Sermons & Worship (Page 33)

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…

Luke 2:1-7 [Introduction to scripture]  We are a multi-denominational church which respects the various Christian traditions represented by the members of our church and so today, in honor of those who come from a Catholic, Anglican, or some other high church tradition, I will be preaching a homily instead of a sermon.  I grew up Baptist so I’m not exactly sure of the official difference between a homily and a sermon but in my mind, a sermon requires a preacher to…

excerpts from Nehemiah Background to ScriptureI have been preaching through the Hebrew scriptures — what Christians call the Old Testament — and today is the last of that series before we move into Advent so before we turn to Jesus I want to give you a very quick review of the history of the Israelites, to put everything in context because remember Jesus was Jewish.  These are the stories of his ancestors so for the last time fall, here it…

Ezra 3:10-13 Background to Scripture:In 597, the Babylonians conquered Judea and over a period of 15 years, deported the Jews into exile in Babylon. (There were three deportations of Jews to Babylon —  597 BCE, 587/586 BCE, and 582/581 BCE.)  In 539 BCE, the Persian Emperor Cyrus conquered the Babylonians and allowed the Jews to go home, though Judea would no longer be an independent nation but would be considered a province of Persia. This is called the period of…