Where Are You Now, God?

(Sermon preached December 24, 2023) This sermon celebrates the courage and prophetic witness of Mary as she joins with Elizabeth and sings her revolutionary song known today as The Magnificat.  (Luke 1:39-56)

Please note this is my last sermon until I return from Sabbatical in April of 2024.  

(preached December 17, 2023) Isaiah 61: 1-4, 10-11 is the text Jesus opened to as he preached his first sermon in his hometown synagogue.  He reads it like a mission statement, which it is, for Jesus and for us as his followers.  It is a holy calling - a calling that cannot be fully exercised without the other gift this passage offers - JOY.  

(Sermon preached December 10, 2023)  Building a highway to usher in God's coming reign of peace is no small endeavor.  Isaiah 40:1-11 reminds us of the leveling, filling, and demolition that needs to be done to prepare the way.  

(Preached December 3, 2023 - First Sunday of Advent)  Isaiah 64:1-9 plunges us into the darkness of a people desperate for God to act.  It is only when they can surrender to the hands of the potter that God can do a new thing.  

(Sermon preached November 19, 2023)  The story of the tenth leper turning back, found in Luke 17:11-19, is a scripture often read on Thanksgiving Sunday.  It is a story of appreciation.

(Sermon preached November 6, 2023) Using the story of the Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37, this sermon challenges us to be more than "not racist."

(Sermon preached October 15, 2023) Charity alone is not enough, we need charity coupled with justice.  Additionally, how we extend charity matters.  

(Sermon preached on October 8, 2023) Matthew 5:9 says, "Blessed are the peacemakers..." The Sermon on the Mount describes the path of peacemaking, from loving your enemies and refusing to retaliate, to taking the log out of your own eye. FCCO made a commitment to peacemaking when it became a Shalom Congregation and continues to promote peace.

(Sermon preached October 1, 2023)  Unity is part of our DNA, as a denomination and as a congregation.  In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul notes the patience, gentleness, and humility that is required to practice unity.  Unity is not the absence of conflict, nor is it uniformity.  Unity happens when we continue to gather in love, and deal with conflict in a way that affirms the dignity of all.  

(Sermon preached on September 24, 2023) This sermon concludes the series "Speaking Christian" based on a book with the same name by Marcus Borg.  The objective of the series was to revisit the "big" words of the Christian faith through the lens of a more progressive Christian perspective.  This sermon's focus is on the word "righteousness" which in the Biblical world is often synonymous with justice.  Amos 5:21-24 is an opportunity to talk about the social world of the Bible and God's concern for those who are systematically kept poor and oppressed for the benefit of a few.