Posts by Bob Rhodes (Page 2)

Introduction This Sunday we conclude The Days are Surely Coming with Week Three: Anticipation. Jeremiah points toward a promised shepherd-king who will lead with wisdom, gather the scattered, and make daily life secure. This is anticipation with substance—rooted in God’s commitment to justice and the care of people who have been harmed by poor leadership. It honors the ache of the present and leans into God’s promised future, trusting that righteousness belongs in public life as much as in prayer.…

Introduction This Sunday we continue our series, The Days are Surely Coming with Celebration. In our reading this week, Isaiah sketches joy that is more than a mood: it is a community where tears are quieted, houses are built and lived in, gardens feed their planters, children start strong, and elders finish well. This is celebration that carries significance—tied to workbenches and dinner tables, neighborhoods and long-term commitments. It is celebration that acknowledges pain, and trusts that God is bringing…

Introduction This Sunday we begin a new three-week series, The Days are Surely Coming. We’re starting with Nostalgia, that pull toward the way things used to be—family traditions, music, sanctuaries, even church calendars that feel like home. Nostalgia can comfort and connect us, and it can also make the present feel smaller than it really is. In Haggai’s day, a community stood in the rubble of yesterday’s glory and wondered whether anything new could possibly measure up. We carry similar…

Introduction As we conclude our stewardship series Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, we meet two more unnamed figures—a tax collector who prays for mercy and a woman who anoints Jesus with oil. As unnamed characters, we might expect them to have minimal influence, to be nearly forgettable. Instead, these two leave behind profound teaching. Looking back over this series, anonymous figures have illustrated the nature of complete faith. An unnamed disciple asked for greater faith. An unnamed Samaritan turned…

Introduction This week we continue exploring stewardship, recognizing that we are Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. This takes intentional work, sometimes over months and sometimes across generations. Stewardship can often take the form of ordinary persistence—returning, tending, and trusting that our faithful generosity matters, even if the outcome isn’t completely clear. In Luke, a widow refuses to give up seeking justice. In 1 Corinthians, Paul describes the shared labor of planting and watering—by laborers who may not even see…

Introduction Last week, we began our series Standing on the Shoulders of Giants by hearing Jesus remind his disciples that even a small seed of faith can sustain a legacy. This week, we turn to stories that show how faith becomes whole when it is shared. In the Gospel of Luke, ten people are healed, but only one—a Samaritan—returns to give thanks. In the story of Ruth, loyalty and love weave an outsider into Israel’s story and turn loss into…

Introduction This Sunday begins our series Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, a time to honor the faith of those who carried us here. Their presence—showing up in worship, in service, and in prayer—built a community that continues today. In Sunday’s Gospel reading, the disciples face a crossroads of their own. Unsure if they have what it takes to follow, they plead, “Increase our faith!” Jesus answers that even faith as small as a mustard seed can change their entire…

Introduction We conclude our Call & Response series with trust. The movement of the past few weeks—through wonder, integrity, and lament—has not erased uncertainty, and hasn’t promised that life will feel easy or safe. What it has offered is a way to stay in relationship with the God who listens, speaks, and stays near. Psalm 91 gives us words to hold onto in times of risk and fear. Trust grows from this divine relationship, shaped by prayer and strengthened by…

Introduction We continue our Call & Response series having celebrated wonder and acknowledged the critical importance of integrity. Moving from last week’s essential question about whether or not our lives align with our faith, we turn to the honest expression of sorrow, grief, and lament. Sometimes this comes from the ways we fall short, and sometimes it’s focused on the pain we carry, the losses we’ve endured, and the suffering we see around us. Psalm 79 is a cry for…

Introduction We continue our Call & Response series with a question many of us ask without saying it out loud: does faith really shape how we live? Psalm 14 is frustrated with a world where people say one thing and do another, where words about God are easy but action is rare. It’s not aimed at outsiders. It’s a challenge for those who claim belief in a loving God, and yet live as if that makes no real difference. This…

Introduction As we begin our Call & Response series, we start with wonder. Something happens when we realize we are known—truly known—before we even have to explain ourselves. Psalm 139 draws us into that moment. It reminds us that our lives are not anonymous, nor are they forgotten. We come from love, we live within reach of the Divine, and every breath is known before we’re even aware of it. Wonder lives in the awareness that we are never alone…

Introduction We don’t always know what people mean when they say “love.” It can sound sentimental or vague—used to describe everything from relationships to favorite foods. But love, as the letter to the Hebrews describes it, is far more grounded. It shows up in how we treat strangers, how we care for those who suffer, how we share what we have, and how we hold one another with honor and compassion. As we conclude the Dearly Beloved sermon series, this…