Sermons & Worship by Rev. Laurie DeMott (Page 9)

Mark 6:34-44 It is late.  The disciples are tired. More than tired – they are bone weary from sitting on the hill listening to Jesus teach the same material they have heard 100 times.  Though the sun is sliding down the western sky, the heat remains stifling and they long for some quiet shade where they can fill their hungry stomachs, lay back, and think about nothing for a few hours.  The twelve have spent the last few days traveling…

Mark 5:24-34   Every Sunday, we begin our worship with prayer concerns.  We lift the names of those who are sick or struggling so that we can include them in our prayers of intercession, prayers we offer on others’ behalf.  It’s what we do; we are Christians and Christians pray for one another.  Not everyone, however, appreciates those prayers.  Some time ago, I read an on-line post by an atheist who had recently been hospitalized after a heart attack and I’m…

Mark 5:1-20 I like to watch murder mysteries, especially ones set in England where quaint English villages apparently contain a disproportionate number of psychopaths.  In some episodes, the body count can become quite high and the manner of death thought up by the script writers is often quite creative:  I have watched murderers kill their victims with medieval spears, chop off their heads with a guillotine, drown them in soup, fire cricket balls at their heads, and one woman died…

Mark 4:1-20 In my preaching and in my bible studies, I have often said that the disciples were a bit dimwitted, and have on occasion gone to the extreme of referring to them as dummkopfs, dunderheads, or dolts.  (Have you ever noticed that most of the words describing a person’s ignorance start with D?)  Now, of course, sometimes I am just exaggerating the dimness of the disciples for the sake of a good story, but here by the shore of…

Mark 2:1-12 They knew that he was sick, crippled, feeble — all of those words so often cast upon a person like a heavy net that makes it impossible for them to stand straight even should their legs allow it — but if that wasn’t bad enough, they also whispered that his paralysis was due to some sin in his past.  The poor man was not only sick, they said, but his sickness was his own fault, a result of…

Mark 2:1-20 Have you ever posed for a family photo where the person with the camera said, “Smile on the count of three:  one… two…” and then snapped the picture before they got to 3?  When that happens, most of us shout in protest, “I wasn’t ready!  My eyes were closed.  I had a goofy look on my face.  You said you’d count to 3!”   When we pose for a camera, or when we crouch at the starting line…

Malachi 1:1 – 2:5; Matthew 2:1-12 Tonight is 12th Night, or as we might call it today, “Epiphany Eve.”  In years long past, and in many parts of the world today still, Christmas lasts for 12 days and ends with the celebration of the arrival of the Three Kings on Epiphany, January 6th. (1)  In the past, people partied and exchanged gifts during the entire twelve days giving rise, of course, to the familiar song about the dedicated suitor who showered…

Matthew 2:1-12 The theme of my Advent series this year is “Christmas Midrash,” and for the last time, midrash means the extra dialogue, story details, and commentary that ancient Jewish rabbis added to scripture in order to help people better understand its meaning.  Midrash is valued in Judaism, often quoted and studied along with the biblical writings because good midrash doesn’t contradict the Bible; it accentuates and clarifies the biblical message, leading the reader into deeper interaction with the scripture. …

Isaiah 60:1-6; Luke 2:8-12 The theme of my Advent series this year is “Christmas Midrash,” and every week of Advent, my description of what midrash means is going to get shorter because I assume that you will have heard this definition in at least one of the previous weeks.  In brief then, ancient Jewish rabbis often added extra dialogue, story details, and commentary to scripture in order to help people better understand it, and that commentary on the scriptures is…

Luke 2:1-7 For those who weren’t here last week, and for those who were but were asleep, the theme of my Advent series this year is “Christmas Midrash.”  In ancient Judaism, rabbis would often expand on scripture by adding commentary, dialogue between characters, or additional details not found in the Bible in order to clarify the meaning of those scriptures, and these extra details are called midrash.  Midrash is valued by the Jewish people; it is seen as an important…