Sermons
Sermons preached in a context, but written for people of all sorts and conditions.
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Blessed in the Dirt
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8 min read
In the Beatitudes, Jesus shows us what it truly means to be blessed, revealing the truth about the kin-dom. It isn’t about winning or getting in. All Saints A | Matthew 5:1-12 Do you feel blessed? I don’t mean #blessed or social media blessed. I mean really blessed by God. Right now, in this space,…
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Love Against the Wind
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8 min read
Why we know to love, but not how or when. We often think of love as the antidote to chaos, but it isn’t so related to the chaos. Proper 25A | Matthew 22:34-46 This year, we gathered at the river for Convention. Down in Jeffersonville and New Albany, just across the Ohio River from Louisville,…
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Faces of Love
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8 min read
In Matthew 22:15-22, we get stuck on the words “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s” we forget the whole thing’s a trap. Proper 24A | Matthew 22:15-22 I don’t know if any of you have been outside in…you know…the last few years…but there are people really concerned with the mixing…
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The Parable of the Sharp Dressed Man
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8 min read
in Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells a weird parable about wedding banquet and a murderous king. How could this possibly reveal God to us? Proper 23A | Matthew 22:1-14 Remind me not to let Jesus be in charge of the guest list for any future weddings. That guy will let anyone in. Or would he? This…
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In the Kingdom of Earth
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8 min read
In the Kingdom of Earth, selfishness rules and violence is justified. How far such things are from what Jesus offers: a kin-dom of heaven. Proper 22A | Matthew 21:33-46 Several years ago, Rose and I took a trip to northwestern Michigan. We stayed in a bed and breakfast near Traverse City and drove up the…