Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

love

  • a Sermon for Epiphany 6A Text: Matthew 5:21-37 A most unreasonable request We’re following Jesus up the side of a mountain and we’re hearing His most famous sermon. A sermon that begins with blessings: (blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek…). A sermon that highlights all the wondrous things that GOD…

  •   Monday’s celebration of The Epiphany was unique in that it took place in the midst of a once-in-a-generation snow storm. That arctic vortex gave us sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall as we haven’t seen in the Midwest in a long time. Feeling the cold on my face in the minutes I was out shoveling…

  • a homily for Proper 27C Text: Luke 20:27-38 What are they talking about? This gospel isn’t what we take it for. The people that put together the Revised Common Lectionary have us jumping into Holy Week here. Last week’s story about Zacchaeus, the wee little man who climbed a sycamore tree is the first half of…

  • republished from St. Paul’s website Last week was a tough week. It felt like tragedy was built upon tragedy. The week began with one of our most iconic images in the country, the Boston Marathon, which was rocked by two violent explosions. Then an entirely unrelated explosion at a fertilizer plant in West Texas. These…

  • In Sunday’s sermon, I preached about Jesus’s third appearance in the Gospel we call John. There were several pieces that fascinated me about the text. Saturday, I focused on the fantastic image of Peter, sitting naked in a boat, dressing, and jumping into the water. The other is the interaction between Jesus and Peter about…

  • Naked Love

    a Sermon for Easter 3C Text: John 21:1-19 Why is Peter naked? The astute observer will notice that each of the gospels handles the resurrection of Jesus differently. Mark, the earliest gospel has no Jesus appearance; Matthew and Luke each have one appearance; while John has three. This morning we get the last one and…