Scripture - Isaiah 12:2-5; Luke 1:39-45
The third Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of Joy. There is a lot of anxiety in the world, especially during the holidays. Do we really have space in our lives for joy? There are forces in our culture that try to take away our joy. Don't let them. Finding joy in our lives is an act of resistance.
Recent Sermons
December 9, 2024
Scripture - Isaiah 41:17-20; Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel tells Mary that she has found favor with God. But what did Mary do to earn this favor? The Gospels tell us nothing about what Mary did. And that's the point. Mary already had favor with God. ...
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December 2, 2024
Scripture: Zechariah 8:3-8; Luke 1:5-15
The prophet Zechariah and the Gospel of Luke speak into a time when hope seemed to vanquish and the way forward looked impossible to find. But both assure us that we can make a way forward when there seems to be no w...
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November 26, 2024
Scripture: Matthew 27:27-37; John 13:34-35
Christ is a different kind of king than Christian nationalists want. He is not the king who justifies dominion and control over others. He is not the kind of king who leads to violence and war. Rather, he is the k...
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November 18, 2024
Scripture: Psalm 23; II King 24:8-14; Luke 7:11-23
Many of us feel like we are in the valley of the shadow of death in our culture. The ancient Jews went through their own valley of the shadow when they were conquered by the Babylonians. And Jesus met a wo...
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November 12, 2024
Scripture: John 1:5; 1 John 4:7-8; Revelation 21:1-4
In the conclusion to our Revelation series, we review the theological and political critique that Revelation aims at the Roman Empire. We make connections today to the American Empire. Then we conclude w...
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November 4, 2024
Scripture: Revelation 19:19-20; Revelation 21:22-26
In the conclusion of our sermon series on Revelation, we discover that God's plan for salvation includes those we thought would always be excluded. Could it be that Revelation actually reveals God&...
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October 21, 2024
Revelation 12:7-12; Revelation 13:9-10
Revelation reveals the nonviolent God of love, but also reveals evil. The dragon in Revelation 12 is Satan and the symbol of evil. The dragon is the accuser, whose accusations are based on lies. These lies are meant t...
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October 15, 2024
Scripture: Genesis 1:27; Mark 10:17-31
October is Disability Awareness Month. In this sermon, I talk about disability theology and the church. We have come a long way when it comes to making a more just and loving world with our disabled siblings, but we s...
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October 7, 2024
Scripture: Revelation 6:1-8; Revelation 7:9-11
Who are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Do they have any relevance for us today? The Four Horsemen represented the political oppression of the Roman Empire. The horsemen symbolize violent conquest, econo...
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