John 10:1-10 [Watch sermon here.] Jesus declares, “I am the gate.” A literal translation reads:“I am the door.” Jesus as a door is one of my favorite images in the Bible. Doors intrigue me.I am always wondering, What lies on the other side? Doors open to surprising spaces.They transition us to a hidden and holy […]
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Luke 19:28-40 [Watch video here.] It’s a celebration! Jesus comes home to the people.Jesus, the tender-hearted.Jesus, the liberator. It’s the moment everyone is waiting for.This moment of reunion.Lover and loved, liberator and liberated,together, united. How will they greet each other? The people are so happy! “Praise God!” they shout.They cover the road with their coatsas […]
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John 9:1-41 [Watch sermon here.] On the road, Jesus and the disciples walk by a man born with blindness. This man has depth and wisdom. Brilliance abounds as this man can listen to the world more thoroughly than anyone born with sight. A certain spark, and sparkle, occurs when Jesus approaches the man. In contrast, […]
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Exodus 17:1-7 [Watch sermon here.] Is God with us? The question burned the Israelites’ parched souls as they lay down their packs. They had hiked in stages through the wilderness. As they trekked in the hot sun, with their belongings on their back, I imagine them wondering, Where will the wilderness take us today? To […]
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John 3:1-17 [Watch sermon here.] Is Nicodemus having a midlife crisis? I wonder. Perhaps Nicodemus is nearing middle age, thinking this is just how life is. Nicodemus has found his place in the in-group. He is part of the Sanhedrin. He has found his daily grind. This is the life! This is the life? This […]
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Exodus 24:12-18 [Watch sermon.] What makes a home? Is it the people? Is it the house? Is it the house renovations? The bells and whistles you see on HGTV? Is home simply a place where you can lay your head? The Hebrew people have been searching for a home. They have not felt at home […]
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Deuteronomy 30:15-20 [Watch sermon here.] Moses says,“I set before you life or death, blessing or curse.Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live.” As Moses speaks these words to the Hebrew people,they are in a liminal space. An in-between space.They are about to cross over the river and enter a new land.And […]
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Mark 1:14-20 [Watch video here.] I found myself listening to the music of Pete Townsend this week,who sings, “When everyone keeps retreatingbut you can’t seem to get enough. Let my love open the door …” He continues,“When everything seems all over,When everyone seems unkind … Let my love open the door;Let my love open the […]
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Micah 6:1-8 [Watch the video here.] The people dwelled in rubble: Buildings in ruins, dreams dashed. Colonizers cast them into a place not their own. They had no home of their own. Bereft and abandoned as the powerful seized their houses and their fields. The people are smarting. We will take God to court! Because […]
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Matthew 3:13-17 [Watch sermon here.] Poet Jean Valentine writes: My words to you are the stitches in a scarfI don’t want to finish maybe it will come to be a blanketor a net to hold you here love not gone anywhere. I am drawn in by Valentine’s first lines: My words to you are the […]
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The First Baptist Church in Essex 