Sermons Archive

Once upon a time, there were three ambitious employees in corporate America, talking together one day over their mid-morning lattes.  As their conversation shifted from talking about things to the ever popular office gossip, the topic of the boss’ annual Christmas party came up.  Every year, the boss hosted a Christmas party at her large home,...

Today’s story is about a homecoming. Jesus invites himself home to the place where Zacchaeus lives. He is welcomed gladly. Crossing over the threshold of Zacchaeus’ house, Jesus enters into an intimate space and brings acceptance and challenge. And Zacchaeus responds in repentance and generosity, building a new spiritual home for...

Reformation Sunday is a reminder that whenever we dare to look ahead, we would be wise to also look back.  There is great wisdom to be gained in remembering what those who have preceded us in faith went through in order to lay the foundation for the church as we know it today.  We are wise as we seek to reclaim our roots and find our grounding...

Will you pray with me? Gracious God, you gift us with your word, which teaches us how to live and how to appreciate life. May these words, and our reflections, deepen our understanding of our selves, each other and you, praying in the name of Jesus who healed those of his time, and us today, Amen.

From the time that we begin to talk, we...

Have you ever had one of those days when everything seems to go just about as well as it can for you?  For me, they are not all that common, but they do occur.  I’m talking about those days, which when they are over and you are preparing to head to sleep, you think back and find yourself saying, “You know, I was a pretty good husband today. ...

When we hear that someone has an “ulterior motive,” we are likely to be on guard, increasingly sensitive to something sinister or diabolical going on.  That’s not always the case, despite our suspicions, for in the lesson we hear from Luke today, I believe that Jesus has an “ulterior motive,” both for those who heard this parable from his lips...

One day, in your neighborhood, or perhaps at your work, an acquaintance, knowing that you are a church go-er, asks you some questions about your faith:  What is Christian faith about? Who is Jesus?  Why do you believe as you do?  You are a little surprised, taken aback that this person would approach you, and not sure how to answer.  What can...

Today’s Gospel reading is truly good news. It reminds us of the endlessness of God’s love for us and the whole creation.  For too long, these two parables have been seen as merely setting the table for the one which follows--the Prodigal Son.  Yet to read and truly hear what Jesus is seeking to teach in these parables will likely be life-...

          Fritz Perls, the founder of a school of psychotherapy known as Gestalt therapy, was once asked what being a therapist entailed.   He answered with an analogy that life is a matter of crossing a wide river, by jumping from stone to stone.   His job as a therapist, he said, was to help people decide which stone to jump toward and to...

          Stories about mysterious strangers are the stuff of legends.     Many fairy tales and folk tales, which we may have heard growing up or tell to children these days, tell the story of a person confronting a dilemma and a mysterious stranger showing up to help.   In college, I learned the phrase “deus ex machina” which describes those...