God
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It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
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1 min read
My friend Penny brings new light to Christmas through a discovery of a missing verse from the classic hymn: “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”. I’ve always loved this evocative hymn, with its angels and their unfurled wings coming to us through a mysterious door from heaven to bring God’s news to us in splendid…
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A Humble Beginning
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1 min read
My Christmas Message Christmas isn’t just some story about family. It isn’t about shopping or gift-giving. It isn’t about all the hoopla. And even “putting Christ back into Christmas” is to make Christmas something it isn’t. It is way more than that. Have a very Merry Christmas!
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From Division, Unity (full sermon)
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6 min read
a Sermon for Proper 29A Text: Matthew 25:31-46 Now what was that about the goats? I saw a comment online a week or so ago about these gospel readings we’ve had that said something to this effect: What horrible readings for stewardship season! This morning’s gospel, like the last few weeks have been a pretty…
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From Division, Unity
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1 min read
The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Matthew 25:31-46 We all know the parable about the sheep and the goats. The easy reading of this parable is that it has to do with division—sheep/goats, left/right—and eschatology—how time is completed/the end times. It clearly looks like that. But I don’t buy it. And neither should you. The context…
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Changing the Church is Like Changing Diapers
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3 min read
For many, the idea of change in the church is like being asked to change diapers. It is…unpleasant. They are messy, stinky, and unpredictable. Sometimes the odor is unbearable. And sometimes the entire exercise gets you covered in it. Not to mention the times in which the baby pees directly on you! Even those that…
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The Slave Is Neither Wicked Nor Lazy
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1 min read
Proper 28A, Matthew 25:14-30 This passage is known as the Parable of the Talents. Which is unfortunate, since it sometimes gives us the wrong idea. We think that it has something to do with investing our talents and treasure in the Kingdom of God. That’s what we normally preach. And we’d be wrong. We also preach…