more. The refrain goes like this: “Count your blessings, Name them one by one; Count your blessings, See what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, See what God hatch done.” See what God has done. We’re coming up to Thanksgiving Day here shortly—a day with plenty of traditions and expectations—a day when many of our familiar routines will…
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…