Sermons

Jeremiah 31. 31-34We don’t save ourselves, god saves us! Today’s Reformation Sunday. It’s nothing more than a footnote, an asterisk, on most church calendars. But – and I hope you don’t take this personally – this is OUR day! Not…
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Jeremiah 14. 7-10, 19-22Heroes don’t ride off into the sunset; they come and they stay! It’s that time of the year, again. On one aisle are ghosties and ghoulies and things that go bump. And on the next, Christmas decorations….
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2nd Kings 5.1-3, 7-15cIt’s not obedience that saves us. It’s god! It was 1970, the year I turned fifteen. That summer, my friends’ grandpa died. After the funeral, the family had a dinner at their home across the street from…
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Habakkuk 1.1-4; 2.1-4Before we can ever believe, god must – FIRST – love! “… but the righteous live by their faith …”“… but the righteous live by their believing …” According to legend, that’s the verse that began it all!…
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Amos 6. 1a, 4-7God saves from sin … both evil and easy! It was the first summer at my first congregation. And I wanted to do something different. Something outside the box. Something that would give us a change of…
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reflecting on the journeyFaith isn’t trying harder and doing better, it’s trusting that god loves! The first time, it was unexpected. Coming out of the clear blue. I was about to start up the aisle, on a Sunday morning, to…
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Exodus 32. 7-14Faith isn’t we-regretting-our-sin, but god-regretting-god’s-wrath. “Hoisted on your own petard!” Growing up, that was one of the phrases my mom used … a lot! Well, that and a few in German that are, probably, best not repeated. Here….
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Deuteronomy 30. 15-20“Life and prosperity” isn’t a reward; it’s a gift! As Americans, we believe in work. Long. Hard. Sweat of our brow, strength of our arm, kind of stuff. You’ve seen the billboards. Read the bumperstickers. “If you want…
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reflecting on the journeyThe church is not created for heaven, but for the world! It was a last-minute thing. I heard the mountains calling, again, and, this time, I had to go! So, I packed a duffel, picked up Nate,…
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