Sermons

Sermons are listed below with the most recent sermons first. Sermons may be browsed by date, books of the Bible, speaker, and more. Check back often for updates.

Family Words: Hurtful or Life-Giving

We continue our post-Easter sermon series exploring “The Power of Words.” This week, we look at our families–whether those are families of origin, chosen families, church families, or some combination. Sometimes our family members know just how to push our buttons, and we are then faced with how to respond. Sometimes we are so comfortable with a family member that we don’t filter our words before speaking them. Our choices matter, our words matter, in how we treat and speak…

Resurrection

Please enjoy our Easter Sunday worship service. Scripture: Mark 16:1-8 (CEB)

The Crucifixion of the Christ

We continue our Lenten sermon series based on the book The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, journeying day by day through Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem. We are quickly moving to the end of the week, and therefore closer to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. Each day has been building, and this day we arrive at Jesus’ most profound teaching at the last supper. But that’s not the end of the day… Scripture: Mark 15:1-15…

A Meal, A Prayer, A Trial

We continue our Lenten sermon series based on the book The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, journeying day by day through Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem. We are quickly moving to the end of the week, and therefore closer to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. Each day has been building, and this day we arrive at Jesus’ most profound teaching at the last supper. But that’s not the end of the day… Scripture: Mark 14:1-11…

Setting the Plot in Motion

On the Wednesday of Jesus’ final week, two of Jesus’ followers make important decisions that set the plot in motion for Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection. The writer of the Gospel of Mark contrasts for us the decisions made by the woman with the alabaster jar, and Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Scripture: Mark 14:1-11 (CEB)

Challenging Authority

This week we move to Tuesday and an expanse of texts from the middle of the 11th chapter all the way through the end of the 13th chapter. Roughly two-thirds of this section shows Jesus in conflict with the religious leaders in the temple, where Jesus is continually challenged with questions intended to entrap and discredit him in a public setting. Scripture: Mark 12:28-34 (CEB)

The Temple in Frame

We continue our Lenten sermon series based on the book The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, journeying day by day through Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem. This week we move to Monday, the day that Jesus turns over the tables in the temple. Known as a “cleansing” of the temple, Jesus’ motives and intentions have been widely explored in countless sermons and papers. This story is framed by a narrative about a fig tree, something that…

Royal Entrance

This is the first week of our Lenten sermon series based on the book “The Last Week” by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. As we open, we explore the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and compare this to the likely historical entry that Pontius Pilate would have made through the opposite side of the city. These differences are essential to understanding the divine power of the Christ, and his essential teachings during this final week. Scripture: Mark 11:…

Community

As we continue our post-Christmas sermon series called “Why Be Christian?” we might remember what we’ve explored so far. We began in the baptismal waters alongside Jesus, who entered the waters to show us the way to God’s abundant life. We listened for the voice of God alongside Samuel, Philip, and Nathanael. With Jonah, Simon, Andrew, James, and John, we received the persistent and grace-filled invitation to participate with God in living out the fullness of God’s kingdom here and…

Call & Response

This week we continue our post-Christmas sermon series called “Why Be Christian?” As we explore texts from the story of Jonah and the call of the disciples, we will consider the importance of our response: our response to God, to our faith, to the circumstances of the world. In doing so, we will ask ourselves whether these responses should be inward or outward… or perhaps both! Scripture: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Mark 1:14-20 (CEB)

Listening

This week we continue our post-Christmas sermon series called “Why Be Christian?” Liturgically, this is also the beginning of Ordinary Time (named for ordinal numbers), though we can also remember that being Christian is not necessarily ordinary. It is good, then, that we choose to focus this week on listening. Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-10; John 1:43-51 (CEB)