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The Opening Act
John the Baptizer and the new thing he creates a Homily for Advent 3B | Texts: John 1:6-8,19-28 The messiah is in the wilderness, among the people seeking repentance. He isn’t in Jerusalem with the Pharisees. He isn’t judging or obsessing over the rules. He isn’t kicking out the people who don’t follow the rules,…
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Looking for Change in All the Wrong Places
Darkness, Advent, and what the Light is really for. We need this reminder now more than ever. That we aren’t children of darkness. We are children of the light. That the darkness in the world is not imposed upon us by an angry GOD, but comes from fear and prejudice. We are the light-bearers, the…
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Being Where GOD Will Be
That is our certainty. It is found being where GOD is. Where GOD says GOD will be. It isn’t found in our stated beliefs or creeds or political affiliation or what our Sunday School teachers taught us about GOD: it is about how we treat the powerless and the defenseless.
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For the Great Creator
Stephen, Righteous Abel, and the blessing of creativity a Homily for St. Stephen’s Day (observed) | Text: Matthew 23:34-39 And yet GOD never said he didn’t appreciate Cain’s gift! GOD just loves being surprised. GOD loves to see us stretch ourselves and try new things and use all of our gifts and currencies to express our…
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Loving is more than words. So is GOD.
A long, long time ago, a deeply faithful people were given a name. A very important name. The very name of their god. The same god who was revealed without a proper pronoun, but a description. The popular translation is I AM WHO I AM But even these words in English don’t capture the movement and…
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Forgiving GOD
how our understanding of forgiveness is too small a Homily for Proper 19A | Text: Matthew 18:21-35 The volume of forgiveness When Peter asks about forgiveness, about the volume of forgiveness, it triggers a cascade of central teachings to our faith. Teachings that are the foundation of everything. On the surface, it is a simple enough…
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My neighbor has a strange view of GOD
You can’t save yourself, but… A couple of months ago, my neighbors put out a simple yard sign with an open book and block letters across it. The sign read: I drove by it many times, each one thinking “I know which neighbor I don’t need to invite over for Christmas dinner.” Or maybe I…
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The Foundation of Faith
a Sermon for Epiphany 2A Text: John 1:29-42 The Foundation How strange this sight must have been for John the Baptizer. So many baptisms and among them is Jesus, the Messiah, the one whose way John is preparing. What John the Baptizer experiences is so significant that he testifies to its power: the Spirit made…