September 26, 2021 - The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

O God, we give you thanks for salting us with your grace and pray that might always have peace with you ✠ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            I pray that this sermon series on “What is the Church?” has been fruitful. The idea was that as we were emerging out of the pandemic and trying to re-establish some sense of normal, we needed to get back to the basics to build on a solid foundation. So we’ve considered questions about the purpose of the Church, why we should come to Church, and what words like discipleship and faith are all about. Which leaves us with one last question – what should we even be Christian?

September 19, 2021 - The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

O Lord, we are your children, give us the faith to receive your grace and love fully in our lives ✠ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            Thus far in this sermon series about the Church, we’ve seen that the Church is a Eucharistic community – meaning that all we are and do is rooted in the way in which God brings us together, nourishes us in grace, places before us the story of our salvation, and summons us to follow Jesus in the way of the Cross. Now, that’s a very short summary, and so if you’ve missed any of the sermons so far, I’d encourage you either read or listen to them online. Today, the question is “what is faith?”

September 12, 2021 - The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Gracious and loving God, mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            Truly, it is good to be back with you all this morning. Even a great whale, which can swim for long periods of times in the depths, needs to come up for air periodically. That’s what I did last Sunday and the week prior – I spent some time where I didn’t check emails or worry about projects so that I could more fully rest and be present in prayer and breathe in God’s grace. Certainly, it’s not only clergy who have been exhausted by this pandemic – we all have. So make sure you’re taking time to come up for air as well.

August 29, 2021 - The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

O God, of your grace you have brought us into the new creation of your love, keep us secure in this grace for ever ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            We’re continuing our sermon series on the question “what is the Church?” As we’re trying to come out of this pandemic and reestablish habits of faith, it’s important to remind ourselves of the foundation on which we stand. So in the previous two sermons, I said that the purpose of the Church is to celebrate the Eucharist because it both immerses us into the story of faith and also because it shapes us into being a people who “see Communion in everything,” as my college chaplain used to put it. Last Sunday, we saw that the reasons for coming to Church are that we are fed in the grace of God, we are given armor to stand firm against the trials of life, we are taught and corrected in the ways of faith, and we abide with one another in Christ.

August 22, 2021 - The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Lord Jesus, you have told us that those who eat your flesh and drink your blood abide in you; grant us the grace to always abide in your love ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            Last week, we began a sermon series focused on the question “What is the Church?” Though it’s taking far longer than is necessary, we’re trying to come out of this pandemic and look forward to when we can all gather without worrying about exposures. The last 18 months have been incredibly disruptive in the life of the Church and for many Christians. For months, the building was physically closed, and patterns and habits were disrupted. As we’re seeking to rebuild those holy habits of faith, we have to get back to the foundations, which is the purpose of this sermon series.

August 15, 2021 - The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Jesus, you are the bread of life and we ask that you would give us this bread always ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            What is Church all about? Really, when it comes down to it, why do we invest so much time, energy, and money into the Church? This is a question that many people have asked, and finding insufficient answers, describe themselves as being “spiritual but not religious.” And given the past 18 months when we had to close the physical church due to the pandemic, as we’ve reopened, it’s become clear that having an answer to the question “what is the Church” is necessary.

August 8, 2021 - The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Gracious and loving God, may only your Truth be spoken and only your Truth be heard ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            I bet that right now, you can think of certain smells and immediately be transported somewhere else. More than any other sense, smell can take over our brain and conjure up memories and associations. Just a whiff of perfume or cologne can remind us of grandparents who died decades ago. For me, the smell of diesel fuel takes me to the Dominican Republic and certain foods are almost like a time machine that bring me to previous meals. I’m sure you all have some of those smell-based associations.