Sermons

This is a Fathers’ Day Sermon preached at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church on June 16, 2019.

Well, it’s Fathers’ Day weekend!

If we are honest, this day probably strikes us all a little differently. For some of us this will be very meaningful; for others of us, we’re ambivalent about it; for some of us it is a painful day.

No matter how we feel about the day, what does fatherhood mean to us? What are our thoughts about our father figures? What authority do we give them, and how do we grant them that power? What does childhood mean, and what does it look like?

Even with these questions, I’m sure our answers will be quite diverse. So, listen to this sermon to spend some time thinking of fatherhood and childhood in relation to what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:11-17 and what Jesus says in Matthew 18:1-5.

Listen to the sermon here:

Right-mouse-click here to download audio.

This sermon was inspired by Scriptures such as:

1 Corinthians 4:11-17
¹¹To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless, ¹²and we grow weary from the work of our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; ¹³when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the rubbish of the world, the dregs of all things, to this very day.

¹⁴I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. ¹⁵For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. ¹⁶I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.

¹⁷For this reason I sent you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, as I teach them everywhere in every church. (NRSV)

Matthew 18:1-5
¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²He called a child, whom he put among them, ³and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (NRSV)

A sermon preached at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church on November 11, 2018.  It was part of a series for a stewardship campaign called “Spending Ourselves.”

We are people of time and place. To a great extent, these can control our lives – in bad ways and good ways. In a world in which we so often focus on the bad, I invite you to focus on the good.

What are the times of your life that you find to be life-giving? Hopefully this is not just a time in the past that you reminisce about but something recurring. Why are those times life-giving? What makes them nourishing?

Let’s think about place. Is there a place that you can go where you find peace, hope, empowerment? How can place provide that? What is it about your special place that inspires you?

To all of these questions, we will find differences, and that is okay, but time and place are important parts of the Church. How can our special times and places inform our understanding of Church, and how can our special times and places support the Church?

These are questions I hope you’ll bring to this sermon as we consider together our blessings and holy currencies of time and place in our current sermon series, Spending Ourselves. I hope you’ll take the time to read over the Scriptures for this sermon before listening so you can bring your own insights into these passages.

Right-mouse-click here to download the audio.

This sermon was inspired by Scriptures such as:

1 John 4:16-19
¹⁶So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

¹⁷Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. (NRSV)

John 1:38-39
³⁸When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ ³⁹He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. (NRSV)

This was a sermon preached at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church for Confirmation Sunday on June 3, 2018.

Before this sermon, we honored four young people who have participated in Confirmation this Spring.

Did you take Confirmation classes as a young person? I did. In all honesty, I don’t remember any content. I remember going to eat at McDonald’s during a one-day “seminar” held at our church. A few weeks later, we went on a retreat to Lake Texoma with kids from a couple of other churches, but I really only remember the sleeping accommodations. The closest thing to content that I remember was watching on an old-fashioned film projector this claymation video produced in the early 80s about the history of the UMC in America. Even then, I didn’t remember content. I just remember that we watched a claymation video.

I hope that our confirmands will remember more than this video (though I still make them watch all 4 minutes of it)! But in watching it again (and again), I’m both amazed at the many great things United Methodists have done throughout our history, but as the video explicitly reminds us, there is still work to be done – on many fronts.

Using the Scriptures below for inspiration, I hope this sermon helps us think through our role in bringing the light of hope to a world in need.

Listen to the sermon here:

Right-mouse-click this link to download the audio.

This sermon was inspired by Scriptures such as:

2 Corinthians 4:5-11
⁵For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ⁷But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

⁸We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. ¹¹For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. (NRSV)

Matthew 5:14-16
¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (NRSV)

This sermon was preached the morning of Christmas Eve 2017 as a part of a larger series called The B-List Christmas at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church.

Right-mouse-click this link to download the audio.

Scriptures that inspired this sermon include:

Romans 8:22-25
²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; ²³and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (NRSV)

Luke 2:22-38
²²When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), ²⁴and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ²⁹“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; ³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” ³³And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” ³⁶There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. (NRSV)

This sermon was preached at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church on Sunday, November 5, 2017 as a part of the In God We Trust stewardship series.

Relationships: we all have them.

Some are thriving; some are broken; but most probably fall somewhere on the spectrum between thriving and brokenness. They can be at the same time both rewarding beyond measure and frustrating as all get out! Some of us, by nature, actively seek out relationships while others of us shy away from them for any number of reasons.

But what is it that makes a relationship work or fall apart? What is necessary to build one, and what will inevitably destroy one? What, if anything, do our day-to-day relationships have on our relationship to God – and vice versa?

As we continue with our sermon series, In God We Trust, we are thinking about relationships. To help us in considering this topic, we will be focusing on 1 Kings 17:8-16 and Luke 16:19-31. What do these passages say to you about relationships?

Listen to the sermon here:

Right-mouse-click this link to download the audio.

1 Kings 17:8-16
⁸Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ⁹“Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” ¹⁰So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” ¹¹As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” ¹²But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” ¹³Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” ¹⁵She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. ¹⁶The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah. (NRSV)

Luke 16:19-31
¹⁹“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. ²²The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ ²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ ²⁷He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ ³⁰He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” (NRSV)

This sermon was preached at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church on Sunday, August 6, 2017 as a part of the Walking With Women in Scripture series.

Who do you listen to? I mean, which people inform your thoughts? Who informs your heart? When I ask, I’m also not seeking the churchy answers: God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or the Bible. What real-life people do you listen to to? Why do these people matter as sources of information for you?

Similarly, who do you ignore – both purposely and inadvertently? Why do you choose to purposely ignore some sources? What might you be missing out on by inadvertently ignoring others? What can you do to listen to those you might accidentally overlook?

These are some questions considered in this sermon as we look more closely at Romans 16:1-7 and Luke 23:54-24:12 and continue the sermon series, Walking With Women in Scripture.

Listen to the sermon here:

Right-mouse-click this link to download the audio.

This sermon was inspired by Scriptures such as:

Romans 16:1-7
¹I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, ²so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well. ³Greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus, ⁴and who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. ⁵Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ. ⁶Greet Mary, who has worked very hard among you. ⁷Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. (NRSV)

Luke 23:54-24:12
⁵⁴It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. ⁵⁵The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. ⁵⁶Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

¹But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they went in, they did not find the body. ⁴While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. ⁶Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ⁸Then they remembered his words, ⁹and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened. (NRSV)