Dreaming in the Darkness

Isaiah 7:10-16
Matthew 1:18-25

I. Quick preface: I can only tell you this story because my children are not in here right now. It’s about a very bad habit of mine. You can ask my wife about this later for confirmation!

Now that the earth seems to have finally realized it’s winter and we are wearing more coats, my habit is that I get home, take off my coat and fling it somewhere. I acknowledge that that’s a terrible habit, but there we are. The other day, my son looked around the living room and said, “dad, do you realize you have a jacket on every chair at this table?”

Power, Authority, and Blessing if Jesus is Lord

Col 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43

I. Today, the Last Sunday after Pentecost, is celebrated in some traditions as the Feast of Christ the King. It’s an interesting celebration with an interesting history. In 1925, Pope Pius XI declared it a feast of the church to celebrate the supreme authority of Christ over the earthly kingdoms.

Which sounds very noble, but the motives were probably not completely pure. The proclamation came at a time between two World Wars. Fascism was on the rise in Italy, and the waning influence of the papacy was one result. So the proclamation of the Feast of Christ the King was, at least in part, an attempt to regain some power for the Pope.

Whatever the Pope’s motives, though, the idea that Jesus is King was not a new one. One of the earliest statements of faith that Christians would make was “Jesus is Lord,” which might sound a little bland to our ears – we’ve become accustomed to that sort of saying. But this wasn’t the case for our early Christian sisters and brothers. They were accustomed to hearing a different confession – that “Caesar is Lord.”

Full Immersion

Streaming

Luke 16:19-31

All the Wrong People

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14

Jesus Christ – the First Word

Sermon audio begins at 22:50

Colossians 1:15-28
Luke 10:38-42

I. I haven’t done any actual statistical study of this, but I’m willing to guess that, between the three usual preachers in this congregation, we preach mostly from the gospel 85% of the time or so. There are a lot of good reasons for this – such as the fact that the person at the center of the gospels, Jesus, is the one Christians are trying to follow.

I think there are also practical reasons for this. It’s been 10 minutes or so since we actually heard the first two readings. So when we get up to preach we know that the first two readings may not be fresh in your mind.

But this reading from Colossians today is just too beautiful to leave alone. I typically don’t like to rehash what we just read during my sermon, but let me repeat just a few of the phrases from the first section of Paul’s letter:

“Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

“[Jesus Christ] himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

And finally, “[Jesus Christ] is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.”

That he might come to have first place in everything.

II. About 13 years ago, Rachelle and I travelled to Chattanooga for the first time. We were college leaders in our youth group, and we were helping to take about 150 high schoolers to summer camp. The camp was held on the campus of Covenant College, and I remember gathering almost every night on the overlook on campus.

Father Thomas Christians

John 20:19-31
Sermon Audio begins at 17:40

I. Most of you know that the lectionary – the series of readings we move through each and every Sunday – is set on a three year cycle. And this week, the Second Sunday of Easter, is a rare occasion when we read the same story all three years. This story of St. Thomas.

But that isn’t what we usually call him, is it. We think of St. Thomas and we think of a church, or maybe an island. But not the saint who stands in the middle of these readings a week after Easter Day. We’re more likely to call him by his popular nickname – Doubting Thomas.

You Say Judgment Like It’s a Bad Thing

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

I. My wife and I have this ongoing discussion. Ok, I’ll be honest, maybe it reaches the argument level.

Some of you know that Rachelle has worked as a nurse for 8 years or so. It has been a wonderful career for her – she loves what she does, she’s good at it, and it provides a high level of flexibility. The major downside to this job, as far as I can tell, is that thing where we want to come home to our families and talk about our day.

Remember, You are Baptized

Luke 9:28-36
Sermon begins around 29:45.

I. I know it’s a bit early in the morning for a major thinking exercise, but I want to challenge us all just a bit this morning.

I want you to think back over the last stretch of your life – how long that stretch is is going to vary based on your own age and life experience, but think back over the last ten, fifteen, twenty years or so and think about the major decisions you’ve faced.

Grace Spills Over

 

Sermon begins around the 26 minute mark.

John 2:1-11
I. I know that I’ve said this before, and I’ve even said it from this pulpit. But when it comes to the Bible – I don’t really think we can hear this enough. There is often a problem with how we read the Bible because it isn’t nearly strange enough to us. Many, though not all, of us grew up hearing these Bible stories from before we can remember.

The Way of Jesus Scares Me

Sermon starts about 29:55.

John 18:33-37
I. This past Monday I was home with the kids, attempting to get them ready for bed when Fritz came up with a wonderful idea. “Daddy,” he said, “let’s have a clergy conference.”