Sermons & Worship (Page 35)

Mark 9:14-29 Imagine that you are driving along a country road about sunset: the leaves of the poplars which edge the road burn with sun while the pine forest behind them settles into the shadowy sleep of dusk, and ahead of you cutting its way through the glow, a car meanders along the road.  One minute it wanders into the left lane, and then awakening to its error, it rebounds to the right, wheel catching on the gravelly shoulder.  Naturally,…

Isaiah 55:1-5 You may not know his name, but you probably know his face, or at least the picture of his small body being cradled in the arms of a Coast Guard on a beach in Turkey.  His name was Aylan Kurdi, and he was three years old when he drowned, three years old when the boat that was carrying him, his five-year-old brother, and his mother, capsized as they tried to flee Syria and join family members who had…

I Corinthians 1:18-31 The last four weeks, I have been preaching on the Wisdom literature in the Bible asking, “What does it mean to be wise?”  A teacher once asked her students to write down “words of wisdom” that they would pass on to other kids, and these are some of the things they came up with: When your dad is mad and asks you, “Do I look stupid?”, don’t answer him. If you want a kitten, start out by…

Song of Solomon 2:10-13, 8:6-7 It is the season for weddings. In the past two weeks, I have performed two weddings and met with another couple whose wedding will take place in just over a month. All of these couples are, of course, very much in love and looking forward to a lifetime of happiness together. And often, I begin my wedding ceremonies in the same way: I say, “Look closely at one another and gaze into each other’s eyes…

Excerpts from EcclesiastesReverend Laurie DeMott Fabio Bonizzoni is a conductor featured recently on a website called “All of Bach.” He conducted a Bach cantata called, “Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke” which translates to “I am content with my luck.” In an interview afterward, Bonizzoni explains what Bach means by that title. “[Other composers of the period, such as Handel,” he says, “try to distract us, in sublime fashion, from the ills of life.] Bach, on the other hand, succeeds…

Proverbs 8:22-36 Introduction to Scripture:The reading today from Proverbs comes from a biblical tradition that scholars refer to as the Wisdom tradition and before I read that scripture, let me talk a little about what that means. Sometimes on chalice communion Sundays, I use the Prayers of the People from the Book of Common Prayer, and the last prayer in that liturgy says, “That we may end our lives in faith and hope, without suffering and without reproach, let us…

Proverbs 1:1-7, 3:1-8 Are you familiar with the term “cyborg”? A cyborg is “a fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body.” At least, that is the definition of cyborg according to Siri, “my built-in ‘intelligent assistant’ that enables me as a user of Apple iPhone to speak natural language voice commands in order to operate the mobile device and its apps.” At least, that’s the definition of…