Home of the Darkwater Author
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached today, Ash Wednesday. The gospel text was Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21. Long-time readers of this blog may notice a distinct influence from a retreat I took three years ago. Did you ever get the sense that God is hiding from you? Maybe you feel like there’s … Continue reading You and Your Father In Secret (Sermon)
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached this morning, the Transfiguration of Our Lord. The gospel reading was Matthew 17:1-9. Something amazing, absolutely astonishing, happened on top of a mountain in today’s gospel reading. But I think in order to really see what was so astonishing, we need to take a step … Continue reading The Mountains of Matthew (Sermon)
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached this morning, the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany. The gospel reading was Matthew 5:21-37, the third consecutive reading from the Sermon on the Mount. The sermon presupposes two things: first, that you just heard the gospel reading. (Well, they all presuppose that, but this one more … Continue reading Jonah on the Mount (Sermon)
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached this morning, the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany. The gospel reading was Matthew 5:13-20. This was a really gimmicky sermon, so I'm going to write it like a script. I think that's the best way to present it in written format. MICHAEL: So, in today’s gospel…In … Continue reading Letting Your Light Shine (Sermon)
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached this morning, the Third Sunday after Epiphany. The gospel text was Matthew 4:12-23. I'll have to explain how some of the sermon worked. I started by walking through the congregation, tapping five people on the shoulder, and telling each of them, "Follow me." I led … Continue reading Tap Tap (Sermon)
An image in words based on Matthew 3:13-17 Soon. So soon it comes. So soon silently a torrent rips across the sky. A wrenching rending thunderstorm cataclysm in reverse. Silently. So silently. The waters bubble and shimmer, hydrogen and oxygen quivering in homage to the one whose cells and humors descend into the darkwater abyss. … Continue reading The Watery Theophany
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached yesterday, the Third Sunday of Advent. The gospel text was Matthew 11:2-11. I also began a two-month period of leading the congregation in talking and praying about "pastoral care." You may see this theme appear in many upcoming sermons. When you’re in school, sometimes you … Continue reading The Smartest Kid in School (Sermon)
This is an adapted version of the sermon I preached this morning, the Second Sunday of Advent. The gospel text was Matthew 3:1-12. Oh, here we go. It’s the second Sunday of Advent, two and a half weeks until Christmas, and so of course whom do we meet? Mary and Joseph? The angel Gabriel? Nope. … Continue reading You Bag of Snakes (Sermon)
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached this morning. I left the lectionary behind today, and used this gospel text: Matthew 6:25-33. Jesus tells us not to worry. Don’t worry about what you will eat, what you will drink, what you will wear. Consider the lilies of the field. The birds of … Continue reading Red Prayer, Blue Prayer
This is an adapted form of the sermon I preached this morning. The gospel text was Matthew 25:14-30. When Jonathan was young, he was always anxious. Things had to be done the right way, or it upset him. For example: he and his brother played with refrigerator magnets, you know, the big colorful plastic letters … Continue reading Ships in Harbors, Talents in the Ground
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