Sermons from 2020 (Page 5)
On Sabotaging Fear
Message #4 During Covid-19 Pandemic: On Sabotaging Fear Psalm 121; Matthew 6:25-34; Mark 6:46-51; 1 John 4:18 In last Sunday’s message, I challenged you to engage yourself bravely and wisely in a struggle to save the world—including your world—from what the peerless Chronicles of Narnia author C. S. Lewis called “enemy occupied territory”— in our case—territory that…
Live sermon- Stay safe! Stay well! Stay alive! Stay aware! Stay in love!
Message #3 Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic Psalm 121, Matthew 25:31-45 Our mission is now completely clear! We are on a decisive mission to make the world safe. As the great Rev. Dr. Vernon Johns told one of his church deacons about the fight against evil racial segregation in Alabama, “When you see a…
Woman At the Well
John 4:5-42 (And link for Neil’s Offeratory solo) People everywhere today need to be filled. At the same time people everywhere need to be emptied. We live in an uncertain moment of paradox— In which we require a spiritual process of deep filling— And intentional emptying— In the same moment!—an inner movement in seeming opposite directions. The process of…
Transluce>Transform>Transcend!
Transluce>Transform>Transcend! John 3:1-17, Romans 2:2 (6 helium balloons—2 purple(Lent), 2 green(life), 2 white(hope), are floating above a nearby pedestal. They are secured by a weight) Although there are multiple threats to a renewal of hope in humanity’s fortunes today, I believe that millions of people around the earth are seeking renewal—and even spiritual…
More Ordinary Temptations
More Ordinary Temptations—Matthew 4:1-11 So many temptations are so ordinary that we hardly recognize them as temptations. We don’t even see them in the first place. Today, I want to share a few with you. They may resonate with you, but if not, you can just walk along with me and reflect on your own ordinary temptations, whatever they may be, and how you might cope with…
What is Your Be—Attitude?
What is Your Be—Attitude? Isaiah 58: 1-9a Matthew 5:13-20 Is a rich inner life even possible today? You have to wonder sometimes. Many people today are desperate for a quiet interior in our lives! A calm inner refuge from the outer chaos and noise which we experience daily? How do we travel the rough terrain into that spiritual dimension? In a world which, what the…
Salt and Light 2020
How is an Inner Life Possible Today? Isaiah 58: 1-9a Matthew 5:13-20 Is a rich inner life even possible today? You have to wonder sometimes. Many people today are desperate for a quiet interior in our lives! A calm inner refuge from the outer chaos and noise which we experience daily? How do we travel the rough terrain into that spiritual dimension? In a world which,…
Coping with an Impossible Situation
Coping with An Impossible Situation? Titus 1:1-5, 12-16 Many people today are trying to cope with impossible situations— A serious predicament which is resisting all attempted solutions over some period of time. Many impossible situations are chronic. They seem to have no end. Some spring up suddenly as a bad surprise and paralyze…
When Things Make No Sense, What Then?
Isaiah 9:1-4, Matthew 4:12-23 Far too many things that we experience in the world—come under the heading—”That makes no sense.” At a celebration following the Chiefs victory over the Titans, people are murdered and badly wounded by gun violence. “That makes no sense.” A national leader in South America decides to cut down a significant amount of rain forest…