Sermons and other Reflections
“What is both Good and New about the Good News is the wild claim that Jesus did not simply tell us that God loves us even in our wickedness and folly and wants us to love each other the same way and to love him too, but that if we will let him, God will actually bring about this unprecedented transformation of our hearts himself." -Frederick Buechner, "Wishful Thinking"
Read MoreGod's love for Jonah's enemies shows Jonah's love is too small. Are we prepared to accept God's love for our own enemies?
Read More"Truth be told, our own lives are lived between these two cities, whether we know it or not. Our natural instinct is to try to get ahead. To survive, to protect ourselves. To look out for our own well-being, the good of our families, the cohesion of our group. To find comfort, to avoid stress. This survival instinct… well, it helps us survive. It keeps us alive. But is it enough?"
Read More"Inward, then outward. This is the shape of an authentic spirituality. From the self to the world."
Read More"It may first sound like bad news. Because according to Pentecost, is that with this living God there’s nothing we can do to gain the kind of joy, the kind of life, the kind of power we long for. So much religion is about manipulating the divine into giving us what we want. Bad news is that there’s no sure-fire technique to gain it. Because God works in God’s own time.
Read More"Evangelism has a bad rap thanks to people’s bad experiences. Which has made many of us timid at best, terrified at worst about sharing faith."
Read More"We’ve found a path, and relationships that have brought us face to the good, the beautiful, and the true. We’ve discovered that we’ a calling in life. Some of us have. Each of us has a calling given by God. To be living stones."
Read More"God used Christ’s suffering to bring about healing for all. And if God can do that… God can use our suffering to bring about good, too. Even for our enemies. In the end, that’s what this text is all about."
Read MoreOur destiny is to be fully alive in the way Christ was and is fully alive. To live in loving relationship with God, to be united with Christ, and to grow fully in to his likeness. Our destiny is to be part of the larger work of God’s healing of all creation. God has a plan, our lives get to be part of it. Easter not only shows us the path to journey on. It shows us where that path will lead us. The destination makes all the difference.
Read More"Thomas got what everyone else got, a one-on-one with Jesus. And this is a tremendous truth about our faith. It is about relationship. It is about deep and abiding presence with God. I can’t have faith based on your encounter. But also, I cannot have an encounter without hearing your testimony about experiencing God."
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