Alpha-Omega

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)

This sermon was preached at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church on June 4, 2017 – Pentecost Sunday.

Happy Birthday, church! On Sunday, June 4, 2017 we celebrated the birth of the Church universal as we celebrated Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit that draws us together.

In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (aka Old Testament), the Greek form of “Pentecost” is used for the Jewish festival, Shavuot (aka Feast of Weeks), when both the gift of the wheat harvest and the gift of the Torah (or Law) were commemorated. This Jewish celebration that occurs 50 days after Passover was a time to bring a gift of the first fruits of one’s harvest to God in the Temple. So, there would have been Jewish pilgrims from all over in Jerusalem for Pentecost when we read about the wind and fire of the Spirit that enlivened the disciples 50 days after Easter as we read in Acts 2:1-6 (and following).

So, birthdays are times to give and receive gifts, right? Pentecost has always been about gifts – wheat and Torah in our Jewish heritage and the Holy Spirit in our Christian tradition. That makes me wonder:

• How you have experienced the Holy Spirit as a gift?
• Has the Holy Spirit allowed you to be a gift? If so, how?

I invite you to consider Psalm 139:1-12 as you consider the questions above and to consider that and the Acts passage noted above as a way of preparation for listening to this sermon.

Listen to the sermon here:

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

Psalm 139:1-12
¹O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
²You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
³You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.
⁵You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
⁷Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
⁸If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
⁹If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
¹⁰even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,”
¹²even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.(NRSV)

Acts 2:1-6
¹When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. (NRSV)

This sermon was preached at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church on Sunday, February 19, 2017 as a part of the series, Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

Can you keep a secret?

Is keeping a secret something easy or difficult for you to do? Can you be stealthy with a secret, or do you find yourself almost giddy wanting to share that secret with others? Does knowing a secret ever change the way you live, even a little bit?

Think about how you think we are to live our lives of faith. Should our faith be “loud” or “easily recognizable” as Christian; should it be lived in “secret;” or should it be some combination to the previous two? I ask, because this week, we’ll be considering Jesus as 007. How do those two images – Jesus and a Secret Agent Man – fit together in your mind, or do they at all?

To guide our ponderings, we’ll look to Matthew 13:31-33 and 1 Peter 3:9-17. So, I hope you’ll take some time before listening to consider what light these passages might shed on the questions above.

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

1 Peter 3:9-17
⁹Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; ¹¹let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. ¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” ¹³Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? ¹⁴But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, ¹⁵but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;

¹⁶yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. (NRSV)

Matthew 13:31-33
³¹Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; ³²it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” ³³He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” (NRSV)