Sermons by Pastor Pat Mecham (Page 6)
A New Covenant
A New Covenant—–5th Sunday in Lent Jeremiah 31: 31-34—–March 21, 2021—–John 12: 20-33 Being a PARENT is full of surprises! I always imagined myself teaching my kids—passing on wisdom and understanding and humor and insight. But, you know what?! My kids (and other people’s kids) have taught me! Today I want focus on one of the things that parenting has taught me about God. Here it is in a nutshell: God is our loving Father; in love, God carefully lays…
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…
Christ in the Marketplace
Christ in the Marketplace 3rd Sunday in Lent 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 March 7, 2021 John 2:13-22 If I had asked you to close your eyes and picture Jesus (at least before hearing today’s Gospel reading), you probably would have pictured him praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, or perhaps surrounded by children as he blessed them, or maybe gently knocking on a door. You might have pictured him feeding a big crowd, or walking on water. But, after hearing our…
In the Presence
In the Presence 2nd Sunday in Lent 2 Kings 2: 1-12 February 28, 2021 Mark 9: 2-9 Once upon a time, there was a young boy who walked to Sunday School every single Sunday. An old sinner who lived near the boy’s path decided he would intercept the young fellow and “throw a wet blanket” on his faith. So, one Sunday morning, he stepped in front of the boy and said, “Son, I’ll give you a nickel if you can…
Lead Me in Your Truth
Lead Me in Your Truth 1st Lent Feb. 21, 2021 Psalm 25:1-10 1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:9-15 I have been thinking this week about TRUTH, and (as always) it has reminded me of a movie—one that focuses on how important it is to tell the truth. It’s called “Liar, Liar” and it stars Jim Carrey as a lawyer who uses lies in every aspect of his life, both his professional life and his personal life. He is suddenly no longer…
The Cure
The Cure 2 Kings 5:1-14 February 14, 2021 Mark 1:40-45 Many of you know that I spent five days in the hospital in the middle of January, recovering from COVID-19. From my room, I could hear the coughs and cries of other patients in the “COVID ward,” and I marveled at all the nurses and therapists who never seemed to be discouraged by the whole ordeal. As the “brain fog” cleared, I found myself thinking a lot about healing,…
When the Spirit Says “Move”
When the Spirit Says “Move!” 5th Sunday after Epiphany 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23 February 7, 2021 Mark 1: 29-39 Several years ago, a church in South Africa split. The pastor left, and took most of the members. Those who remained couldn’t afford to maintain the facility, much less pay a pastor. But then, God led John to them. Pastor John asked his new flock (of fewer than 40 members) to consider what God wanted to do through them. They felt…
A New Teaching
A New Teaching 4th Epiphany 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 January 31,2021 Mark 1:21-28 Life is all about making choices. The essence of life is found in the choices that one makes. So, how do you make most of your choices? After all, there are MANY ways to choose. For example, there is the impulse way—walking past a tray of warm chocolate chip cookies and grabbing one and stuffing it into your face, without considering how it fits into your eating plan. …
Christmas Has Just Begun
Psalm 148 December 27, 2020 Colossians 3:12-17 I want you to imagine that you are going to a really wonderful concert. You’ve been standing in line for a long time, and the outside speakers have been playing music from the featured group to really get you in the mood for the concert. Vendors have been moving up and down the line, selling souvenirs that focus on this concert, and your whole group is loaded up with fun items. The expectations…
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…
Greetings, Favored One!
Greetings, Favored One! 4th Advent Romans 16:25-27 December 20, 2020 Luke 1:26-38 Don’t you just love Christmas Pageants?! Over the years, I have seen some doozeys! Like the year Joseph picked up the Baby Jesus and the doll’s head fell off and rolled across the floor—or like the year the innkeeper got all choked up and offered Mary and Joseph his own room, rather than sending them to a stable! But the one that came to mind this week depicted…
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…