A sermon for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year AJohn 1:29-42 Epiphany is the season of light.  Now, somewhere out there one of you is thinking, “Wait, didn’t he say Advent was the season of light.  And didn’t he say something similar about Christmas?” You are right to accuse me of some measure of redundancy and repetition, because, at least in my imagination, all three seasons emphasize light.  In Advent, the light is growing.  Along with our growing sense of anticipation and expectation, we light candles in the darkness, one more each week.  At Christmas we celebrate the light … Continue reading John the Baptizer, John the Pointer

A sermon on the Eve of Christmas, Year ALuke 2:1-14 Christmas has come.  No need to wait any longer.  Christmas is here. For those of you old enough to reflect back, I would dare say that if you thought back there would be at least one or two Christmases that are most memorable.  Perhaps it was the last one you celebrated with someone you loved.  Perhaps it just seemed to that the Ghost of Christmas Present visited your home with brighter candles and your hearts were lighter. Down through the centuries there have been particularly memorable Christmases as well.  Indeed … Continue reading Light and Hope

A sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year AMatthew 1:18-25 In the gospel lesson this morning we are given a rare gift – a glimpse inside the thoughts and intentions of Joseph, Mary’s husband.  From what we can tell from the text, Joseph was a law-abiding citizen, willing to follow the customs and directions of both the religious and civil authorities.  But the text tells us specifically that Joseph was a righteous man. What would a righteous man do when he discovered that the woman to whom he was betrothed was pregnant with another man’s child?  Joseph refuses to … Continue reading Joseph’s Heritage is Joseph’s Destiny

A sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year AIsaiah 11:1-10; Matthew 3:1-12 The light is growing.  The Second candle in our advent wreath has been lit.  As the light grows brighter, so should our sense of expectation.  With Mary we are expecting.  The fullness of time is almost here.  Her days and ours are almost complete.  Soon, a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us.  But not yet… This season of advent is filled with growing light, opened calendars, preparation.  Prepare the way, O Zion, your Christ is drawing near.  The readings for … Continue reading Critics and Energizers

A sermon for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, Year CLuke 20:27-38 I’m not surprised anymore.  The shock has worn off.  I dropped by one of the home center stores in Christiansburg this past week for a quick purchase.  I walked around a corner and found myself in a Christmas wonderland. Long gone are the days of my childhood when no self-respecting retailer would have put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving.  In 1937 in an effort to help the struggling economy by lengthening the Christmas shopping season, then president, Franklin Roosevelt, moved the observance of Thanksgiving up one week.  The … Continue reading The God of the Living

A sermon for the 23rd Sunday after PentecostLuke 19:1-10 Our days with Luke are drawing to a close.  Just a few more weeks and we will be in Advent and find ourselves once again with Matthew as our traveling guide through the Gospels.   But before we leave Luke, there are a few more stories and even a difficult saying of Jesus to be heard. This morning we hear this familiar story of Zacchaeus, the wee little man.  This is one of the stories from the life and ministry of Jesus that seems to resonate with adults and children alike.  I … Continue reading Zacchaeus — the Unlikely Role-Model

Seat of Honor.edit A Sermon for the 14th Sunday after PentecostHebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14 When I sat down and looked at the Gospel lesson this morning, I must admit I felt like I had been here already – Jesus is at dinner with the Pharisees and has to correct them about how they treat those in their society without status. If we take a step back and look at the Gospel of Luke in its entirety, this should come as no surprise, really.  The writer of Luke seems intent on pointing out the imbalance of power that existed … Continue reading The Seat of Honor for the Least of These

A sermon for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost (Isaiah 5:1-7, Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2, Luke 12:49-56)   In one of those moments I can’t quite forget, I flash back to some of the media coverage surrounding the Oklahoma City bombing.  A woman who had lost both of her elderly parents in the blast was being interviewed just a day or two after that city was changed forever.  She told the reporter, “Well, if God saw fit to take my parents home this way…”  I’m not quite sure I heard the rest of the interview. I remember thinking out loud, as … Continue reading Clouds of witnesses in storms of doubt