Sermons
Abiding in the Vine | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
may 2, 2021 | Fifth Sunday of Easter
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In John 15:1-8, Jesus calls us to abide in him. This is not always easy to do but it leads us to bear much fruit.
The Good Shepherd | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
April 25, 2021 | Fourth Sunday of Easter
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The image of the good shepherd shows us how the risen Christ brings us to life. It is the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep, one of mutual knowledge and love, that gives the shepherd authority. The shepherd’s willingness to lay down his life for the sheep shows his love. First John illustrates what it means to lay down our lives for one another by the example of sharing our wealth with any sibling in need.
Can I Get a Witness? | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
April 18, 2021 | Third Sunday of Easter
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The gospel for the third Sunday of Easter is always one in which the risen Christ shares food with the disciples, meals that are the Easter template for the meal we share each Sunday. In today’s gospel, Jesus both shares the disciples’ food and shows them the meaning of his suffering, death, and resurrection through the scriptures, the two main elements of our Sunday worship.
Show me | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
April 11, 2021 | Second Sunday of Easter
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Show me. Show me the risen Lord. That was Thomas' response to his colleagues' report that they had seen the risen Jesus. It is no more than many of us ask. And, while we might like some indisputable proof of the resurrection, what we have instead is the evidence that is here among us - here in this community in whom the Spirit is pleased to dwell.
I have seen the Lord | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
April 4, 2021 | The Resurrection of Our Lord | Easter Day
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Out of deep grief comes great hope.
A Study in Contrasts | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
March 28, 2021 | Sunday of the Passion ~ Palm Sunday
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As we observe the transition from palms to passion, we see a number of contrasting images and experiences. There are often two ways of looking at things, including the life and death of Jesus.
Why Suffering? | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
March 21, 2021 | Fifth Sunday in Lent
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In the gospel lesson, Jesus predicts his own suffering in Jerusalem and then asks his disciples to follow him there. The writer of Hebrews connects Jesus' suffering to his obedience and our salvation. Can good come out of suffering? Can life come out of death?
God so loved... | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
March 14, 2021 | Fourth Sunday in Lent
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We are quite familiar with John 3:16. We know God loves us and sent Jesus to die for us. So how do we respond to that love? What do we do with it?
God's Anger | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
March 7, 2021 | Third Sunday in Lent
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It is not easy for many of us to accept the Jesus we meet in today’s gospel lesson. The picture of the Prince of Peace angrily wielding a whip, turning over tables, and driving people and animals out the door and down the stairs of the temple just doesn’t fit our image of the loving, kindly Jesus. But God's anger grows out of God's love for the world God has created.
Promises and Praise | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
February 28, 2021 | Second Sunday in Lent
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In our texts, we again hear of God's promise of the provision for Abram and Sarai (Abraham and Sarah) and the gift of faith that sustained them. When we consider all the ways God provides for us today, we are moved to praise.
What are we called to do? | Liza Hawkins, Seminarian
February 21, 2021 | First Sunday in Lent
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On Ash Wednesday the church began its journey toward baptismal immersion in the death and resurrection of Christ. This year, the Sundays in Lent lead us to focus on five covenants God makes in the Hebrew Scriptures and to use them as lenses through which to view baptism. First Peter connects the way God saved Noah’s family in the flood with the way God saves us through the water of baptism. The baptismal covenant is made with us individually, but the new life we are given in baptism is for the sake of the whole world.
Return to God | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
February 17, 2021 | Ash Wednesday - Imposition of Ashes
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In this year of pandemic, we may not need to wear a smudge of ashes or hear the words, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return" to be reminded of our mortality. But we still need this annual invitation to return to God - to look honestly at ourselves and if we are striving for foolish and temporary things instead of seeking the treasure that lasts, to turn around and follow Jesus.
Mountaintop changes | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
February 14, 2021 | Transfiguration of Our Lord
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In the story of the Transfiguration, some of Jesus' disciples have an awe-inspiring mountaintop experience. How does that experience combine with the Lenten journey we are about to embark upon, and what can we take away from it?
Single-minded | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
February 7, 2021 | Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
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St. Paul wrote that, for the sake of proclaiming the gospel, he would be all things to all people. Jesus turns down an invitation to return to Capernaum where his fame is spreading in order to proclaim the good news in places it has not yet been made known. Both were single-minded in their devotion to making known the good news of God's love for the world. Just so, you and I are called to be single-minded in being Christ's body in our place and time.
Authority, Responsibility, and...Scandal? | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
January 31, 2021 | Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
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Jesus commands an unclean spirit to leave an afflicted man. While we may not literally be casting out demons, our words and deeds have power, too. What we say (and leave unsaid) has an impact on those around us.
An Invitation to Imagine | Liza Hawkins, Seminarian
January 24, 2021 | Third Sunday after Epiphany
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Jesus invites the disciples to abandon life as they know it and seek something new. Psalm 62 assures us that God is a refuge to be trusted, and this assurance provides comfort and freedom. Just as Jesus called the early disciples, God is always calling to us and inviting us to imagine a new world--a more just world, a more loving world.
Known and Being Known | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
January 17, 2021 | Second Sunday after Epiphany
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Even before he knew God, God knew Samuel and called him by name. The writer of Psalm 139 assures us that God knows each of us intimately and is always with us. Amid the anxiety of the past few weeks, we know that God knows us and our reality and that God loves us and our fractured world.
Please Try Again | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
January 10, 2021 | The Baptism of Our Lord
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The baptism of Jesus reminds us of our own baptism. In the water, we received forgiveness and our truest calling - to shine the light of Christ around us. In the water, we received the power of the Spirit to encourage, strengthen, and direct us. When we don't live up to our baptismal identity, we are not to be discouraged or overcome with guilt. Every morning, God invites us, "Please, try again."