Sermons on Isaiah (Page 2)
Gratitude on the Prairie
October 30, 2022……….21st Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 25: 6-10a; 2 Corinthians8: 1-8 Rev. Tom Willadsen
Passing Through the Waters
January 9, 2022……….Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 43: 1-7……….Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22 Anyone here who knows how to swim, would you raise your hands? Wow. It might have been easier to ask who doesn’t know how to swim! Swimming is a big deal in our lives: we swim for exercise and fun, we swim to cool off in the summer. Back in the days when I was doing youth ministry in hotter climes, our youth groups would have pool parties…
I Will Change Your Name
December 12, 20211……….Rev. Patrick Mecham………3rd Sunday of Advent Zephaniah 3: 14-20; Isaiah 12: 2-6 Much of the population of India is divided (unofficially) into castes—classes of people who have different privileges, different job opportunities, and very specific places in the society’s value system. At the bottom of the social scale—below the caste system, in fact, are the people known as Dalit (often referred to as “untouchables” because touching one of folks is believed to make one unclean). These poor people are…
Praise to Our Fathers
Isaiah 40:28-31;———–2 Timothy 3:10-17———— June 20, 2021 Praise to Our Fathers Elaine York, Commissioned Lay Pastor This morning I will speak of three kinds of fathers. One, our biological fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers. Do we have any great grandfathers here today? Please raise your hands! Thank you!! Second, we will talk about step fathers, father’s through adoption, uncles, mentors and any other significant men in the lives of children. And third, we will give praise and honor to our…
He Broke the Yoke
Isaiah 9:2-7 December 24, 2020 Luke 2:1-20 Do you remember that old TV show, “Laverne and Shirley”? There were two funny characters in their apartment building—Lenny and Squiggy—and their moronic voices added a lot to the show. When one of them would tell the other to do something, the response would be, “I’m not your SLAVE!” That was actually a very accurate rendering of a phrase that was popular in the 60’s—and I can clearly hear my sister saying the…
A Humble Witness
A Humble Witness 3rd Advent Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Dec. 13, 2020 John 1:6-8, 19-28 There’s a movie that I like to watch every February. It stars Bill Murray, and it’s called Groundhog Day. He plays a hotshot weatherman with a “big future,” but he got stuck re-living the same day, over and over again, until he was able to //:release his sense of self-importance and begin to care about the people around him.:\\ Gradually, he became more humble, he gained…
As the World Awaits in Hopefulness
Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 11:1-5; Luke 1:26-38
A Mission Shared
A Mission Shared Isaiah 9:1-14 Matthew 4:12-23 We’ve talked before about what it is like to live with a 2-year-old. Can you remember? Two-year-olds are famous for having learned how to say “NO!”—it’s an important step in their early development (even if it IS frustrating to their family). Another thing kids often learn to say, around the age of 2, is “I DO IT!” You’re trying to help them put on a coat or color a page or select a…
The Light is the Lamb
The Light Is the Lamb Epiphany 2 Isaiah 49:1-7 John 1:29-42 There’s a story about a young fellow who had a habit of skipping out on church. He would go across the street and play pinball with the money his folks had given him for the offering. But he was careful to stand near the preacher as people were filing out so that he could pick up on some snippets of conversation about the sermon. He needed to do this…
A Sign for YOU
A Sign for YOU Christmas Eve Isaiah 9:2-7 Luke 2:1-20 Have you ever felt “unwelcome” anywhere? Have you ever said to yourself, “Oh. I don’t belong here”? It’s something we begin to learn at a young age—there are certain places where we are welcome to go, and other places that are off limits. I’m not just thinking about places marked “authorized personnel only” or restrooms that are marked with another gender—I’m really thinking of those times when we get the feeling,…
The Joy of God with Us
The JOY of God-With-Us 4th Advent Isaiah 7:10-16 Ps. 80:1-7, 17-19 Matt. 1:18-25 Those of us who have had toddlers remember a phase our kids went through. I call it the “I do it!” phase, because kids begin to understand that they are capable of things they were never able to do before, and they INSIST on doing them! “I do it!” It’s an important step in the continuous process of becoming independent and creative. However, there are milestones along the…
The One Coming
The One Coming 3rd Advent Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 John 1:6-8, 19-28 Way back in 1967, a movie came out that stirred things up in our country. It was widely received because of the star-power represented: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier. But it was also controversial, because it portrayed interracial marriage in a positive light—and there were still, at that time, 17 states where it was illegal! Those of you who are chronologically advantaged know that I am talking about the movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?”…