Sermons on Lent
Don’t Be Denied
April 3, 2022………..5th Sunday in Lent………….Pastor Pat Mecham 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…
Reconciled
March 27, 2022———-4th Sunday in Lent Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21; Luke 15: 1-32 Dale was a proud man, a man who was glad that his grown kids had settled in the same area, a man who was happiest when his whole (large) family gathered around the table for a meal. But Dale had a problem. His teenaged grandson had acted in a way that he considered to be extremely disrespectful, and he had called him on it. The…
Should We Get What We Deserve?
March 20, 2022———–3rd Sunday in Lent————Rev. Bob Kelley 1 Corinthians 10: 1-13; Luke 13: 1-9 Luke 13: 1-9 Karma, we all know what it is, and most of us pretty much believe in it. And karma tells us, that in life, we are generally going to get what is coming to us. If we are good, God will bless us, and if we are bad God will get us. If not now, then when we die. And we think…
Don’t Be “Detoured”
March 13, 2022———–2nd Sunday in Lent Philippians 3: 17 – 4: 1; Luke 13: 31-35 I have heard it said that life is a journey—and that it’s the journey itself more than the destination that is important and significant—and that sometimes the detours are actually part of God’s plan, and are significant waypoints on the path God means for us. I agree with this view…mostly. When the detours take us from the path we have selected for ourselves, and the…
Discerning the Path
March 6, 2022——–1st Sunday in Lent Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 Luke 4:1-13 Remember the old days when you had a trip coming up, and you would get out the old folding maps and make a plan for how you were going to get from here to there? Those of us who love MAPS always cherished that particular activity! But now we have a GPS on our phones, and we simply type in our destination and we see two or three…
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…