Colossians 1:11-17 July 15, 2018 Union University Church Reverend Laurie DeMott Have you ever heard the phrase, “organizing principle?” The phrase is quite popular with pundits, so much so that when I googled the phrase this week, my search turned up 3,480,000 web pages containing the phrase. Obviously, I didn’t read all of those references but … More All Things Hold Together
Isaiah 40:28-31 Galatians 6:9-10 July 8, 2018 Union University Church Reverend Laurie DeMott One of the first psalms I memorized as a child, Psalm 100, proclaimed that we should, “Serve the Lord with gladness!” and Isaiah echoes this sentiment, promising that the faithful will not faint or grow tired but will be borne aloft on … More Five Hour Energy Faith
Psalm 46:1-7 July 1, 2018 Reverend Laurie DeMott In the land of Patagonia — a land east of the Andes mountains stretching down to the southernmost tip of South America and washed on its eastern coast by the waves of the South Atlantic — in the land of Patagonia, there are no trees because the … More We Are All Living in Patagonia
I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Luke 17:20–21 June 10, 2018 Union University Church Reverend Laurie DeMott Do you remember what you were doing last September 23rd? If it helps, it was a Saturday — the fourth Saturday in September. Did you sleep in? Were you working, traveling, cleaning the house? How were you feeling that day, do … More “Lo, Here it Is”
Romans 14:7-9 Union University Church June 3, 2018 Reverend Laurie DeMott For years I have been putting quotes in the bulletin based on the theme of the service and when I first began that practice, I collected quotes from my reading or looked up topics in Bartlett’s Quotations but now I get my quotes from … More The Trinity of Our Souls
Romans 12:14-21 May 27, 2018 Union University Church Reverend Laurie DeMott One Sunday, a pastor was preaching on Jesus’ command to love our enemies and he began by saying to his congregation, “I’ll bet that all of us struggle with this command and you may think you are alone but you are not. Raise your … More What is Noble in the Sight of All
I Corinthians 9:19-23 May 20, 2018 Union University Church Reverend Laurie DeMott The story of Pentecost that we heard read this morning in a babble of different languages is found in the book of Acts, written by Luke as a sequel to his gospel. The full title of the Book of Acts in our Bible … More Breath of God
Philippians 1: 1-11 May 13, 2018 Union University Church Reverend Laurie DeMott Paul began every letter with a reminder of grace and he spoke about grace a lot in the body of those letters. “For all of you share in God’s grace with me,” he tells the Philippians, “whether in prison and as we … More Grace
I Corinthians 6:9-20; The Message translation (attached at end) May 6, 2018 Union University Church Reverend Laurie DeMott One of my first years in ministry, I was asked to give the sermon at the high school Baccalaureate. Back in those days, all of the churches still gathered every June to honor the graduating seniors in a … More An Embodied Faith
Romans 13:1-7 Apr 29, 2018 Union University Church Reverend Laurie DeMott In the 70’s there was Watergate; in the 80s, Irangate; in the 90s, Nannygate, in the aughts, Leakgate, in 2015, Deflategate; and now before the decade is finished, we have Chaplain-gate — the controversy that has surrounded the resignation of Father Patrick Conroy as … More Chaplain-gate
