Sermons
How does that make sense?
There are a lot of things that don’t make sense to me. This isn’t because I’m unusually dense, at least I don’t think so, it comes rather from a lifetime of observing the world in a particular (perhaps peculiar) way and trying to make sense of what I’ve seen. There have been a multitude of political decisions made by sensible people I found completely baffling. Some of my friends have…
What good is that bow?
The first Sunday in Lent and the Lectionary thinks our Old Testament lesson should come from Genesis. Why would the good people who put the Lectionary together think Genesis went with Lent? My first few encounters with this text in this context left me baffled. Thanks to the good offices of the Rev. Dr. Scott Sharman I got some new insights into the passage and the story of Noah. Three…
Piercing the veil
Transfiguration Sunday is another Sunday which is celebrated, or at least noted every year. As I mentioned in the sermon, it is probably a good thing it is or I might not ever preach on it. This year what caught my eye, so to say, in the texts was Paul’s use of the word “veil” as a metaphor for what is seen and not seen. There is an Irish festival…
Does he know who he is?
Several things we do as human beings are difficult to interpret. What makes them difficult is their similarity to other things we do. For example, Peter Berger said, “It is possible to view social reality with compassion or with cynicism, both attitudes being compatible with clear-sightedness.”* My “take” on Berger’s point is identical actions can be driven by dramatically different motives. One person might be kind because they look at…
Rules or freedom?
Rules or freedom is one of those questions we face on at least a daily basis. We, at least in Canada, have considerable freedom to break rules, or laws. We can drive faster than the posted speed limit. We can shade the numbers on our tax return. We can cut classes. We are not free from the consequences of these actions if we are caught, but we have the freedom…
Just because you are called . . .
There is an idea out there, at least so I have heard, that if you are called to be a prophet then everything you do from that point on is “prophetic” and, consequently, “correct.” We talked about being called last week and it seemed to me a good thing to address some of the drawbacks of being called. This is your opportunity to be exposed to a peculiar malady called,…
Still calling
I couldn’t resist using the image to the left for this week. It has little to do with the content of the sermon but it is a nostalgic picture for me. I don’t remember us having a phone exactly like that one but ours was very, very close. This week’s sermon is not a new subject for me to address. I have spoken more than once before about being called….
What’s up with this baptism?
I would guess most of you reading this or listening to the sermon will be familiar with the notion of “baptism.” You were baptized as a baby and were told about it, you were baptized as a non-baby and you remember it, or you have seen and remembered one or more baptisms. You may have strong opinions about baptism, perhaps the mode or the age of the person being baptized….
No ordinary baby
I don’t know how old the image of the New Year as a baby is but I suspect it is pretty old. It seems fitting to reflect on babies in the season of Christmas and on New Year’s Eve and I was drawn to some variation on the phrase, “Not an ordinary baby” or “No ordinary baby.” I like these phrases because they are tricks. There are no ordinary babies….
We are getting words for Christmas!
The Fourth Sunday of Advent coincides with Christmas Eve this year so in a slight departure from my usual pattern the Scripture Lessons come both from Advent 4 and Christmas Eve Lectionary selections. This worked out well for a couple of reasons. First, it allowed us to celebrate both Advent 4 and Christmas Eve. Second, it allowed me to have John 1:1-14 as the Gospel lesson. The sermon title, “We…