Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

Sermons

Sermons preached in a context, but written for people of all sorts and conditions.

  • Why the word you want is proclaim, not communicate a Homily for Proper 8 A Text: Matthew 10:40-42 Getting into it I struggled with this text a lot. Way more than any text in months. You wouldn’t guess that three little verses would be so hard. And you certainly wouldn’t expect a lectionary text about welcoming…

  • a Homily for Proper 7 A Text: Matthew 10:24-39 Jesus paints a picture of the divine household that appears frightening: talk of swords and a divided family. But it isn’t the household that frightens, but the realization that our homes aren’t the the true household.     Scripture’s many doors This morning’s part of the story…

  • a Homily for Trinity Sunday Text: Matthew 28:16-20 Incomplete We return this week to the Gospel According to Matthew, for this writer’s resurrection story. We normally don’t think of this passage that way; as a story of resurrection. We’re focused on the writers we call Luke and John. Their accounts are different. More story-like. These…

  • a Homily for The Day of  Pentecost Text: Acts 2:1-21   Into the Unknown There are those moments when we read scripture that, if you’re anything like me, you are saying “Yeah…I’m not sure I would’ve done that.” Last week, we read about how Jesus left the disciples, disappearing behind a cloud. The disciples went back…

  • a Homily for Easter 7A Text: John 17:1-11   Being Left Behind It needs to be stated for the record that in our liturgical calendar, Jesus has already ascended. We celebrated the Ascension on Thursday night. So having Jesus talking about going away this morning is kind of weird. Especially since this is Jesus talking…

  • a Homily for Easter 6A Text: John 14:15-21 Coming Home When my Dad would go on work trips; he would be gone all day. Often they were overnights. Alpena to Detroit is about five hours each way and when meetings went long, and he couldn’t make it all the way home, he’d stop and finish…