This was Recovery Sunday, so I spoke about the way that addictions and recovery can be”harsh and unrelenting teachers” of spiritual lessons.  What do you think …?

By What Authority?

Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32

Ever since the Faith Partners group began its work and ministry in our congregation, we have set aside a Sunday to mark as Recovery Sunday. That seems especially appropriate this year, when there has been so much spoken, written, and debated about the extent of substance abuse in Northfield, about its causes, and about the ways it might be reduced in the present and prevented in the future.

Continue…

A sermon about forgiveness may seem like an odd choice for Homecoming Sunday, but if we neglect the spiritual discipline of forgiving those who have wronged us, it is hard to live out our Christian Faith.

Seventy-Seven Times

Romans 14:1-12  Matthew 18:21-35 

Sunday worship always gets off to a nice start: we listen to the prelude, hear the ringing of the bell, are welcomed by a member of the congregation, speak the Call to Worship together, and sing a hymn. And then comes the prayer of confession. Why do we usually offer a prayer of confession so early in the service?

Continue…

We humans have lots of questions for God, especially “why” questions.  God rarely answers those questions directly, but there is still much to learn from the answers we do get.  If you are reading this sermon, you will be missing the response that the congregation sang after each section, so you may want to hum a little when you get to those breaks.

I AM WHO I AM

Exodus 3:1-15 Romans 12:9-21

You ask “why,” they ask “why,” Sometimes “why” doesn’t really have an answer.

So take your “why”, and live your “why,” and give it to the great I AM.

My four-year old granddaughter Renee is a splendid asker of questions. And most of her questions at the moment begin with the word “why.” Sometimes she asks just because she is curious,

Continue…

On Sunday we celebrated the mission trip undertaken by youth and adult leaders in our congregation.  They have been, once again, to Alamosa Colorado where they worked with Habitat for Humanity and La Puente homeless shelter.

Our “sermon” was introduced by Cher Duys, our Director of Education and Youth Ministries (DEYM), followed by reflections from Eric Rohn, Kami Kirchberg, Kathleen Pender, and Will Hardy.  I hope you will take time to read these important words from our young friends.

Introduction by Cher Duys:

The youth have asked me to introduce, ‘Sharing our Stories’.

This is my seventh year trekking to Alamosa, Colorado in the San Luis Valley, a journey of Sabbath and of Service.

The valley houses the poorest counties in that state

Continue…

Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have made lots of headlines lately, but the Bible also has some intriguing and courageous women characters — and they are the subjects of this sermon from August 24.

 Courageous Women

Exodus 1:8 – 2:10  Romans 12:1-8 

If I remember correctly, when I was in high school we talked a lot about conformity. We all agreed that it was not a good thing. Conformity was what made you follow the lead of other people

Continue…

My sermon today was not about a highway bridge, but about Biblical bridges — one between two great narratives of the Hebrew Scriptures, and one between two ancient cultures.

Bridges

Genesis 45:1-15 Matthew 15:21-28

Joseph was generous. Joseph was forgiving. Still, Joseph wasn’t a particularly nice guy.

Continue…

In today’s text, Jesus calls Peter to walk on the water of the Sea of Galilee — and he does!  I’m taking the opportunity to talk about people who called me to leave the safety of my routine and dare something new — and a few people who just shoved me out of the boat!  (By the way, I should probably have changed the title of this sermon…)

Don’t Look Down

Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22, 45b; Matthew 14:22-33

Three things have shaped my sermon for today. First are the three cottage meetings we have had so far this summer, where church members and I have shared stories of how we came to be part of this congregation in Northfield. The part of my own story that often provokes questions is the part where I leave my job and my home in Seattle and head for seminary.

Continue…

Today I tried to tie together two very different stories: Jacob wrestling with God and Jesus feeding the 5000 with only five loaves and two fish.  The connection:  both stories start with someone who is afraid …

Scoundrels and Saints

Genesis 32:22-31  Matthew 14:13-21 

The cover of this morning’s bulletin may have been a clue to you about my reflections on the Biblical texts for this week: two illustrations of different styles sitting next to each other, but not really connected. The two stories we just heard – one about Jacob wrestling with God, and one about Jesus feeding a crowd of 5000 people with five loaves and two fish – these stories are remarkably resistant to being woven together into a single sermon. What they do share, curiously enough, is a focus on fear.

Continue…

In a world where “bigger is better,” it is hard to remember that most things — from skyscrapers to symphonies to prayers — begin small.  Consider the mustard seed and the portion of yeast, for example …

Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33

Starting Small

The prayer hymn we are going to sing when I finish preaching is probably a better sermon than the one you are about to hear. So I’d like to begin by asking you to turn

Continue…

Did you sing “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder” when you went to camp?  Did you know that the ladder was part of a dream that Jacob had when he was running away from a feud with his twin brother?  Wait .. there’s more to this story …

Stone Pillow

Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24

Several years ago a sociologist of religion, Kirk Hadaway, wrote a book called Rerouting the Protestant Mainstream about the qualities of congregations that were thriving in spite of the overall drop in membership and attendance in Protestant churches. One of those qualities that has stayed with me was this: in a thriving church, people expect God to be present in worship.

I thought of this observation when I read the words of Jacob in today’s lesson:

Continue…

Today’s political reporters often ask candidates trick questions that are designed to trap them into saying something controversial or unpopular.  The Pharisees did the same thing to Jesus, but he was pretty adept at out-tricking them …

Trick Questions

Matthew 22:15-22; Psalm 100 

They were out to trick him. It was as simple and timeless as that. They wanted to ask him a question that would incriminate him no matter how he answered it. It was the first century equivalent to “When did you stop beating your wife?”

They hoped that offering some compliments before the question would put him off guard. “We know you are sincere …” they said … even though they, themselves, were not the least bit sincere.

Jesus wasn’t fooled by any of it.

Continue…

You might not expect a minister to dislike a Bible story — but I really am disturbed by the Old Testament story of Abraham being instructed by God to sacrifice his son Isaac.  So this is a sermon of protest, I guess …

 My Least Favorite Story

Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13:1-5

One of the curious gifts of coming to faith as an adult was seriously encountering many of the stories in the bible for the first time. Some stories turned out to be full of meaning and delight for me – the story of Esther, for example, whose courage saved her people, or of the Syrophoenician woman who challenged Jesus when he tried to brush her off. Other stories, however, turned out to be horrifying; what Biblical Scholar Phyllis Trible [1984] called Texts of Terror.

Continue…

Sometimes stories in the Bible, especially from the Old Testament, seem harsh to our modern ears.  Still, there is something for us to learn from this tale of Hagar and Sarah.

Hagar and Sarah

Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17  Hagar and Sarah

This summer we are following the story of the Patriarchs of the faith: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But as we do that, we are also following the Matriarchs of Israel: Sarah and Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah. They are an interesting bunch, these women of the ancient past. They often appear by wells or springs, particularly when they are about to become wives. They are often barren, but those who are to have children receive divinely sent annunciations of one kind or another. Some engage in trickery or deception to further the careers of their husbands or sons.

It is hard to know, from our modern perspective, just what to make of all of this.

Continue…

Sarah (whose story is told in book of Genesis) was an old woman when she learned she was going to have a son.  Reasonably enough, she laughed.  That got me to thinking about the theological meaning of laughter …

Laughter

Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7  and Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

Do you know what happened when Sarah laughed? Well, yes, God noticed and asked Abraham about it, and Sarah denied it; it is a nice bit of dialogue between God and Sarah. But do you know what happened when Sarah laughed?

Continue…

I try to post my sermons here every week, but we missed some during March and April. 

You can find all the sermons since February 1 2008 by clicking on Sermons on the right hand side of this page. 

Here are the ones I just posted:

February 24, 2008   Water and Witness

March 2, 2008         Sticking with Your Story

March 23, 2008        Do Not Be Afraid

March 30, 2008        Book of Life

April 13, 2008          Awesome

April 27, 2008          If You Love Me