Matthew 1:18-25 [Watch sermon here.] “Let the bells jingle” by Helen Jesty Let the bells jingle but make time for the tears to fall. Eat, drink and be merry but do not go hungry in that inner place. Rest, reflect and remember. Be true to yourself. Many of us can’t play happy families at this […]
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Matthew 11:2-11 [Watch sermon here.] John the Baptist is looking for that which is most alive.Urgently, John sends a messenger to Jesus to inquire,“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” John is asking,“Has God come?Has the kindom come as enfleshed by the ministry of Jesus?” Jesus reports back […]
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Psalm 122 & Isaiah 2:1-5 [Watch sermon here.] How I rejoiced when they said to me:“Let us go to the house of God!” Let’s go! Call your friends and family!What’s holding us back?It’s like Christmas!It is Christmas! Let’s go! The greatest gift awaits us …! And now, after journeying,our feet are standing within your gates, […]
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Psalm 46 [Watch the sermon here.] God’s voice thunders,and the earth melts. Oooooo. How does the earth melt? Does the earth melt like a swooning lover?Oh! That melts my heart! Does it melt like metal in fire?Like that which is hard becoming liquid? Is it the ice of the earth that is melting?The glaciers? The […]
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Isaiah 65: 17-25 [Watch sermon here.] God proclaims,I am about to create a new heaven and a new earth! This is a vision of salvation! People often think of salvation as being personal,as related just to them. Here, what is a salve,what is salvific relates to the community. What does wholeness look like for the […]
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Psalm 32:1-7 [Watch sermon.] Dear God, we need a hiding place! As we walk through the wild world, the storms of life unleash upon us. Where will we seek shelter? Dear God, help us look for the hideaways. Sometimes, when I spend long hours hiking outdoors,I find myself looking for discreet dens. I love looking […]
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Luke 16:19-31 [Watch the sermon here.] Distant and indifferent. These are the adjectivesthat describe the rich man’s stance toward Lazarus. Even in death, the rich man remains distant and indifferent.Even in death, the rich man uses Lazarus for his own self-interest.A crevasse separates them; still the rich mancries out, Send Lazarus over to cool my […]
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Luke 16:1-13 Today’s story is a story of mystery. A story that defies easy explanation. The stories of Jesus are like the foggy veils that I recently saw in La Malbaie, Quebec. I would squint my eyes and try to see what lay within the veils. Likewise, we are trying to peer in and see […]
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Luke 14:1, 7-14 [Watch sermon here.] Jesus enters a dinner party and immediately offers a critique, saying “When you host a dinner, don’t invite your friends, your siblings, your relatives, or rich neighbors. If you do, they will invite you in return. Instead, when you throw a party, invite the poor, the disabled, those who […]
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Isaiah 58:9b-14 [Watch sermon here.] Dream.Isaiah invites us to dream of the world God desires for us.Dreamily, Isaiah writes,God will guide you continually,and satisfy your needs in parched places,and make your bones strong. What do you think it meansthat God wants to make our bones strong? Here is a story that sheds light on that […]
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The First Baptist Church in Essex 