Sermons
God's Job and Ours | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
June 13, 2021 | Third Sunday in Pentecost
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In today's gospel reading from St. Mark, Jesus tells two gardening parables. In one, he compares the Dominion of God to seed sown that grows without the sower knowing how, even when the sower is asleep. In the second, he compares the Dominion of God to the seed of the mustard plant, which grows from a tiny beginning into a large shrub that provides shade for all sorts of birds. What might we learn from these enigmatic stories about God's job and ours?
The Trouble with Labeling | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
June 6, 2021 | Second Sunday in Pentecost
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We love being able to neatly label and categorize things and people. We learn in our texts this week that there can sometimes be difficulty when we affix these labels.
Status Change | Pastor H. Julian Gordy
May 30, 2021 | The Holy Trinity
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Trinity Sunday is the only church festival that honors a doctrine of the church. What does it mean to confess the holy mystery that is the Holy Trinity? Jesus' night-time conversation with Nicodemus may give us a little insight into what it means to live with the God whom we know as transcendent creator, imminent presence, and unpredictable Spirit.
Amazed and Astonished | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
May 23, 2021 | Day of Pentecost
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The arrival and presence of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost is quite an event. How does the Holy Spirit’s presence continue to amaze and astonish us today?
Witnesses to the Resurrection | Liza Hawkins, Seminarian
May 16, 2021 | Seventh Sunday of Easter
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In the aftermath of the Ascension, the disciples must rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the midst of chaos and confusion. The psalmist reminds us that who delight in the ways of God will prosper, and we trust God will care for God's people in all times and places. Jesus prays a prayer of strength and unity over his friends and calls us all to be witnesses to the resurrection. Come, Holy Spirit!
Love and Friendship | Pastor Michelle Kuhlman
May 9, 2021 | Sixth Sunday of Easter
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The understanding and use of “love” and “friend” in our modern time is different from what they meant in Jesus’ day. We learn from what our Lord has to say about the subjects.
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.